The Conservative Party’s annual conference in Birmingham opened with a striking visual: an 87‑foot re‑working of the Bayeux Tapestry that places Kemi Badenoch in the role of Harold Godwinson. The image, intended to showcase the leader’s strength, has instead prompted commentators to draw parallels with the historic defeat of Harold by a French‑led force – a metaphor that resonates as Labour’s Andy Burnham puts rejoining the European Union back on the agenda. Amid the spectacle, the party faces stagnant poll numbers, a resurgent Reform UK challenge and internal calls for focus on substantive policy rather than symbolic gestures.
Symbolism of the Tapestry remake
The publicity team’s decision to cast Badenoch as the Anglo‑Saxon king who famously lost an eye in the Battle of Hastings has not gone unnoticed. Harold Godwinson’s demise came after being struck in the eye by an arrow, a detail that critics have seized upon to suggest that the Conservatives’ own Brexit project could prove similarly damaging. The original tapestry, currently on loan to the British Museum from France, has inspired a wave of AI‑generated imitations, of which the Tory version is the latest. Beyond the visual gag, the remake also echoes the betrayal of Harold by his brother Tostig – a parallel drawn to Robert Jenrick’s recent alignment with Nigel Farage and Reform UK, positioning him as a modern‑day Tostig in the party’s internal struggles.
Polling stagnation and internal dissent
Despite Badenoch’s personal popularity – she has described herself as “the least unpopular party leader” – the Conservatives have made little headway in the polls since her leadership triumph at the 2025 Manchester conference. Last year’s support ranged from 14 % to 20 %; this year it sits between 17 % and 22 %, a shift that falls within the usual margin of error of ±3 percentage points. Reform UK’s backing has dropped by roughly ten points, yet barely any of that loss has transferred to the Tories, leaving the party more than five points behind its position when Badenoch assumed the helm in 2024.
Senior figures have urged caution. Sir James Cleverly, soon to be a London mayoral candidate, recalled a chat with former leader William Hague, noting that hard work and personal appeal do not automatically translate into electoral gains. “We’ve got to keep focused on the issues that really matter to the British people,” he said. Joy Morrissey, shadow secretary for women and equalities, praised Badenoch’s “no‑nonsense” approach and her belief in fully costed policies, but also warned against being distracted by symbolic stunts.
Brexit as a double‑edged sword
The prospect of reversing Brexit has resurfaced with Labour prime minister Andy Burnham advocating a return to the EU. Sir James Cleverly welcomed the debate, arguing that EU regulation could jeopardise the UK’s ambition to become a technology and artificial‑intelligence superpower. Morrissey, meanwhile, denounced Burnham’s conference speech as “the most party‑political speech ever,” claiming it ignored the Leave vote in his own Makerfield constituency. Polling from Best for Britain shows that only four constituencies lack a majority who now regard Brexit as a mistake, suggesting the issue may not be the electoral lifeline the Conservatives hope for.
Why it Matters
The Bayeux Tapestry stunt is more than a quirky conference backdrop; it encapsulates the Conservative Party’s current predicament. Symbolic attempts to bolster leadership are being overshadowed by flatlining poll numbers, a fractured right‑wing landscape and a resurgent debate over the UK’s relationship with Europe. Unless the party translates personal approval for Badenoch into concrete policy victories and addresses the dual threats of Reform UK and Labour’s EU‑rejoining pitch, the Brexit‑themed imagery may prove prophetic – an arrow in the eye rather than a badge of honour.
