Tory MPs see Kemi Badenoch as the favourite to take over from Sunak following her promotion

CONSERVATIVE Members of Parliament are tipping Kemi Badenoch as the most likely person to take over from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as party leader following her recent promotion in a mini-reshuffle.

Brought about primarily by the sacking of Nadhim Zahawi as Tory party chairman, the reshuffle saw Ms Badenoch, who finished fourth in last summer’s leadership race, being promoted to business and trade secretary. She also keeps a side job as the minister for women and equalities, which is a significant promotion from her previous job as international trade secretary.

Tory insiders believe that the right wing minister of Nigerian extraction was the big winner in the reshuffle and would have her leadership prospects very much enhanced by taking on more visible responsibilities on top of signing trade deals around the world. She now heads at a new Department for Business and Trade, which came about as a result of the merger of two ministries.

One Red Wall Tory MP said: “She was a frontrunner before but now much more so." A former cabinet minister praised Ms Badenoch, saying she had been handed a great job, adding:  “She resonates well with voters.”

However, one Tory insider said taking on the business brief would put Ms Badenoch on a collision course with striking trade unions over industrial policy. He suggested that this could either enhance or damage her reputation, warning that she will be a target for criticism.

Elsewhere, MPs were sceptical about the political value of the reshuffle ahead of the next election as the Tories hover 20 points behind Labour in the polls. They said the changes were pointless and tantamount to playing a game of musical chairs.

Another ex-cabinet minister said it was like the Gordon Brown era all over again and suggested the creation of a new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology had been championed by Dominic Cummings when he was in Downing Street as Boris Johnson’s chief of staff. He added that the creation of the new ministry was pointless.