Kemi Badenoch rules out Reform UK pact as Tories seek comeback

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said on Wednesday that Britain’s main opposition party is on its way back to power, as she ruled out any alliance with the right-of-centre Reform UK. Addressing party workers at the Conservatives’ annual conference, she said she had ended the infighting, scandals and splits that had threatened the party after its heavy election defeat.

With opinion polls putting the Conservatives behind the ruling Labour Party and Reform UK, Badenoch used her speech to project confidence and present the party as stable and focused. Delegates at the conference in Birmingham also struck an optimistic note, in contrast to last year’s gathering when some had questioned whether the party could survive.

Britain’s 2024 election removed the Conservatives from power and cut their strength to 121 seats in the 650-member House of Commons. Several former and serving lawmakers have since defected to Reform UK, an anti-immigration party led by Nigel Farage, which has beaten the Conservatives in local elections and is seeking to become the most popular party on the right.

Badenoch, the first Black woman to lead a major UK political party, rejected calls for an electoral pact with Reform UK and criticised what she described as the race-based nationalism of some of its members. Referring to comments by Suella Braverman, a former Conservative minister who defected to Reform, Badenoch said she did not want to live in a country run by people who “debate whether my mixed-race children are English”.

“We must not let these people take us backwards. That is not the country we are,” she said. Rejecting demands to bring the two parties together, she added: “For people who say Unite the right – we are not uniting with that,” drawing a standing ovation from party members. Earlier in the speech, she said: “This party is now the no-drama party. We are the no-nonsense party.”

The troubles of rival parties have strengthened Badenoch’s position, though there is little sign yet that voters are returning to the Conservatives. Last year, both Badenoch and then Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced unrest within their own parties. Starmer was ousted by his Labour Party in July after a series of missteps, poor judgement and policy U-turns that eroded support. Reform UK, meanwhile, is facing parliamentary and police investigations into its finances.

In her speech, Badenoch largely stayed away from divisive culture-war subjects such as gender identity and instead focused on economic conservatism. She said a Conservative government would cut welfare spending, ease regulation and reduce taxes, including through a sharp fall in the number of people paying inheritance tax. She also described Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who succeeded Starmer as Labour leader, as a socialist who wants to “turn the clock back to the 1970s.”

Not all the party’s proposals were received well. There has been scepticism over a plan to build an air-defence system against drone and missile attacks. The Conservatives said the 10 billion pound “Britannia Shield” would be like Israel’s Iron Dome, before later acknowledging that its scope would be much more limited.

Ending on an upbeat note, Badenoch compared the Conservatives to Marks & Spencer, the long-established retailer once seen as dull and old-fashioned. Now, she said, it is “back in fashion -- great looks at affordable prices”. She added that, like M&S, the party must learn from its mistakes, win back trust and make people feel good about it again.

With PTI Inputs

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