Nigel Farage vs Kemi Badenoch and the dividing lines on the battle for the Right

Nigel Farage vs Kemi Badenoch and the dividing lines on the battle for the Right ANALYSIS: The Conservatives and Reform UK used party conference season to outline different policies to tackle Labour Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source Comments By Steph Spyro , Deputy political editor and environment editor 17:00, Thu, Oct 8, 2026 Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage (Image: Getty) Battle lines have been drawn between Reform UK’s Nigel Farage and the Conservatives’ Kemi Badenoch. Conference season has come and gone, and what’s left now is to dig into who promised what to their party faithful and why. Their competing visions for Britain were set out , ironically, in the same city of Birmingham. Both leaders unveiled a raft of eye-catching promises designed to show they have the answers to the country’s biggest problems. On taxes, the Tories pitched lower and simpler levies with a focus on getting people into work, whereas Reform put a tax-free £15,000 personal allowance at the centre of its offer if it wins the next general election. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT French minister teases UK about reversing Brexit – 'come back any time!' Kemi Badenoch announced eight huge benefit changes to save £36bn - full list Get the latest politics news - straight from our team in Westminster and more I would like to receive emails from the Daily Express featuring our latest products, services, offers, and promotions from across the Reach Plc family . Subscribe Invalid email You agree you are 18 or over. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. You can unsubscribe at any time. More Info . Mrs Badenoch made inheritance tax a major dividing line. She pledged to abolish “Britain’s most hated tax” on family homes which is probably one of the clearest attempts to make the Conservatives ' economic offer distinctive. Reform UK’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick has ruled out abolishing inheritance. Instead, he insisted his priority was providing “big tax cuts for working people, not for the super rich”. Both parties have made immigration a centrepiece of their pitch to the nation. Reform has promised to stop the boats within 100 days of government . It plans to do this by a military-led plan centred on intercepting migrant boats in the English Channel and returning individuals to France. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT The Tories have also vowed to dismantle the legal architecture used by failed asylum seekers, foreign criminals and visa overstayers to repeatedly fight attempts to remove them. Both parties have pledged to leave the European Convention on Human Rights as part of efforts to “stop the boats”. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Reform UK has promised a £50billion reduction in welfare spending. The party believes it can deliver much of this by stopping foreign nationals from getting most benefits and also reforming disability payments while protecting the most "severely disabled". The Tories’ approach will see further restrictions on benefits and proposals to make welfare less financially attractive than employment. It is worth noting that Reform has deliberately packaged its offer around the “first 100 days”, with Mr Farage’s spokespeople vowing to sack themselves if they fail to meet pledges within that timeframe. For the Conservatives, the challenge is for Mrs Badenoch's party to convince voters she offers a tougher, lower-tax alternative to Labour without becoming a softer version of Reform. It is an increasingly competitive battle for the Right, which includes disruptor Restore Britain, as we inch towards the next general election. Immigration Nigel Farage Taxes Kemi Badenoch Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source Comments