Kemi Badenoch has revealed her plan to fight Andy Burnham’s socialist Government in a major statement at the Conservative Party conference. She set out the five principles that guide her party and draw inspiration from Margaret Thatcher’s pioneering Conservative Government - in stark contrast to Mr Burnham, who condemned Thatcher’s policies in his own left-wing speech at Labour’s conference last week.
New dividing line in British politics
Mrs Badenoch said that a new dividing line has opened in British politics. But she will also admit that her own party made mistakes in recent years, in the foreword to a new Tory document called The Right Way.
She said: “If the tone is harsher on Conservative governments, it is not because I believe Labour knows any better - quite the opposite. Labour goes wrong when it follows its principles; we go wrong when we fail to follow ours.”
Admitting past mistakes
Mrs Badenoch said: “The Right Way is not about Labour. In any case, Britain’s problems did not begin with the 2024 Labour Government. Some began under earlier Labour governments and became worse under Conservative ones. Others arose because assumptions shared across the political spectrum went unchallenged for too long.
“We promised lower immigration without a strategy for delivering it. Net zero was legislated for before we had an economically feasible route to get there. We left the European Union without the economic plan that should have gone with it. The path to failure was paved with announcements, targets and good intentions.”
Five guiding principles
At the heart of The Right Way are a series of principles which will guide the next Conservative Government:
- Wealth must be created before it can be distributed
- Freedom requires responsibility
- Rules need consequences, or they will be flouted
- A Government should be judged on what it achieves, not what it intended
- It should be strong where only the state can act, and restrained where people are better placed to decide for themselves
Conservatives said the publication has been met with acclaim by a number of prominent intellectuals. Historian and bestselling author Professor Robert Tombs said: “The Right Way, Kemi Badenoch’s first substantial analysis of what is wrong and what needs to be done, is impressive. She begins with a coherent statement of principles, and from there goes on to the actions those principles demand.”
Intellectual backing
Leading historian and author Professor Sir Niall Ferguson of the Hoover Institution said: “50 years ago, Britain was in a mess. The Right Approach pointed the way out of it. Today, with the country facing even bigger problems - excessive debt, an energy crisis, paralyzing over-regulation, a failing immigration system, cash-starved armed forces - Kemi Badenoch delivers The Right Way.
“Instead of empty vibes and slogans, she gives us tough diagnoses and clear-cut prescriptions. Anyone who yearns to see broken Britain fixed will read it and cheer.”
Member of the House of Lords and author of the bestselling ‘Churchill: Walking with Destiny’, Lord (Andrew) Roberts said: “Kemi Badenoch has laid down the gauntlet with this concise, hard-hitting and well-researched book, with its unmistakable echoes of Margaret Thatcher’s own personal set of beliefs.”
