Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has delivered a stark message at her party's Welsh conference, asserting that only the Conservatives genuinely care about preserving the unity of the United Kingdom. Speaking to assembled party members in the coastal town of Llandudno, Badenoch positioned her party as the sole defender of British cohesion ahead of crucial Senedd elections scheduled for May.
Conservative Leader's Blunt Assessment of Welsh Political Landscape
Addressing the conference on Friday, Badenoch declared with conviction that "We in this room are the only people in Welsh politics who believe that Britain is stronger together." She elaborated further, stating emphatically that "There is only one party in Welsh politics that cares about the United Kingdom, only one party that would vote against a referendum on separation, only one party will keep our country together."
The Conservative leader framed the upcoming May 7 elections as critically important, telling supporters that "it has never been more important to vote Conservative in Wales." This comes as polling projections indicate a significant shift in Welsh political dynamics, with the previously dominant Labour Party experiencing a notable decline in support since 2024.
Direct Attacks on Political Rivals
Badenoch launched scathing criticisms against both Plaid Cymru and Reform UK, who are expected to be the main contenders in the upcoming elections. Describing Labour as "failed," she turned her attention to Plaid Cymru, labeling them as "economically illiterate" and warning that "Welsh independence would collapse the benefits system, it would wreck the pensions system."
The Conservative leader offered a dire prediction about Plaid's potential governance, asserting that "A Plaid government in the Senedd isn't going to fix anything. It is going to break everything."
Her criticism extended to Reform UK, whom she characterized as "grifters more interested in lining their own pockets than standing up for the UK." Badenoch pointed to the recent conviction of the party's former leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, who was jailed last year after admitting to accepting bribes for making pro-Russian statements in the European Parliament.
"They wave their Union flags around, but they don't give a monkey's about keeping the United Kingdom together," Badenoch declared. "All they care about is getting into power."
Reclaiming Conservative Legacy in Wales
Badenoch also sought to reshape the narrative surrounding her party's historical relationship with Wales, particularly addressing the lasting impact of deindustrialization that peaked during the Thatcher era in former coal and steel communities. She told conference attendees that "At its peak, Wales was at the heart of the global economy."
The Conservative leader challenged what she described as Labour's historical revisionism, stating that "The Labour Party likes to pretend that this all collapsed in the 1980s but that's not true. The fact is, the decline started a long time before that, because it was soon after the Second World War that the global trade in coal began to change."
Badenoch criticized what she viewed as flawed industrial strategies, explaining that "For too long, governments thought that an industrial strategy means doling out bungs to businesses with one hand while making them uncompetitive with the other."
She directly countered Labour's tendency to blame Margaret Thatcher for Wales' economic challenges, noting that "It's not Mrs Thatcher who cancelled the M4 relief road. It is Welsh Labour. It wasn't Mrs Thatcher who introduced the 20-mile per hour limit. That was Welsh Labour."
Election Dynamics and Coalition Possibilities
Current projections suggest that either Plaid Cymru or Reform UK will emerge as the largest party following the May elections, though neither is expected to secure an outright majority. The Conservatives, while currently polling in fourth position, could potentially play a significant role in forming a governing coalition depending on the final distribution of seats.
Badenoch's forceful rhetoric at the Welsh conference appears designed to consolidate Conservative support and position her party as the essential bulwark against what she portrays as separatist and self-interested political forces threatening the integrity of the United Kingdom.
