VOTERS will take time to understand Kemi Badenoch — but eventually they will respect her, a senior Tory said yesterday.
Shadow Housing Secretary Kevin Hollinrake backed the Conservative leader amid a rise in Reform membership.
Mr Hollinrake admitted the Tories had failed to tackle mass illegal and legal migration influxes.
But he claimed under Ms Badenoch, the public will “trust us at the next election”.
He told Sky News: “It will take time for people to understand what Kemi is all about.
“She’s bold, strong and says what she thinks, which in politics is a rare commodity, sadly.”
It comes as Reform launched a live membership ticker on its website.
Nigel Farage said: “Reform has all the momentum in British politics, as our membership numbers show.
“We are growing at an unprecedented rate and will soon surpass the failed Tories, who are being abandoned after 14 years of deception and failure.”
Reform has 119,000 members, compared with the 131,000 Tories who voted in their most recent leadership election.
