Badenoch Positions Tories as 'Common Sense Party' with 100-Page Manifesto of Principles

Kemi Badenoch has sought to redefine her party's identity at the start of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, describing herself as a "classic old school Conservative" and framing her platform as one built on pragmatism rather than ideology. In an interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, the Conservative leader said her guiding philosophy centres on the belief that hard work should be rewarded and that government should not stand in the way of ordinary people. "I believe in common sense, people working hard and being rewarded for that effort," she said, adding that the welfare system ought to function as a "safety net, not a lifestyle."

The remarks came as Badenoch unveiled a 100-page statement of principles titled The Right Way, a document that deliberately echoes Margaret Thatcher's 1976 essay The Right Approach. The title signals an intent to draw a direct line between her leadership and the Thatcherite tradition, while also acknowledging the scale of the challenge facing a party that suffered a historic defeat at the 2024 general election. In the essay, Badenoch argues that the last Conservative government failed because it lacked a clear sense of purpose, allowing the state to expand "by stealth" despite years of rhetoric about shrinking it.

The Conservative leader used the conference platform to argue that her party must be willing to make difficult choices that previous governments avoided. According to the essay, the next Conservative government would operate on a single central principle: that business, not government, creates growth. The document proposes achieving that growth through tax reductions, deregulation, and returning the civil service to its pre-pandemic size. It also suggests that political parties need to recruit individuals willing to "say no to good causes when the resources simply are not there to do everything."

Badenoch's personal poll ratings remain higher than those of her party, a dynamic that gives her significant room to shape the Conservative brand as she sees fit. She has sought to differentiate herself from rival leaders with sharp characterisations, describing Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as a "grumpy grandpa" and Labour leader Andy Burnham as "the cheesy uncle who does all the dad jokes." She has also presented herself as a "no-nonsense mum," a phrase that appears designed to resonate with voters who feel alienated by traditional political language. Asked whether her proposals for benefit cuts and a substantial expansion of prison capacity represented a return to the "nasty party" label once attached to the Conservatives, she rejected the framing outright. "It's the common sense party," she insisted, asking why the party would revert to an approach that delivered such a poor result in 2024 if it had been working.

The conference itself has featured a series of policy announcements intended to flesh out the party's direction. The Conservatives have pledged to eliminate a childcare "cliff edge" that currently disqualifies parents earning more than £100,000 from government support. They have also promised to create 50,000 additional prison places by reducing the overseas aid budget to £1bn annually, a move they argue would end the practice of releasing offenders early. Over the 14 years the Conservatives were previously in power, only around 500 net prison places were added, a figure that accounts for 14,142 places created in new and existing jails against 13,660 lost primarily through dilapidation and closures.

Badenoch's speech in the main conference hall sought to strike a conciliatory tone about the internal debates expected over the coming days. She told members that disagreements were a natural part of the process and that the party would remain united once discussions concluded. "We're going to be having debates, we're going to have arguments, they are going to be fun," she said. "We're going to challenge each other and afterwards we're still going to be a united party." The comments appeared aimed at pre-empting concerns about factionalism, which has plagued the Conservatives in recent years and contributed to their electoral decline.

During a question-and-answer session, Badenoch turned her attention to questions of citizenship and community cohesion, arguing that trust is essential to how neighbourhoods function. She said the United Kingdom is "not a dormitory, it is not a hotel," stressing that British culture has meaning that should be upheld. To applause from a well-attended hall, she said she did not want to see "lots of little ghettos of separatist communities where they are recreating the place they come from," warning that such a development "will ruin the United Kingdom." The remarks reflect a broader emphasis in her essay on the importance of shared values and integration.

The Conservative Party has trailed both Labour and Reform UK in opinion polls and has struggled to recover from its 2024 defeat, which saw Labour return to power with a large majority. Badenoch's strategy appears to involve carving out a distinct identity that can compete with Reform on the right while also appealing to disaffected Labour voters. Her essay criticises the previous Conservative government for failing to reverse structural changes introduced by Labour, arguing that the state grew by stealth during the party's time in office. The document represents an attempt to explain the party's past failures while setting out a clearer direction for the future.

The event in Birmingham has also featured a satirical attraction: an 88-foot-long tapestry depicting the last two years under Labour, styled after the Bayeux Tapestry and intended as a humorous critique of both Labour and Reform UK. The installation has proven popular among conference attendees, underscoring the party's effort to combine serious policy discussion with a lighter, more optimistic tone as it seeks to rebuild its public image.

Labour Party chair Bridget Phillipson responded sharply to Badenoch's message, saying the Conservative Party "is stuck in the past and remains completely out of touch with what people across Britain want to see." Phillipson contrasted Badenoch's approach with that of Andy Burnham, who she said had set out a plan "to bring back hope to Britain" the previous week. She accused Badenoch of wanting "to drag our country back to a politics that let so many people down over the past 40 years," drawing a clear battle line between the two parties' visions for the country.

The conference comes at a pivotal moment for the Conservatives, who must convince voters that they have learned from their recent defeat and are capable of governing again. Badenoch's 100-page essay and her conference pledges are part of that argument, seeking to present her as a leader with clear convictions rather than one swayed by focus groups or short-term pressures. Whether that message resonates beyond the conference hall will depend on the party's ability to translate its principles into policies that address the concerns of voters who abandoned it in 2024. For now, Badenoch has staked her leadership on the claim that common sense, not ideology, will define the Conservatives under her watch.