Kemi Badenoch channels her fantasies as she launches the Tories' local election campaign | John Crace

"You'd have thought this would be the very definition of futility. An act of defiant nihilism. A few weeks ago Kemi Badenoch had declared that the Tory candidate for Gorton and Denton, Charlotte Cadden, had been the real winner despite getting under 2% of the vote and losing her deposit. Now Kemi was to launch the Conservatives' local election campaign in the certain knowledge the end result would be electoral wipeout."

"Because inside the cafe at St John's Smith Square in Westminster, the excitement was tangible. Most of the shadow cabinet were lined up in the front row behind the podium, their smiles more or less genuine. And behind them about a hundred Tory activists, chanting and waving banners and union jacks. You could even spot John Redwood lurking in the background."

"It was as though we were back in the heyday of Margaret Thatcher. Or in that fleeting half-life when Borismania was a thing. As if the Tories were unchallenged in the polls. Twenty points ahead of their nearest rivals. Rather than flatlining on 17%."

The Conservative Party held a campaign launch event at St John's Smith Square in Westminster for upcoming local elections, despite facing certain electoral losses. The event featured shadow cabinet members, party activists, and symbolic figures like John Redwood, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of past Conservative electoral dominance. James Cleverly served as the warm-up speaker, promoting party unity and patriotism. The gathering presented a stark contrast between the energetic, hopeful atmosphere and the party's actual political position, polling at only 17% and facing widespread councillor losses. The event exemplified the surreal nature of contemporary politics, where traditional certainties no longer apply.

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