Kemi Badenoch takes brutal swipe at Reform UK 'measuring up curtains for prison cells' as Tory leader issues election battlecry

Kemi Badenoch delivered a rallying call to Conservative Party members today, declaring Britain’s next general election will be a “battle for the soul of this nation”. Speaking in Birmingham, the Tory rejected calls for any electoral pact with Reform UK, warning Nigel Farage’s political outfit would take the country backwards. She delivered her keynote speech just moments before an internal investigation within Reform UK cleared two senior officials of misconduct after a Channel 4 sting operation sought to expose Mr Farage and associates for illegally accepting foreign donations, although the Metropolitan Police is continuing its criminal investigation into the matter. Mrs Badenoch told delegates at the International Convention Centre: “The circus goes on and on and will never stop because this is who Reform politicians are. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say “So to those who say ‘Unite the Right’, we are not uniting with that. People deserve better; they deserve better.” Taking aim at “drama queens” who quit the Tories to join Reform UK after losing the 2024 election, Ms Badenoch said: “We deserve better than Reform politicians. “A year ago, those politicians were measuring up the curtains for No10... Now, some of them are measuring up the curtains for their prison cells.” The Opposition leader also said Prime Minister Andy Burnham does not have any feasible answers for the biggest issues facing the nation, saying: “It’s the same old high-tax, high-spend Labour, no common sense, addicted to welfare, drowning our country in debt, choking our economy with taxes, stifling every innovation with regulation. Kemi Badenoch savaged Reform UK at her speech to close the Tory Party conference | GB NEWS “Enough is enough; the country deserves better, and we are going to give them better.” The Tory leader also weighed in on the row over English identity sparked by Reform MP Suella Braverman. Mrs Braverman had previously said that she was British but did not consider herself ethnically English. “I don’t want to live in a country run by people who… debate whether my mixed-race children are English. I don’t want to explain to my son when I’m watching our brilliant England team play football that some people don’t think our black players are English. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Andy Burnham scores hat-trick of own goals as Prime Minister delays three pledges in just 24 hours Reform UK officials cleared by internal inquiry over donation sting as police continue investigation Police forces refused to stop pro-Palestinian activists holding October 7 massacre marches 'So to those who say ‘Unite the Right’, we are not uniting with that,' the Conservative leader savaged | REUTERS “I remember back in the day when Ian Wright and John Barnes were playing, nobody was questioning whether they were English. “We certainly didn’t have sitting MPs questioning whether they were English. We must not let these people take us backwards. “That is not the country we are. Reform MPs are openly questioning people’s identity. “They are not like us; we are not like them; we are different; we are the Conservative Party,” Mrs Badenoch declared. Responding to the speech, Reform UK's Robert Jenrick has torn into Kemi Badenoch’s Tory conference speech, aiming at his former boss. “As usual, Kemi has chickened out of doing anything big. Presumably, it’s because she couldn’t match Reform’s pledge to resign if she doesn’t deliver on her promises,” the Reform economics spokesman said. “While the Tory Party is offering handouts to multi-millionaires, Reform will give everyone a £500 tax cut by raising the tax-free personal allowance to £15,000. The Tory Party is looking after its own in Kensington, Reform is looking after the country. “She’s for the 2 per cent, we’re for 98 per cent,” he said. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter