Britain06 October, 20262 min read
Kemi Badenoch Unveils Lower Taxes And Britannia Shield At Birmingham Tory Congress
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Badenoch pitched lower taxes, restrained spending, and strong defense stance at Birmingham conference. Party unity under Badenoch amid promises of a new Conservative phase.
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Badenoch’s tax and defense pitch
Kemi Badenoch used the annual party congress closing in Birmingham to present a new Conservative phase built on lower taxes, restraint of public spending, and a strong state in defense and borders. Badenoch described the upcoming general elections as 'a battle for the soul of the nation' and positioned Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s Labour Party as her main adversary. Badenoch promised to eliminate the inheritance tax applied to family housing if the Conservatives return to government, while she said the general levy on inheritances currently stands at 40% above certain thresholds and affects about 5% of estates.
Badenoch also said the Tories proposed reducing employer National Insurance contributions for workers aged 21 to 24 from 15% to 7.5%, aiming to facilitate the hiring of young people when around one million are not studying, working, or in training. Badenoch framed her infrastructure plan around investing up to 10 billion pounds in the so-called Britannia Shield, an air defense system designed to protect strategic installations and military bases against drones and missiles.
No pact with Reform
Badenoch closed the door to any alliance with Reform UK, Nigel Farage’s group, and she said she would rather face two consecutive elections than join a coalition government with Reform.
Badenoch told delegates, 'A battle is looming in British politics,' and she described a 'battle of ideas' that reaches 'the very heart of what we are.'
Badenoch rejected calls to 'unite the right' and told the audience, 'I am Black. I am British. I am proud of my country,' before asking those who left the Conservatives for Reform to 'come home.'
Badenoch also warned, 'We are running out of money and time to fix it,' and she argued that 'Spending money we don’t have on things we can’t afford is not solidarity, it’s irresponsibility.'
Polls and the road ahead
The BBC said the Conservative Party conference wrapped up in Birmingham with a message that the party was united behind Badenoch, with no murmurings of dissent about her leadership. The BBC also said polls placed the Conservatives around 18%–20% of voting intention, behind both the Labour Party and Reform UK, and it described the road to recovery as still long. El Correo reported that Badenoch promised a future Tory government will legislate so that nobody has to pay the inheritance tax on their family home, and it added that she said couples will also be able to leave up to a million pounds free of tax.
POLITICO said its Poll of Polls put the Conservative Party on just 18% in a general election, due by 2029, behind Reform on 22% and Labour on 26%. The Guardian reported that Tory MPs wanted Badenoch to focus more on the economy and less on culture wars, and it quoted one MP saying, 'That’s where we win.'