Kemi Badenoch's director of strategy admits trust in Conservatives at 'all-time low'

In an email to supporters last week, former Tory minister Rachel Maclean pleaded with members to help 'rebuild trust in our brand' after the party's disastrous election result

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch's new strategy chief has admitted trust in Conservatives is at an "all time low".

In an email to supporters last week, ex-minister Rachel Maclean pleaded with members to help "rebuild trust in our brand". She was among 251 Tory MPs to lose their seats in July as the Tories suffered their worst-ever election defeat.

Writing to party members in her new role, she urged them to share the Conservatives' graphics and videos and become "digital ambassadors".

She said: "Trust in politicians, sadly including Conservative politicians, is at an all-time low. And so to spread our message more effectively, we're reliant on ordinary people sharing our message."

She added: "Just by sharing our content with friends and family you're helping us rebuild trust in our brand and get our message out to those all important undecided voters".

A Liberal Democrat source responded: “Talk about stating the obvious. It might have been more controversial to say that water is wet.The question the Rachel Maclean should be asking is why is the trust in the Conservative party at an all time low?

"Running our NHS into the ground? Turning a blind eye to sewage dumping? Waving through Liz Truss ’s mini-budget? All of these would be perfectly good answers."

They added: “What we have seen from Kemi Badenoch ’s leadership so far shows that they have not yet come to terms with any of this.”

Last week Ms Maclean was appointed by the new Tory leader as the director of strategy at Conservative Campaign Headquarters.

She posted on X at the time: "New job starting today, pleased to announce I have been appointed as Director of Strategy for the Leader of the Opposition. Our job is to renew our party, unite the right, and save our country from socialism."