Kemi Badenoch rallied Conservative Party members on Wednesday, declaring the party was "back in fashion" and prepared to contest the "soul of the nation" in the upcoming election. Her speech, delivered in Birmingham, lasted one hour and six minutes and received at least a dozen standing ovations.
Badenoch framed the upcoming election as a "fight for the soul of the nation" and asserted that she and the Conservative Party would not be "written off." She invoked the transformation of the retail chain Marks & Spencer as an analogy for her party's potential resurgence, stating that while voters might be "looking through the shop window" at the Tories, they were not yet "buying."
She also addressed internal party dynamics, criticizing Conservatives who defected to Reform UK. "The Conservatives have had an export boom – of drama queens going to Reform," Badenoch stated. "This party is now the no-drama party." She expressed a desire to win back voters lost to Reform, acknowledging that the party had "let them down."
In her remarks, Badenoch sharply criticized Prime Minister Andy Burnham, describing him as having "all 'fluttering eyelashes and pork scratchings.'" She questioned his sincerity and his priorities, citing his comments about opening No10 North and his record on defense, national debt, and welfare. "Hope is not a strategy," she told delegates.
Badenoch also critiqued Burnham's approach to defense, calling him a "Paddington Bear prime minister" who would not provide safety from Russia. She expressed concern over his alleged failure to mention defense funding in his speech, emphasizing that the era of peace was over. She reminded attendees of Burnham's past service in Jeremy Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet, a period when the party's stance on NATO, nuclear deterrents, and the Army was questioned.
Economically, Badenoch centered her pitch on growth, promising prosperity through "cheap energy, and cutting the deficit." She criticized the complexity of the tax system, likening its 23,000 pages to being larger than "all seven Harry Potter novels, the Bible and the complete works of Shakespeare combined, four times over." She outlined a vision of a growing economy with opportunities for graduates, infrastructure development, and financial security for pensioners.
On justice, Badenoch pledged tougher minimum sentences for serious crimes, aiming for "punishment which fits the crime, real consequences, criminals behind bars and communities feeling safe again." This pledge was accompanied by a commitment to expand the prison system by adding 50,000 new spaces. She spoke emotionally about the safety of young people, referencing the murders of Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, and acknowledging the father of one of the victims present in the audience.
Badenoch described the welfare system as "broken," advocating for "tough love" for claimants rather than "handouts." She stated, "The best welfare is a well-paying job" and expressed concern that the system was incentivizing "low-value immigration." Under proposed Conservative plans, school and university leavers would be required to undergo intensive work coaching, with those failing to find employment after six months placed on a reduced subsistence allowance. Payments for those on this allowance would be made via a card restricted from use on alcohol, smoking, or gambling, reflecting a belief that "If you haven't paid in, you shouldn't be taking out."