Politics

At the Conservative party conference in Birmingham this morning, the Tory leadership candidates set out their stalls. Speaking to Laura Kuenssberg, Badenoch said it was essential that there was a ‘shared culture and a shared identity’ in the UK, and that it was important to choose ‘who comes into the country’. Asked which cultures in particular were less valid, Badenoch said: ‘lots… cultures that believe in child marriage.. or that women don’t have equal rights’. Pressed to be more specific, Badenoch told Kuenssberg: ‘I know what you’re trying to do. You want me to say Muslims. But it isn’t all Muslims.’ Badenoch argued that we need to emphasise ‘the thing

Conservative party conference is underway. The conference centre in Birmingham is covered in photos of the four remaining leadership hopefuls and each campaign team is handing out stash – including Tugend-Tats (temporary tattoos). Already there are signs of friction. I understand some of the candidates were surprised on check-in at the conference hotel to discover that they had been put on the same corridor as their rivals. Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat and Robert Jenrick were all put in rooms along from one another. ‘The walls are paper thin so it’s a nightmare for speech prep,’ says one campaign member. Since then, I hear some of the candidates have been moved

Welcome to Tory conference 2024. For the next four days, the final quartet of contenders will battle it out, Hunger Games-style, to try and prove to their colleagues that they really stand a chance with the members. To do this, each of the four contenders is projecting an image of competence, confidence and momentum. So what better way to do that than by getting activists to sport some branded merchandise? Much like a university freshers’ fair, each contender has been given their very own stand to showcase their personality and build a buzz around their campaign. Mr S went along early this morning as each team was setting up and