She enjoys the generous support and guidance of Michael Gove, who was her ministerial boss before the convulsions of recent weeks that saw her resign and his sacking from the promotion department. “She is courageous, principled, brilliant and kind,” says Gove, adding that she has led the charge against “the mumbo jumbo peddled by left-wing culture warriors” (which is a bit of mumbo jumbo, but we’ll let it slide). Having such a Svengali figure as Gove at her side could turn out to be a mixed blessing – one wonders what’s in it for him – but for now he is her most high-profile supporter and adviser. Badenoch’s unexpectedly strong performance in the early stages of the contest – she far outscored the cabinet and former ministers Sajid Javid, Nadhim Zahawi, Jeremy Hunt and Suella Braverman – almost certainly guarantees her a middle cabinet position, at least, and a possible springboard to the top job one day. He has already served as minister for children, equalities and housing, as well as the Treasury, so he has had a lot of experience – especially for someone who came to the Commons, for the safe seat of Saffron Walden, in 2017, so actually post – referendum.
