Kemi Badenoch addresses Tory conference as she vows to fight 'battle for soul of nation'
The Conservatives will fight a "battle for the soul of the nation" at the next election, Kemi Badenoch will say in a speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham today.
The Opposition leader will warn "something is going to break" without better growth as she accuses Andy Burnham's Labour of wanting to "wind back the clock to failed ideas of the past".
She will also vow to slash inheritance tax by 40 per cent, according to The Times.
Mrs Badenoch will tell supporters to expect a "fight that we have not seen in this country for more than half a century".
"It will be a battle for the soul of this nation," she will add. "A battle of ideas.
"A battle that goes to the very core of who we are and what kind of country we want to be."
The Tories have put the economy on the top of the agenda of their conference, with Mrs Badenoch arguing no other party was going to "deliver a stronger economy and a stronger country".
"Unless we start creating more value, unless we start growing our economy, something is going to break," she is expected to say.
Mrs Badenoch will also highlight the Tories' so-called "golden economic rule" - a promise 50p of every pound saved through policy changes would go towards cutting the budget deficit.
FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY…
Kemi Badenoch: ‘I am not someone who gets written off'
Kemi Badenoch has declared she is ‘not someone who gets written off’ and said the same goes for the Conservative Party.
She contrasted this with former Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“Last year he was talking about being in power for a decade. Now he's not even an MP. Life comes at you pretty fast.
“To think people were writing us off. Let me tell you, I’m not someone who gets written off easily, and neither is the Conservative Party.
“There is a reason our party is still here after 200 years. We have adapted to every single challenge and every single age, and we are doing it again.”
Kemi Badeonch pays tribute to Ann Widdecombe and Jeffrey Archer
Kemi Badenoch has paid tribute to Ann Widdecombe and Jeffrey Archer in her conference speech.
“Let me take a moment, please, to remember two great friends we've lost recently: the indomitable Ann Widdecombe, a formidable politician, never afraid to speak her mind.
“She always fought for what she believed in, and her politics were guided by her faith and her values.”
Mrs Badenoch said Mr Archer was “a dear friend to the Conservative Party, and to me”.
'Labour will make every single person in this country poorer!' Kemi Badenoch slams
Kemi Badenoch has opened her conference speech by declaring that Labour will "make every single person in this country poorer".
"Your taxes will be higher. Your bills will go up. You'll find it harder and harder to make ends meet.
"Just because these ideas are delivered on TikTok doesn't make them any less dangerous than always."
'There is a fight coming in British politics' Kemi Badenoch begins closing speech
Kemi Badenoch began her closing speech with the decleration: 'There is a fight coming in British politics'
Reform UK officials cleared by internal inquiry over donations sting
An internal investigation within Reform UK has cleared two senior officials of misconduct after a Channel 4 sting operation sought to expose Nigel Farage and party associates for illegally accepting foreign donations.
The operation, which aired last month, saw Channel 4 and Verbatim attempt to catch out Reform party members James Orr and Dan Jukes by posing as wealthy American donors and recording undercover.
Both members stepped down from party duties after the scandal, and an internal party inquiry into whether the pair broke electoral law on foreign donations has now cleared them of any wrongdoing.
A Metropolitan Police criminal investigation remains ongoing.
Conservatives rise to sing national anthem ahead of Kemi Badenoch speech
New Tory election candidates introduced as Kemi Badenoch's speech moments away
New Conservative Party candidates were introduced to conference attendees in a video before Kemi Badenoch delivered her closing speech.
“It matters what sort of people we send here… I’m building a new Conservative Party with new policies and new people,” Mrs Badenoch said in the video message.
“They will commit to bringing down energy costs, bringing down the welfare bill, securing our borders and unleashing growth in our economy by cutting taxes. And that commitment is non-negotiable.”
Chris Philp slams Shabana Mahmood and Angela Rayner over watering down migration reforms
Chris Philp has slammed Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner over speculation that Labour’s migration reforms are set to be watered down.
The Shadow Home Secretary said: “Mass immigration without integration will destroy our culture, and it will destroy the foundations of our nation and state. It's not racist or far right to say that.
“So, as Home Secretary, I put our citizens' rights first. Shibana Mahmood won't do that.
