Kemi Badenoch used her Conservative conference speech in Birmingham to signal she is ready for an electoral fight, vowing the party is prepared for a vote at any time.
In her closing address, the Conservative leader distanced herself from Prime Minister Andy Burnham's style, opting to speak from behind a lectern rather than roam the stage as he did in Liverpool last week.
Attack on Burnham and Reform UK
Badenoch opened with the line: 'Conference, there is a fight coming in British politics.' She described Burnham as a 'Paddington Bear prime minister', a comment that may resonate with those who view him as eager to please.
She also took aim at Reform UK over remarks by figures including Suella Braverman suggesting people descended from immigrants cannot call themselves English.
'I don't want to explain to my son when we're watching our brilliant England team play football that some people don't think our black players are English,' she told attendees.
'I remember back in the day when Ian Wright and John Barnes were playing, nobody was questioning whether they were English. We certainly didn't have sitting MPs questioning whether they were English. We must not let these people take us backwards.'
Election readiness and polling struggles
Badenoch ended her speech with a pledge to scrap inheritance tax on family homes, saying 'everybody's been asking' about her plans for the levy.
Despite the positive mood at Birmingham's ICC, the Conservatives face a difficult position. While Badenoch's approval rating has grown over the past year, that popularity is not translating to the party as a whole.
Conservative poll numbers have barely changed despite Reform UK's gradual fall in support since last autumn, and remain below where they were at the time of the 2024 general election defeat.
There has been mixed messaging over whether the party wants Burnham to call an election soon. The 'Bottler Burnham' water bottle was handed out in the media room, but chairman Kevin Hollinrake told a More in Common event the Tories 'don't want an election right now ideally' because 'we are not where we need to be right now'.
In today's speech, Badenoch said: 'We are ready for an election whenever it is called.'
Path to power remains uncertain
A vote now would likely leave Badenoch's only hope of entering No 10 through a deal with Reform UK, which she appears to have ruled out. Her solution, explained in broadcast interviews yesterday, would be to call for another election immediately if a hung parliament resulted.
The Tories' future success will rely on Reform failing to get its act together, despite its £72 million funding windfall. Badenoch may have shown she is not interested in mimicking Burnham's style, but she will have a tougher job proving she can beat him.
