Kemi Badenoch's plans to hand out wealthfare benefits to the richest, paid for by cuts to welfare for the poorest, reinforce her image as an old-school Two Nation Tory, according to a critical analysis. The Conservative Party and its leader are seen as favouring the wealthiest few while penalising the young and struggling, a stance that even the Sheriff of Nottingham might find extreme.
The critique highlights the irony of reinforcing inherited wealth and gifting larger fortunes to those who never earned them, while declaring war on welfare. The article argues that the Conservatives are once again looking after millionaires at the expense of the millions, which explains why most Britons believe the party has not fundamentally changed since its electoral defeat in 2024, ending 14 years of Conservative government.
Polling and Historical Precedents
Polls suggest the Tories are extremely unlikely to form a UK Government any time soon. The article recalls that George Osborne in 2007 promised to raise the tax-free inheritance threshold to £1 million but never did during his six years as Chancellor or the full 14 years of Conservative rule.
It is also stressed that only one in 20 estates currently pay inheritance tax, so Badenoch's proposal to exempt homes and an additional £1 million is an unearned present for a rich niche. The article lists various giveaways, including £700 million for the highest earning "yummy mummies," £1.4 billion for private school children, and £9 billion helping buyers of the most expensive houses, while smearing and threatening those born on the other side of the tracks.
Conference and Political Reactions
The critique also notes the Conservatives are discouraging the elderly from downsizing, trapping them in houses too big unless they need to sell them to fund social care. The inheritance tax card is seen as straight from a 2007 Osborne-Brown playbook, which was credited with helping deter Gordon Brown from calling an early election. This time, Labour has close to three years to argue the immorality of Badenoch's wealthfare bung.
At the Conservative conference in Birmingham, the party avoided last year's mauling in Manchester when Reform co-ordinated a coach-load of councillors to defect. However, the conference was largely flat and sparse, with star guest Jeremy Clarkson, a wealthy landowner who once admitted buying his farm to dodge inheritance tax, observing that a lot of Tories appeared to be dressed as empty seats.
Badenoch's Speech and Future Prospects
The best part of Badenoch's speech attacked rival Reform for questioning whether Black Britons could really be English, which they absolutely can and are. Yet that position is constantly undermined by migrant-bashing scapegoating and scaremongering from Tories, such as the frontbencher who falsely asserted no-go areas exist in Luton.
She deserved applause for a funny gag about Reform figures recently measuring the Downing Street curtains, now measuring them for prison cells, but pragmatism may be why she continues to rule out a deal with Farage. Pollster Luke Tryl from More in Common found that a Tory-Reform pact would be bad for both parties because too many Tories don't like Reform, and it would blunt Reform's insurgent edge. Almost as many Tory voters say they'd tactically vote Labour to stop Reform as would vote Reform to stop Labour. Champion of the rich, Badenoch stuffing rich mouths with wealthfare gold isn't the winner she hopes, but it does show she feather-beds the haves at the cost of the have-nots.
