'People across the nation are asking - what are you going to do?'

But she claims Labour's popularity has sunk to such depths people across the nation are asking: “Well, what are you going to do about this?”

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She says: “I didn’t believe Labour could be genuinely this bad.”

The Conservatives will face their biggest electoral test on her watch this week when council and mayoral elections take place across England.

Election experts such as Tory peer Lord Robert Hayward expect a drubbing with her party losing 475 to 525 councillors.

Ms Badenoch says voters on the doorstep are “not as angry with us as they were last year”, adding: “I know it’s still going to be a challenging election result but they are very angry with Labour, that’s for sure.”

She urges people not to make a protest vote. “When you look at what Labour has done — snatching away winter fuel payments — it’s time to send them a message and the best way to send them a message is to vote Conservative.

“If you vote Reform you'll probably just let Labour in by splitting the Conservative vote,” she says.