What else would the Secretary of State for Business and Trade try to sell Hertford and Stortford voters other than a Conservative MP?
Kemi Badenoch has joined the growing list of talking heads trying to bolster Julie Marson’s General Election chances in a series of Facebook videos.
Survation’s latest analysis makes grim reading for the Tories - with Labour on track for a 262-seat majority.
One of the constituencies set to be snapped up by the party is the seat Mrs Marson won in 2019.
Hertford and Stortford has never been out of Tory control, but Survation is currently placing Mrs Marson a full 10% behind Labour challenger Josh Dean with just 27.2% of the vote.
The Greens and Nick Cox are still in third place with 14.1%, followed by Reform UK’s John Burmicz on 9.1% and the Liberal Democrats Helen Campbell on 8.1% with Jane Fowler, Alliance for Democracy and Freedom, and Barry Hensall, Heritage Party, mopping up 4.3%.
Can Kemi’s endorsement help Julie bridge that popularity gap? Other candidates certainly seem to think she has the magic touch.
While she could be forgiven for concentrating on her own North West Essex constituency, where Survation predicts she will hold the seat she has held since 2017 with 33.1% of the vote, she’s been rallying the troops across the region.
Her predicted vote share is a substantial slump from the 63% she won in 2019, but clearly, she believes she can stay ahead of Labour’s Issy Waite on 28.7% and the constituency’s Liberal Democrats will keep faith with Smita Rajesh rather than voting tactically.
As well as filming a cheerleading video for her Hertford and Stortford neighbour, she travelled to Northhampton South to support Tory candidate Andrew Lewer’s campaign while Ms Waite has been out and about in Dunmow.