After its brutal hammering in the 2024 General Election, the Conservative Party’s very survival was in doubt. Its broken body lay in intensive care, a pulse barely detectable. Commentators predicted that the last rites would soon be read for the fading patient. Although the trip to the mortuary was averted by the election of Kemi Badenoch, who brought a spirit of resolution to her role, the prospects for long-term recovery appeared bleak.For all her bravery, Badenoch gave some poor performances in media interviews and in the Commons, sparking a renewed bout of leadership speculation. The mood of crisis was sedulously...