“She spent the last year claiming to be tough, but under pressure from Angela Rayner and open-borders Labour MPs, she now plans to emasculate her own ILR reforms.
“This will mean hundreds of thousands of low-wage or no-wage migrants will stay here forever, costing taxpayers billions.
“Shabana has surrendered, and Shabana, if you're listening, which I'm sure she is, let me say this: I wouldn't take advice on immigration from Angela Rayner any more than I would take her advice on taxes,” Mr Philp quipped.
Shadow Home Secretary: ‘Standing up for grooming gang victims is not a dog whistle’
Chris Philp has declared that seeking justice for grooming gang victims is not a dog whistle in a passionate speech at the Conservative Party conference.
“Standing up for victims is not a dog whistle. It's not a bandwagon, and it's not racist. Labour may not realise that, but we do. And this party will never stop fighting for justice for those young girls.
“The authorities cared more about being accused of racism than they cared about protecting young girls. That is shameful,” he said.
The Shadow Home Secretary continued: “Left-wing activists should listen to Martin Luther King when he said people should be judged by the content of their character, not the colour of their skin.
“That means everybody should be treated the same. The police should stick to their jobs, protect the public, and catch criminals.
“When I am Home Secretary, the disgraceful police race commitment will go,” he said.
Kemi Badenoch arrives at Tory conference ahead of closing speech
Kemi Badenoch has arrived at the Tory conference in Birmingham ahead of her closing speech.
The Conservative leader was pictured walking hand in hand with her husband, Hamish.
Tory Shadow Justice Secretary blames ‘Labour diversity ideology’ for Southport and Nottingham attacks
Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy has said “Labour’s ideology” on diversity has led to people being killed in stabbings in Southport and Nottingham.
In a speech at Conservative party conference in Birmingham, Mr Timothy said the issue was a “cancer” that the Conservatives would “root out” if they return to government.
He said it had led to the Southport killings by Axel Rudakubana and those in Nottingham by Valdo Calocane.
Mr Timothy said: “So many parts of government are corrupted by radical identity politics and a deference to clan culture.
“We can no longer trust our institutions to work for us all, to uphold the principle that justice is blind, that we’re all equal before the law.”
He added: “The faces may change, but the policies live on because this is Labour’s ideology. An ideology with serious consequences in the real world: the Southport killer, Axel Rudakubana, Henry Nowak’s killer, Vikram Digwa, the Nottingham killer Valdo Calocane.
“With each of their terrible crimes and many more like them, the failures of the state run deep. A desire to be representative and inclusive has warped and manipulated and led to failure, suffering and injustice.
“This is a cancer and the next Conservative government will root it out.”
Kevin Hollinrake accuses Labour of ‘demonising Israel’ after Ed Miliband’s sanctions
Tory Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake told the conference in Birmingham that Labour was “demonising” Israel with its recent policies.
He cited Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband’s sanctions on illegal settlements in the West Bank.
“We mourn all those who are murdered in an act of pure barbarism at a time when the Government is pursuing a relentless campaign to demonise Israel, and when rallies on our streets too often both exhibit and spread antisemitism; the Conservative Party is clear.
“We stand with British Jews and we are clear about who our allies are.”
Alex Burghart continues war of words with Reform UK: ‘Kemi is more popular than Nigel Farage!’
Tory Deputy Leader Alex Burghart has continued the war of words with Reform UK, aiming at Nigel Farage’s party.
“We're not doing a pact with Reform,” he told GB News, reiterating Kemi Badenoch’s comments yesterday.“
Reform has said that they're out to destroy us. Reform has lots of unanswered questions about its finances, which I'm not attracted to at all. Reform has had a very inconsistent policy agenda over the past two years,” Mr Burghart said.
“I'm interested in getting the Conservatives into power under Kemi. I'm interested in Kemi Badenoch becoming the Prime Minister.
“Kemi is very popular, much more popular than Nigel Farage, and I think that when Andy Burnham's honeymoon bounce is over, she will be much more popular than him because he doesn't have any solutions to the problems the country faces.”
Alex Burghart thanks GB News for shining light on October 7 pro-Palestine protests
Alex Burghart has thanked GB News for its coverage of protests planned across the UK, three years after the October 7 attacks.
Speaking to the People’s Channel this morning, the Tory Deputy Leader said: “WE all remember those dreadful, dreadful events, and how miserable it was to hear that news coming in at the time, and how we stood with Israel.
