In last year‘s Minister of the Year poll, five hundred and ninety-four votes were cast, with 45 people named – compared to 716 this year, with 42 people named. So responses are up by over 100.
The top three in 2022 were: Ben Wallace, with 133 votes; Kemi Badenoch, with 72 and Suella Braverman, with 65.
And this year has seen a two-horse race between two of the above: Badenoch, with 174 votes, and Braverman, with 124 votes. (The latter came in third as our Backbencher of the Year, being eligible in both categories.) Penny Mordaunt came third with 85 votes.
A hundred and seventy four is about a quarter of the total – not a lot from one point of view, but much more than a tenth, the proportion of votes gained by our Backbencher of the Year, Jacob Rees-Mogg.
To say that Badenoch’s pugilistic style goes down well with the panel is a statement of the obvious.
If both our survey and YouGov were right, she was the membership’s candidate of choice during the first leadership election of 2022. She has perhaps been at her most visible this year taking robust positions on trans conversion therapy and trans pupils in schools.