Badenoch Brands Herself a 'Classic Old School Conservative' as Tories Gather for Conference

Kemi Badenoch has positioned herself firmly on the traditionalist wing of British politics, describing herself as a "classic old school Conservative" at the start of her party's annual conference in Birmingham. In an interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, the Conservative leader set out a personal philosophy built around what she called common sense, hard work and fair reward, adding that the welfare system should function as a safety net rather than a way of life.

The remarks came as the Tories opened their gathering with a series of policy announcements and the publication of a lengthy essay outlining the leader's guiding beliefs. The document, titled The Right Way, runs to around 100 pages and is intended to give the party a clearer sense of direction after years of criticism that it lacked a coherent identity.

Badenoch's choice of title appears deliberate. It echoes a 1976 essay by Margaret Thatcher called The Right Approach, a text that helped define the future prime minister's political creed. By invoking that lineage, Badenoch is signalling continuity with the party's most celebrated modern leader while also arguing that the Conservatives lost their way during their most recent stint in government.

In her essay, she contends that the last Conservative administration failed largely because it did not understand what it stood for. Despite the rhetoric the party employed during its fourteen years in power, she writes that it did little to undo the structural changes introduced by Labour that had pushed the country in the wrong direction. The result, in her account, was that the state expanded by stealth rather than by deliberate design.

The document commits a future Conservative government to a single central principle: that business, not government, is the engine of growth. To that end, it proposes tax cuts, a reduction in regulatory burdens and a shrinking of the civil service back to the size it was before the pandemic. It also argues that politics is missing people willing to say no, suggesting that parties must recruit figures prepared to turn down worthy causes when the money simply is not available.

Badenoch's personal poll ratings remain higher than those of her party as a whole, giving her a degree of individual appeal that the Conservatives have struggled to translate into broader support. The party continues to trail both Labour and Reform UK in the polls and has yet to recover from its historic defeat at the 2024 general election, a result that reshaped the political landscape and raised questions about the Conservatives' long-term viability.

The leader has not been shy about characterising her rivals. She has previously described Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as a "grumpy grandpa", and in her latest interview she labelled Labour leader Andy Burnham as "the cheesy uncle who does all the dad jokes". She also presented herself as a "no-nonsense mum", a phrase that fits her broader effort to project practicality and straight talking over ideological abstraction.

Asked whether her proposals for benefit cuts and a large expansion of prison capacity represented a return to the "nasty party" label once attached to the Conservatives, Badenoch rejected the suggestion. She insisted her project is a "common sense party" and argued that if the old approach had been working, the party would not have suffered such a severe setback in 2024.

On policy, the Conservatives have pledged to end the childcare "cliff edge" that currently disqualifies parents earning more than £100,000 from entitlement to support. The party has also promised to create 50,000 additional prison places, funded by cutting the overseas aid budget to £1bn a year, with the aim of ending the early release of offenders. The source notes that over the fourteen years of Conservative government, roughly 500 net prison places were added, a figure that accounts for 14,142 places created in existing and new jails set against 13,660 lost mainly to dilapidation and closures.

Speaking in the main conference hall, Badenoch framed the coming days as an opportunity for members to air their ideas. She predicted debates and arguments, describing them as enjoyable, and said that after challenging one another the party would remain united. The comment reflects a persistent concern among Conservatives about internal divisions, which have often overshadowed policy announcements in recent years.

During a question and answer session, she touched on themes from her essay including citizenship and the role of trust in communities. She said the United Kingdom is "not a dormitory, it is not a hotel", adding that British culture matters. To applause in a well-attended hall, she said she did not want separatist enclaves where people recreate the places they came from, warning that such developments would damage the country.

The conference itself features an unusual attraction: an 88-foot satirical artwork styled after the Bayeux Tapestry that pokes fun at Labour and Reform UK. The piece, displayed in Birmingham, has proven popular with attendees and underscores the party's desire to combine serious policy messaging with a lighter, more confident public face.

Labour responded sharply to the conference opening. Party chair Bridget Phillipson said the Conservatives are stuck in the past and remain out of touch with what people across Britain want. She contrasted Badenoch's approach with what she described as a plan set out by Andy Burnham last week to restore hope to the country, accusing the Tory leader of wanting to drag Britain back to a politics that failed people over the past four decades.

The exchanges set the tone for a conference that will test whether Badenoch can convert personal recognition into party momentum. With the next general election likely to be fought on competing visions of growth, welfare and the size of the state, her essay and pledges amount to an attempt to draw clear dividing lines. Whether voters see those lines as common sense or a retreat to familiar ground is the central question her leadership now faces.