Badenoch needs to pick her battles - and decide how dirty she wants to get
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Never wrestle with a pig. You get dirty. And besides, the pig likes it. Looking at the festive ding-dong that's broken out between Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage, you do wonder if the Tory leader should take on board this famous quote - because there was only ever going to be one winner from this spat.
The Reform UK leader has spent the thick end of three decades dragging his political opponents into fights that ultimately benefit his cause. This is no different. . What would have been a relatively low-key Christmas stunt has been elevated into literal front page news.
Reform UK insiders say that, in turn, is driving more people to the party and pushing up their member count further. Nigel Farage threatens legal action if Kemi Badenoch doesn't apologise for saying membership ticker was 'fake'. Reform UK overtakes Conservative membership - Nigel Farage calls it 'historic', Kemi Badenoch says numbers are 'fake'.
Nigel Farage could be leader of the opposition after the next election, Harriet Harman predicts. Part of this is down to news editors grabbing on to any bit of politics that's around during the quiet period between Christmas and New Year. Why Badenoch and her team didn't clock this and hold back will likely bewilder some in her party.
An argument the Tories should have swerved. What's more, the Tory leader is also currently on the back foot regarding her central accusation that the Reform membership number is fake. Reform agreed to show Sky News details of their account on NationBuilder - a platform that manages memberships and donations for many political parties.
