Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has delivered a blistering rebuke to both defectors from her party and internal moderates, branding their actions as political tantrums and dismissing Reform UK and Labour as "drama queens" in a major London speech.
Defectors Accused of Political Tantrums
In what appeared to be a direct message to former colleagues like Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman who have joined Reform UK, Badenoch told a central London audience that defectors were merely throwing tantrums because they didn't get their way in leadership contests or cabinet positions.
"To those who are defecting, who don't actually disagree with our policies, I will say: I'm sorry you didn't win the leadership contest," Badenoch stated. "I'm sorry you didn't get a job in the shadow cabinet. I'm sorry you didn't get into the Lords. But you are not offering a plan to fix this country. This is a tantrum dressed up as politics."
Centrist Conservatives Told to Fall in Line
The Conservative leader also issued a stark warning to centrist members of her party who have been advocating for a more moderate approach, insisting they must support her agenda without reservation.
"Anyone who wants to help Conservatives get into No 10, help deliver a Conservative government, I will welcome, but they need to recognise the agenda which I am setting," Badenoch declared. "I'm the leader of the Conservative Party, not to anyone else, and it is what I think needs to happen that they need to support, because that is what Conservative Party members have voted for."
She specifically addressed the centre-right movement Prosper UK, established by Sir Andy Street and Baroness Ruth Davidson, which has been urging a move toward the political centre to differentiate from Reform UK.
"This is my message to them: we're about the future, not the past," Badenoch countered. "We're not trying to recreate 2006, and it's not 2016 any more. We are not refighting those battles. It's 2026, and the world has changed. This is about the future and I am building a Conservative Party for the next decade and the next generation."
Policy Platform and Recruitment Drive
During her address, Badenoch outlined her Conservative Party's policy platform, emphasising:
- Stronger borders as a key priority
- Halting de-industrialisation across the country
- Implementing welfare cuts to reduce government spending
"That's the party I'm leading – a party of serious people, not drama queens," she proclaimed, drawing a clear distinction between her vision and what she characterised as theatrical opposition parties.
Badenoch also announced a recruitment drive for the "next generation" of Conservative MPs, stating: "We are building an army that is going to deliver meritocracy, dismantle the bureaucratic class, and get Britain working again."
Opposition Reactions
The speech prompted immediate responses from opposition parties, with Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper describing Badenoch's recruitment invitation as "like an arsonist running a firefighter recruitment drive."
Cooper extended an invitation to centrist Tories to defect to the Liberal Democrats, adding: "Her slapdown of Ruth Davidson and Andy Street sent a clear message to moderate, centre-ground Conservative voters across the country: she doesn't want their support."
A Labour Party spokesperson dismissed the Conservative leader's remarks, stating: "Nobody is listening to the dying Tory Party. Kemi Badenoch refuses to apologise for the unforgivable mess her party left behind in government, or the damage they inflicted on family finances."
"The public will not trust arsonists complaining about the fire they set," the Labour spokesperson continued. "The Conservatives are not serious, they're not sorry, and are too consumed with holding together their terminally broken party."
Prosper UK Responds
A spokesperson for Prosper UK offered a measured response to Badenoch's comments, welcoming her focus on economic growth while indicating they would continue their outreach to disaffected voters.
"We welcome Kemi Badenoch's remarks promising to make economic growth a bigger focus as she rebuilds the party. More of that please," the spokesperson said. "But while the party rebuilds itself, as it must, we will be out there meeting the wider group of voters who don't yet identify with any party and offering ideas and solutions to the matters they care most about – the cost of living, jobs, housing and more."
The spokesperson concluded: "So, whilst she cracks on, we'll do the same."
Badenoch's uncompromising speech represents a significant moment in Conservative Party politics, as she attempts to consolidate her leadership while facing challenges from both external defectors and internal dissenters advocating for different political directions.
