Kemi Badenoch wrapped up Conservative conference with a well-received speech that was bursting with policy ideas. The Tory leader’s hour-long address in Manchester was intended as a rejoinder to critics of her leadership. Having been accused of lacking spirit, imagination and vigour, Badenoch today demonstrated all three. The main headline grabbing announcement was her plan to abolish stamp duty – a surprise ‘rabbit’ that sparked a standing ovation.
Had her speech been a disaster, one can imagine a flurry of letters being triggered by nervy Tory MPs
The £9 billion commitment would be funded from the £47 billion savings shadow chancellor Mel Stride unveiled earlier this week. It is intended to be the answer to the question which has long bedevilled various Tory leaders: how do they get young people to vote for them? Badenoch said her move would help young Britons get on the housing ladder – and builds on the Tory tradition of a ‘property-owning democracy.’ It has echoes of the 2007 conference when George Osborne pledged to scrap inheritance tax.
There was plenty of other red meat, too. Badenoch announced a new fiscal ‘golden rule’: for every pound the government saves, half will go towards reduce the deficit and half towards tax cuts or spending to boost the economy. Doctors would be banned from going on strike and stop-and-search powers would be tripled if she became prime minister. ‘British benefits’ will be, in her words, for ‘British citizens’ only. Disability benefits will be stripped back to those with the most severe conditions while motability vehicles – a particular bugbear of the online right – would be restricted to people with serious disabilities only.
Policy was not the only interesting thing in Badenoch’s speech. There was a marked shift in tone with regards to her party’s record in office. She and colleagues have spent much of their time admitting that the Tories got it wrong on tax and migration between 2010 to 2024. Today she argued that the Conservatives cut the deficit, got millions of people into work and can be proud of its record on Ukraine. Nigel Farage – the great spectre of British politics – got just one mention, with Badenoch loftily dismissing the Reform leader with a quote from George Bernard Shaw. ‘Never wrestle with a pig’, she said. ‘You both get dirty and the pig likes it.’
The focus on Labour and the economy throughout this speech was indicative of how she would like to frame the next four years. The stamp duty announcement is telling too: it gives London campaigners something to sell on the doorstep next May. Good results in places like Wandsworth and Westminster could help insulate Badenoch in the event of a drubbing.
The Tory leader has been hesitant to set out a policy agenda so far from the election. But her speech today will be portrayed by her team as proof that she is using the space and resources of opposition effectively. Among most senior Tories, the feeling is that she has bought herself time with this conference. Had her speech been a disaster – comparable to Theresa May in 2017, or Liz Truss in 2022 – one can imagine a flurry of letters being triggered by nervy Tory MPs. Her assured performance today will calm some of the jitters.
For the past 12 months, the Conservatives have struggled to get much of a hearing. Today’s flurry of announcements ought to ensure they now do.
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