Kemi Badenoch retained her seat in North West Essex after a tight race back in July, receiving 19,360 votes - 35.6 percent of the overall share. The shadow minister has served as the MP for Saffron Walden since 2017 with the seat reforming to North West Essex after the election.
Now, she is the frontrunner in the Tory party leadership race. Despite this recent rise to the top, Ms Badenoch’s constituents are less than impressed. “I’ve been here for three and a half years and I wouldn’t know she’s my MP as I’ve never seen her," local business owner, Karen Oakley, told Express.
co.uk . “It really doesn’t feel like she’s interested in the local community at all.
She needs to actually talk to us and talk to small businesses before spurting out with what she thinks we need - she’s on the right track, but come and talk to us first,” Karen added. Echoes of Ms Badenoch’s absence ring loudly through the town, with local residents claiming they play “hunt for Kemi” to see who will spot the local MP first. Saffron Walden local, Geramy Martlew, 69, similarly says he’s “lived here for four years and has never seen her”, with Elaine, a 30-year resident claiming she hasn’t seen her either.
“A lot of people here are not very keen on her. I’ve never met her,” says Elaine. Despite this, new polling shows Kemi Badenoch in the lead, with the YouGov survey putting the shadow housing secretary at 32 percent.
The other three candidates are Robert Jenrick, who.