Kemi’s CCHQ Shake-Up Speech Leaves Staff “Devastated”
Guido hears Kemi’s ‘come to Jesus’ moment at CCHQ with the wider party hasn’t exactly steadied the ship. Insiders grumble it was “100 days too late” and “disingenuous.” Her “burn the whole place down” remark—supposedly from a member—is said to have been lifted from a Jenrick speech during the leadership race…
There is plenty of unease over Kemi telling staff they need to “deliver on fundraising or campaigning” when, there isn’t an official director of campaigning and, as one campaign manager put it, “how can we campaign when we’ve got no policies to campaign on?” The biggest concern for some is how to take the fight to Reform, with grumblings over the lack of a clear campaign strategy to tackle the party that’s outpolling the Tories…
Meanwhile, one CCHQ insider says the speech left staff feeling “devastated” after Kemi “didn’t say one positive thing.” At the same time, CCHQ’s lease on 4 Matthew Parker Street is up, with a decision to be made soon—though LOTO insists it won’t be funding-related—despite insiders saying that more donors are leaving than Kemi anticipated. It may need more than a pep-talk to bring back members and polling numbers…
