KEMI BADENOCH admitted today that there is no “quick fix” following the Tories’ 2024 election defeat and the rise of Reform UK.

The Conservative leader claimed the process of rebuilding the party was a “marathon, not a sprint” and warned there were a number of challenges to face, including the local elections which she said would be “very difficult.”

Ms Badenoch acknowledged she had limited time to introduce change but dismissed concerns that her approach would leave a policy vacuum that might be filled by Reform UK.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Ms Badenoch said: “I don’t have as much time as I would like. 

“Simply building a castle in the sand is not going to work either. 

“Reform is saying stuff because it hasn’t thought it all through. You can give easy answers if you haven’t thought it all through.”

Reform UK has been buoyed by a series of Conservative defections and a boost in the polls putting it within a few points of Labour and the Tories.