{
  "id": 12296239,
  "title": "The Conservative Party is losing voters on legacy, not leadership",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/the-conservative-party-is-losing-voters-on-legacy-not-leadership",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-06T03:46:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/the-conservative-party-is-losing-voters-on-legacy-not-leadership/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Conservative Party is struggling to regain voter trust, not due to poor leadership, according to new polling data. Matthew Lesh writes that despite recent improvements in the party's image and Kemi Badenoch's rise in personal approval, the Tory's legacy and earning back voter trust remain the biggest obstacles. The poll showed a rise in the Conservative's vote share from 17% to 20%, but they still trail behind Labour and Reform. Kemi's personal approval rating increased from -16 to +3, making her one of the more popular political figures. However, the party's net favourability is still negative at -12. The Conservatives are marginally ahead of Reform on reducing the cost of living and strengthening the economy, but Labour is significantly ahead in both areas. Reform also leads on reducing migration, while Labour excels on housing, wages, job security, and health and social care. The main concerns for voters are that the Conservatives cannot be trusted to keep their promises (35%), the NHS record (30%), and handling the economy (29%). Voters on the right are most concerned about immigration. The Conservatives have a chance to rebuild trust, but it remains a challenge.",
  "summary": "On the reasons to not vote Conservative, very few blame Kemi. Instead, legacy, and earning back trust, remains the Tories' biggest obstacle.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}