He has since described his past views as “indefensible” and says he has spent years opposing antisemitism since leaving prison in 2018. The Crewkerne row comes shortly after she rejected centrist former Tory MPs as candidates for the next election. The electoral logic for Badenoch’s current strategy rests on the assumption most switchers to Reform UK since 2024 are on the right. All those policies are aimed at reassuring right-leaning voters that the Tories, not Reform, are the competent vehicle for their instincts. Nonetheless, the right of British politics is overcrowded, with the Tories, Reform and Restore Britain all jostling for votes and dogged by questions about deals.