Badenoch Positions Tories as "Common Sense Party" with Welfare and Prison Reform Pledges

Kemi Badenoch has used the opening of the Conservative Party's annual conference to present herself as a "classic old school Conservative," coupling that self-description with a series of policy announcements and a lengthy written statement of her political philosophy. Speaking to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, the Tory leader framed her approach around what she called common sense, arguing that people who work hard ought to be rewarded for their efforts. She also set out a clear position on the welfare system, insisting it should function as a safety net rather than a way of life.

The conference, taking place in Birmingham, comes at a difficult moment for the party. The Conservatives are currently behind both Labour and Reform UK in the opinion polls and are still working to rebuild after a historic defeat at the 2024 general election. Badenoch's personal approval ratings, however, are notably stronger than those of her party as a whole, giving her a degree of individual standing that she is evidently seeking to leverage as she attempts to distinguish the Tories in an increasingly crowded political landscape.

Central to that effort is a 100-page essay titled "The Right Way," which Badenoch has published to coincide with the conference. The document's title deliberately echoes an essay written by Margaret Thatcher in 1976 called "The Right Approach," a nod to the party's Thatcherite heritage that is unlikely to be accidental. In the essay, Badenoch argues that the previous Conservative government failed because it lacked a clear sense of purpose, suggesting that despite the rhetoric of its fourteen years in office, it did little to reverse structural changes introduced by Labour that she claims pushed the country in the wrong direction. The consequence, she writes, was that the state expanded by stealth.

The essay sets out what it describes as the guiding principle for the next Conservative government: that business, not government, creates growth. According to the document, the party would pursue growth through tax cuts, a reduction in regulatory red tape, and shrinking the civil service back to the size it was before the pandemic. Perhaps more striking is the emphasis the essay places on the willingness to refuse demands. It argues that politics and government are missing people who are prepared to say no, and that parties need to recruit individuals with the stomach to turn down worthy causes when the resources simply are not available to fund everything.

Badenoch also made clear she is comfortable with internal debate. Addressing the main conference hall, she said the coming days would involve discussions and arguments, describing them as enjoyable and predicting that members would challenge one another before ultimately remaining a united party. That framing appears designed to present robust internal disagreement as a sign of health rather than division, a contrast to the factional infighting that has at times characterised the party in recent years.

Her characterisations of rival leaders have been equally pointed. She has previously described Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as a "grumpy grandpa," and in her interview with Kuenssberg she cast Labour leader Andy Burnham as "the cheesy uncle who does all the dad jokes." Badenoch also described herself as a "no-nonsense mum," a phrase that fits with the plain-speaking, anti-frills image she is cultivating.

When asked whether her proposals for benefit cuts and a substantial expansion of prison capacity amounted to a return to the "nasty party" label that has dogged the Conservatives in the past, Badenoch rejected the suggestion outright. She said the party is instead the "common sense party," and pushed back on nostalgia for previous approaches by asking why, if the old way had worked so well, the party had suffered such a terrible result in 2024.

On policy, the Conservatives have pledged to end what they describe as a childcare "cliff edge," the current arrangement under which parents earning more than £100,000 become ineligible for childcare entitlement. The party has also promised to deliver 50,000 new prison places, funded by reducing the overseas aid budget to £1bn a year, with the stated aim of ending the early release of offenders. That commitment is notable given the record of the previous Conservative government, during which around 500 net prison places were created across fourteen years. That figure accounts for 14,142 places added in existing and new jails, offset by 13,660 lost mainly to dilapidation and closures.

During a question and answer session, Badenoch ranged across themes from her essay, including citizenship and the role of trust in communities. She said the UK is "not a dormitory, it is not a hotel," and argued that British culture means something. To applause in a well-attended hall, she said she does not want to see "lots of little ghettos of separatist communities" where people recreate the places they came from, warning that this would ruin the United Kingdom. The remarks signal a continued willingness to engage directly with contentious questions of integration and national identity.

The conference has also featured a lighter element: an 88-foot-long satirical take on the Bayeux Tapestry, depicting the last two years under Labour, which has proven a popular attraction among attendees. The artwork also pokes fun at Reform UK, underscoring the party's dual focus on its two main electoral rivals.

Labour's response was swift and dismissive. Party chair Bridget Phillipson said the Conservatives are stuck in the past and remain completely out of touch with what people across Britain want. She contrasted Badenoch's positioning with a plan set out by Andy Burnham last week, which she said was aimed at bringing back hope to Britain, and accused Badenoch of wanting to drag the country back towards a politics that let so many people down over the past forty years.

The coming days in Birmingham will test whether Badenoch can convert her relatively strong personal standing into momentum for a party still recovering from its worst electoral result in modern times. Her strategy rests on presenting the Conservatives as the party of practical judgment, willing to make unpopular calls on spending and welfare while drawing sharper lines on crime and immigration. Whether that message resonates beyond the conference hall will determine how much of a foundation it provides for the next general election.