From fuel duty to sanctions, Kemi wants to make it clear how little she understands | John Crace

Why would Tory leader bother to look into national or global politics? That time would be better spent picking fights Being assertive and sounding confident is always a good start. No leader of the opposition is going to get far without those qualities. And Kemi Badenoch certainly manages that. But winning at prime minister’s questions requires something more basic than that. Something fundamental. A very basic understanding of the facts. Not just reading a headline in the papers and a few posts on social media. Not just listening to a junior minister sound a bit confused on the Today programme. You need to put in the hard yards. Or at least do some very elementary research. Otherwise you risk coming badly unstuck. And on Wednesday, Kemi did just that. Exposing herself as lazy and shallow. So much so, that she didn’t even realise she had just made a fool of herself. But then, neither did any of her MPs. For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, Kemi remains the party darling. The most popular member of the shadow cabinet by a long way. There again, most of the rest of her team are deadbeats. So maybe she really is the best the Tories have to offer. Maybe they like a leader who respon