Author: Toby Helm Political Editor

Kemi Badenoch delivered a sobering and uncompromising message to her own party on Saturday within minutes of being elected as its new leader, saying the Conservatives had to become “honest” again if they were to stand any chance of recovering as a political force. This is the Badenoch way: blunt and straight to the point. The cheers and whooping had hardly died away at the news that she had defeated Robert Jenrick by 53,806 votes to 41,388 votes before she was laying down the law. “Our party is critical to the success of country,” she said. “But to be heard, we…