"'She's bang on' Ex-Tories prefer Badenoch over more of the same Jenrick"

Winning back voters lost in the summer's disastrous general election performance will be top of the to-do list for the newly installed Conservative party leader when they are appointed in a little over three weeks' time.

- Luke Tryl

With Keir Starmer's government off to a shaky start, buffeted by the freebies scandal and the loss of his chief of staff, could either of the Conservative leadership candidates capitalise on early disappointment with Labour? If so, they may need to begin by introducing themselves.

For the first time in the more than a dozen focus groups we have conducted about the candidates, a couple of participants knew enough about them to express views without prompting - a sign perhaps that the contest is starting to cut through. But most still knew little about either of the finalists and the coming weeks will be crucial to each defining themselves in the public's mind.

Shown clips of the two contenders, it was Kemi Badenoch who wowed the group, made up of former Conservative voters from Weston-super-Mare, which elected a Labour MP for the first time, and North East Somerset and Hanham, a new seat replacing one formerly held by Jacob Rees-Mogg. Robert, a retired fire officer, called Badenoch a "breath of fresh air", while Martin, a banking manager, praised her "no-nonsense approach". Melanie thought her "strong", Katie found her "a bit more normal" and Clare added that "she seems a bit more genuine".