One seldom hears a political leader publicly assert their authority over a parliamentary party. While Tony Blair’s rewriting of Labour’s Clause IV and Margaret Thatcher’s commanding leadership over the Conservatives stand out as historical comparators, Kemi Badenoch spared no detail at Conservative Party Conference 2026 in declaring she is the captain, coach and owner of an organisation under new management.
Looking at the Tories electoral prospects, it makes complete sense. The ‘Red Wall’ of voters courted by Boris Johnson in 2019 are nowhere to be found, the home-owning middle classes in and around the M25 are more than happy to vote Labour or Liberal Democrat, and socially conservative swing voters across the country are determined to give Reform UK or Restore Britain a run for their money.
Badenoch therefore needed to use conference to create as much distance with an iteration of the Party that had governed for 14 years and eroded trust with these groups across economic and immigration policy.
Fortunately, her initial measure of success would be whether she could meaningfully reinstate conservative ideological principles, following nearly a decade of their scarcity. Off the back of Andy Burnham’s leftward rallying cry to Labour Conference, this would become even more of an existential necessity for the Conservatives.
In complete contrast to any messages of hope, Badenoch sought to entice middle-ground voters who share a scepticism that Burnham’s pledge of turning a corner in 2030 may be all too late. Many of the announcements to come from the Shadow Cabinet delivered on this – what is being termed as a ‘battle of ideas’ between the two parties that are determined to maintain a grasp on UK politics.
Under the Conservatives, 50p of every £1 saved would go towards reducing the deficit, civil service numbers would be returned to pre-2016 levels, and red tape would be significantly cut to stimulate growth and development. With headline events on economy, defence and strengthening the union, Badenoch secured significant buy-in throughout conference with only one mishap on whether to term a new £10bn missile defence system an ‘iron dome’ or ‘Britannia shield’.
Her commitments to abolish inheritance tax on family homes and allow couples to pass on a further £1 million tax-free provides perhaps the clearest indication of the voters the Party hopes to win back. While it helps to underline the return to a conservative offering, it also leaves Badenoch open to broadsides that lower income voters are being ignored. Reform UK will seek to capitalise on this with their pledge to immediately uprate personal allowance thresholds by nearly 20%, before seeking a further 33% increase. As far as the party membership are concerned however, Badenoch is saying all the right things.
Few expect a parliamentary majority to be possible for the Tories if a general election were to be called in 2027. Thankfully for Badenoch, it doesn’t seem like her Party do either. However, members will want to see meaningful improvements that validate a strategy of shoring up core and moderate voters, before looking to the fractious fringes that have defined the last two years of British politics.
Badenoch leaves Birmingham with a firmer grip on her Party and a clearer sense of what it stands for. The real test will come beyond the conference hall, where voters remain far less forgiving of the Conservatives’ record in government. Rebuilding that trust – if it is indeed possible this side of 2030 – will require more than ideological conviction, particularly when the voters Badenoch needs to attract have such competing priorities. For now, she has at least given Conservatives a reason to believe in their Party again.