From the ‘drama queens’ of Reform to the ‘Paddington Bear PM’, we reveal the main themes of Kemi’s speech
Kemi Badenoch used her Conservative Party conference speech to present the party as renewed and ready to challenge its rivals, saying it was “back in fashion” and would fight for the country’s future. She urged former Conservative voters who had moved to Reform UK to return, while arguing that her party had recognised past mistakes and put internal rows behind it.
The speech in Birmingham lasted one hour and six minutes and drew at least a dozen standing ovations. Badenoch compared the Conservatives’ hoped-for revival to Marks & Spencer’s turnaround, but acknowledged that voters were not yet choosing the party. She attacked Reform defectors as “drama queens” and criticised Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s priorities and record, calling him a “Paddington Bear prime minister” and saying “Hope is not a strategy”.
- Badenoch said the Conservatives were “back in fashion”.
- She urged voters who switched to Reform UK to return.
- Her speech lasted 66 minutes and drew at least 12 standing ovations.
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The Conservative Party has been out of power for several years and is seeking a path back to government. In recent years, some Conservative voters switched to Reform UK, a rival political party. This split has complicated the Conservatives' efforts to rebuild a unified support base.
Kemi Badenoch is the leader of the Conservative Party. She has been working to present the party as having learned from past mistakes and ready to be a serious alternative to the current government. The party's annual conference provides a major platform for her to address party members and appeal to the wider public.
The Conservatives are competing against the ruling Labour Party under Prime Minister Andy Burnham and also facing competition from Reform UK for voters who previously supported them. Badenoch's conference speech attempted to reach current Conservative supporters, appeal to voters who had switched to Reform, and make the case to the broader public that the Conservatives deserve another chance in power.