Kemi Badenoch Shifts Conservative Party Right at Birmingham Conference
Kemi Badenoch is steering the Conservative Party toward right-wing policies and welfare cuts to counter Reform UK and oppose Prime Minister Andy Burnham's agenda.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch is leading the party into its annual conference in Birmingham with a strategy to reassert the organization as the mainstream opposition to the Labour government. To counter the influence of Nigel Farage and Reform UK, Badenoch has implemented a significant rightward shift in policy, pledging to withdraw the United Kingdom from the European Convention on Human Rights and deport foreign criminals.
Badenoch's proposed agenda emphasizes a return to classic conservative first principles, including a commitment to low taxes, a smaller state, and a monumental expansion of prison places. She has proposed a subsistence allowance for the unemployed that would restrict purchases of alcohol and cigarettes via special debit cards, part of a broader package of welfare cuts totaling £23 billion. Additionally, she has signaled a U-turn on the 2050 net zero target and explicitly rejected centrist ideas, stating that one-nation Tories who disagree with her direction need to get out of the way.
These moves come as Badenoch seeks to create a sharp ideological contrast with Prime Minister Andy Burnham, whose left-liberal program includes universal social care and potential public ownership of utilities. While the Conservative Party's polling has recovered from the teens to the low 20s—aided by the defection of Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman to Reform UK—the party remains behind the Labour government. Despite her improved personal approval ratings, Badenoch continues to rule out an electoral pact with Nigel Farage.
