Despite predictions from a national newspaper columnist that her conference speech would be “her first and almost certainly her last,” Kemi Badenoch remains firmly at the helm of the Conservative Party, with the membership united behind her. The columnist had written that half her membership wanted her gone and the other half were willing to give her until next year, but events at the Birmingham ICC proved otherwise.
A Rainy Morning and Warm-Up Acts
On a rainy morning at Birmingham's ICC, delegates queued early for Ms Badenoch's address. The hall was last used by Theresa May, who danced onto the stage in 2018 to Abba's Dancing Queen. As with concerts, the audience sat through warm-up acts before the main star arrived.
First up was party chair Kevin Hollinrake, who brought out his pet dog Zuzu. It was a reference to claims made by Labour's nature minister Jenny Riddell-Carpenter that country pubs with 'warm beer' and black labradors were a 'far-right nostalgic vision of Britain'. Hollinrake has taken delight in rebuking the Labour MP's remarks, with a cardboard cutout of the Yorkshireman with his black labrador. On stage at 10.30am, he supped a pint of warm ale before bringing out Zuzu to an adoring crowd. Zuzu was later brought to the press room where hacks went gooey eyed.
Prison Spaces and Small Boats
Next was shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy, who spouted cliches like “We are tolerating the unacceptable. Excusing the inexcusable.” Britain, he claimed, was 'drifting into defeatism and decline'. He announced the party would create 50,000 prison spaces, as well as promising to 'root out' the 'cancer' of tolerating criminal behaviour. Labour's ideology had serious consequences in the real world, said Timothy, citing the Southport killer and Henry Nowak's killer as examples.
Chris Philp later compared him with Bob the Builder. “Can he fix it? Yes he can!” When not shadow home secretary, Mr Philp is out looking for small boats in the Channel. In the summer, he was interviewed by the BBC on a fishing vessel off Boulogne when the French Navy started firing 'warning' shots near him. “I was lucky that the French can’t shoot straight!,” he joked. Mr Philp named failures: grooming gangs, fewer police officers, and illegal immigrants not being deported. Yet it served to remind the crowd of his own party's failures during their 14 years in government.
Jenrick Ridicule and Anthem
Robert Jenrick remains a figure of ridicule in the party. This time last year, he and Ms Badenoch were fighting it out to become leader. Mr Jenrick flounced off to Reform in January and, by the sounds of it, he won't be welcomed back anytime soon. After Mr Philp's address, a video showed Ms Badenoch speaking to voters. Delegates were instructed to stand for the national anthem, then given an extended introduction to the shadow cabinet. One by one, they took their seats to individual applause. Then, yet another speech, this time from Douglas Lumsden, MP for Aberdeen South. Lumsden's appearance was sending a message that the Tories were actively fighting to maintain the union, unlike Andy Burnham, who had 'clumsily opened the door' to another vote for Scottish independence.
Badenoch's Defiant Speech
It hasn't been smooth sailing for Ms Badenoch during the conference. She was mocked for the party's 'Britannia Dome' defence announcement, which she insisted wasn't modelled on Israel's Iron Dome – despite saying that in the press release. She was also criticised for her 'fantasy economics' after unveiling plans to halve employers' national insurance on jobs for young people.
But when she finally walked on stage on Wednesday morning, it was to trumpet fanfare. She wore a structured, dark teal dress and was full of swagger. Like Mr Burnham, she has become more popular than her party. Unlike the prime minister, she didn't begin with nostalgia. Instead, she warned that a 'fight is coming… It will be a battle for the soul of this nation'. Labour, she said, wants to 'wind back the clock' and raise taxes. “Just because these ideas are delivered on TikTok doesn’t make them any less dangerous,” she said. On the PM, she told the audience not to let him 'fool you with his fluttering eyelashes and his pork scratchings'.
While Mr Burnham omitted any mention of other parties by name, Ms Badenoch took aim at him, the Green Party (for passing the motion 'Zionism is racism'), and Reform's financial scandals. The autocue even instructed her when to pause and deliver a 'side eye'. She made an appeal to former Tory voters who had switched to Reform, urging them to 'come home', adding: “We let them down …they deserve better than Reform politicians. A year ago those Reform politicians were measuring up the curtains of No 10. Now, some of them are measuring up the curtains of their prison cells.”
There had been speculation that Ms Badenoch was going to slash inheritance tax. On Wednesday she announced no one would pay the levy on a family home. Where the party leader was strongest was in drawing a line between herself and Reform. “We are not uniting with that,” she declared.
Mixed-Race Children and Identity
The Tories were once labelled the 'nasty party', but Ms Badenoch's speech went some way to counter that moniker. Recently, Suella Braverman, the Tory turned Reform defector, caused controversy when she said she wouldn't call herself English because her parents were not born in the country. Ms Badenoch said she didn't want to live in a country where people debate 'whether my mixed-race children are English', adding: “We must not let these people take us backwards. That is not the country we are. Reform MPs are openly questioning people’s identity. They are not like us; we are not like them. We are different.”
After the hour-long speech, Sophie from Harrow said Ms Badenoch was 'very good' on policies regarding young people. Jose Mbenga-Loola, who works in the NHS, said he was glad to hear about illegal criminals being deported and the policy on more prison places. Elena Georgiou, a councillor on Rushcliffe Council, thought the section on defence was 'full of common sense'. “I’m an immigrant from Cyprus. I was born in 1974 during the war,” she said, referring to Turkey's invasion. “Our soldiers were given guns without bullets. They couldn’t defend our island. And if we don’t put money into our defence, we won’t be able to defend this island.”
Kemi Badenoch wants to portray the Conservatives – not Reform – as the direct challengers to Labour. The problem is that her party is still third in the polls.