“My party stood with Israel then, and we still stand with Israel now. “I want to thank GB News for carrying this story because not all broadcasters are,” he said.
“People must understand that there are a group of people in our country who are absolutely obsessed with Israel. You don't see them marching against countries that are committing dreadful human rights violations,” the Tory Deputy leader continued.
“There's a really dark problem in part of the political community in Britain at the moment, and I want all of your British Jewish viewers, and perhaps anyone even in Israel watching, I want them to know that we are your friends. We stand with you.”
‘We don’t want a coalition with them!’ Richard Tice hits back at Kemi Badenoch
Richard Tice has hit back at Kemi Badenoch after the Conservative leader ruled out a coalition with Reform UK.
Speaking at the Tory conference yesterday, Mrs Badenoch said she would rather have another election than work with Nigel Farage’s party.
“Well, we don't want a coalition with a bunch of soggy Lib Dems pretending to be conservatives either,” Mr Tice responded while speaking with GB News.
“14 years, they blew it. They effectively bankrupted the country. They allowed welfareism to grow unchecked. They allowed our borders to be invaded. They created net zero with all the consequences. People were terrified by the size of their energy bills.
“I just say very simply: never forgive, never forget.
“We should be given that opportunity to save Britain from going bust, to save Britain from blackouts and save Britain from this invasion on our shores. And we can,” the Reform deputy leader said.
Richard Tice blasts police as London October 7 pro-Palestine march to go ahead
Richard Tice has blasted police as a pro-Palestine march is set to go ahead in London today, the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre in Israel.
Speaking to GB News, the Reform UK deputy leader said the planned demonstrations were “incredibly insensitive”.
“It is a day of remembrance, but it's also a day of solidarity and determination for all of us supporting the Jewish community, particularly, of course, the British Jewish community here, that actually we stand rock solid with them.
“What on earth do the police think they're doing? So it's okay to ban anybody from moving around Gosport. Last Sunday evening, literally a whole town of 80,000 people, so that the police, RNLI and ambulance services could aid and abet the illegal invasion of this country.
“But the police can't ban a march in support of Hamas and related terrorist groups in central London. I mean, the police need to take a very, very long, hard look at themselves and the tools at their disposal
“That's what the police have the power to do, and sometimes they use it. Just not when it's pro-Hamas, pro-Palestine, anti-Semitic; they think that's okay, and it's not,” he claimed.
Yesterday, Met Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harmam insisted they “cannot ban protests and can only ask the Home Secretary to do so if the risk of serious disorder is so high that it can’t be managed by conditions.
“That high bar is not met here,” he added.
Labour chairwoman Bridget Phillipson hits out at Conservatives ahead of major speech
Labour chairwoman Bridget Phillipson has said the Conservatives have not "learned a single lesson" since their election defeat in 2024.
She said: "Kemi Badenoch's top team don’t even think her leadership is the 'right way'. The Tory Leader is living in an alternate reality."
Mrs Phillipson suggested the Tory Conference had "blown open splits over the triple lock, her Shadow Chancellor's secret plan for billions of extra cuts to public services, and plots to rip up hard-won renters' rights".
"The Conservative Party hasn’t learned a single lesson since they were kicked out of office," she said. "Instead of finally apologising for Liz Truss' disastrous mini-budget, Badenoch promoted its co-author as her Shadow Chancellor. Their credibility on the economy remains in tatters.
"Andy Burnham is bringing back hope to Britain. His Labour Government has a clear plan to drive good growth in every postcode, put power back into people's hands and give people vital breathing space on the cost of living."
RECAP: Kemi Badenoch reveals 95-page manifesto outlining guiding principles
On Saturday, the Conservative leader unveiled a 95-page booklet titled the Right Way, mirroring a similar document setting out the tenets of Thatcherism in the 1970s called The Right Approach.
In Mrs Badenoch's new booklet, she argues "value, prosperity and wealth must be created before they can be taxed or distributed" and that Governments should be strong only where required - namely defence, borders, public order, the rule of law and essential infrastructure.
She has also reaffirmed her vow to abolish stamp duty, and criticised her party's previous Net Zero by 2050 pledge.
And she has even coined her own catchy name for her ideology, saying she calls it "Kemistry".
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
