I'm a classic old school Conservative, says Kemi Badenoch
Source: BBC Politics ↗ (cross-verified by 2 outlets — full list below)
Kemi Badenoch opened the Conservative Party’s annual conference in Birmingham by branding herself a “classic old‑school Conservative” and laying out a 100‑page manifesto titled The Right Way, deliberately echoing Margaret Thatcher’s 1976 essay The Right Approach. In an interview with BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg she stressed “common sense, people working hard and being rewarded for that effort,” and framed welfare as a “safety net, not a lifestyle.” Her policy slate included ending the childcare “cliff edge” that bars families earning over £100,000 from entitlement, delivering 50,000 new prison places funded by cutting overseas aid to £1 billion a year, and slashing the civil service back to pre‑pandemic levels. Badenoch also dismissed Reform leader Nigel Farage as a “grumpy grandpa” and Labour leader Andy Burnham as a “cheesy uncle who does all the dad jokes,” positioning herself as the party’s more appealing figurehead amid poll lows that see the Tories trailing Labour and Reform UK after their 2024 electoral defeat.
The conference’s core message was that the previous 14‑year Conservative government failed because it lacked a clear identity and did not reverse structural changes introduced by Labour, which Badenoch argues sent the country “in the wrong direction.” Her essay argues the next Conservative administration must adopt a single principle: “business, not government, creates growth,” achieved through tax cuts, deregulation, and a reduced civil service. She warned that modern politics needs leaders willing to say “no” to popular but unsustainable initiatives, emphasizing a need for fiscal restraint and a rejection of “good causes” that cannot be funded. The party also pledged to overhaul the prison system, noting that over the past 14 years only a net 500 places were added despite 14,142 new or existing jail spaces being built and 13,660 lost to closures and dilapidation.
Badenoch’s speech sought to portray a party that has moved beyond the 2024 debacle, promising lively debates and internal challenges that would leave the Conservatives “united.” She appealed to national cohesion, warning against “little ghettos of separatist communities” and asserting that British culture “means something.” Labour chair Bridget Phillipson countered that the Tories remain “stuck in the past” and out of touch, citing Andy Burnham’s recent plan to “bring back hope to Britain.” The conference’s proposals, especially the childcare cliff‑edge removal and the ambitious prison expansion funded by aid cuts, set the stage for internal party discussions and will test whether Badenoch’s personal popularity can translate into broader electoral recovery for a party still reeling from its historic 2024 loss.
⚡ Effects Interpreter
🌍World Economymedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Allies and rivals alike will be reading this story closely.
- ▶Policy turns can send quiet ripples through the wider economy.
🏙️Local Economylow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Local wages and hours worked may bend slightly with the wider trend.
- ▶Local suppliers who import goods may pass on any change in costs.
🏦Rates & Banksmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Borrowers are usually better served waiting out political noise than reacting to it.
- ▶Political headlines can rattle currency markets well before rates budge.
❤️Healthmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶News like this can nibble at everyday calm more than people expect.
- ▶A story like this can linger in the back of people's minds for a while.
💷Wealthmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Investors typically reshuffle their holdings when stories like this break.
- ▶Savings and portfolios can see short-lived ups and downs after this kind of news.
🏠Housingmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Bricks and mortar tend to hold steady while other markets swing about.
- ▶The property ladder rarely wobbles much from a single piece of news.
🌍 Effects for your country
The U.S.'s central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The U.S.'s economy is growing at 2.3% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the U.S.'s own central bank rate closely. With the U.S.'s unemployment at 4.4%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the U.S. depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UK's central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UK's economy is growing at 0.8% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UK's own central bank rate closely. With the UK's unemployment at 5.6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UK depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
France's central bank rate currently stands at 2%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. France's economy is growing at 0.9% with inflation at 1.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track France's own central bank rate closely. With France's unemployment at 7.9%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is already under strain. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in France depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
Romania's central bank rate currently stands at 6.5%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. Romania's economy is growing at 0.7% with inflation at 7.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track Romania's own central bank rate closely. With Romania's unemployment at 6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in Romania depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UAE's central bank rate currently stands at 3.65%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UAE's economy is growing at 3.1% with inflation at 2.5%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UAE's own central bank rate closely. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UAE depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.