Discontent among Conservative Party members towards Kemi Badenoch is growing, as half of the members believe she is not suitable to lead the party in the next election. Results from a YouGov poll show that only 46% of Tory faithful support her leadership for the upcoming polls, while 50% oppose it.

There is a division among members on the likelihood of Badenoch retaining her position until the next election. Approximately 49% believe she will step down before the election, while 47% think she will remain in her role, based on a survey conducted for Sky News.

Although Badenoch emerged victorious over Robert Jenrick in the previous leadership contest, the recent poll indicates that Jenrick now holds higher favorability among members, with 46% favoring him compared to 39% supporting Badenoch.

With Reform UK gaining momentum over the Tories, a substantial 64% of members expressed support for an electoral pact with Nigel Farage’s party, and nearly half (46%) endorsed a complete merger with Reform UK. In contrast, Conservative members strongly oppose forming a coalition with the Labour Party by a significant margin of 93% to 6%.

While 73% of Conservative members are open to a coalition with Reform UK, only 25% are against it. Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, garnered favorable opinions from more than half (53%) of Tory members, although 45% hold an unfavorable view of him.

Despite calls from some quarters, including shadow minister Andrew Rosindell, for Conservative collaboration with Reform UK to prevent a Labour government, Badenoch has consistently rejected the idea of a pact with Reform, citing Farage’s previous statements about dismantling the Conservative Party.

The Conservative Party’s struggle for relevance was evident at their lackluster party conference in Manchester, where delegates noted a subdued atmosphere, low turnout of supporters, and a noticeable absence of typical protesters.

The YouGov survey, commissioned by Sky News, involved 652 Conservative members and was conducted between September 26 and October 2.