Kemi Badenoch has said the Conservatives will “turn the tide” on what she called Andy Burnham’s “destructive socialist agenda”, while preparing for the possibility of an early general election.
Speaking to the Press Association ahead of the Conservative Party’s annual conference in Birmingham, the Opposition leader said the Conservatives had changed and offered the “only credible alternative” to Labour. She accused Labour of pursuing policies that would “bankrupt our economy”.
Ms Badenoch also criticised Reform UK, saying its politicians were “not our kind of people”. She gave a “cast-iron guarantee” that there would be no Conservative pact with Nigel Farage’s party at the next election, arguing that some Conservative voters would not support the party if it entered into a deal with Reform.
Recent polling has placed Labour ahead of both the Conservatives and Reform UK. However, a YouGov MRP survey cited in the report projected a hung parliament, with the Conservatives moving into second place ahead of Reform.
Ms Badenoch rejected suggestions that the Conservatives were considering closer UK integration with the European Union after Mr Burnham suggested Labour’s next manifesto could include an in-out referendum or a pledge to rejoin. She said closer co-operation with other countries would be supported where it was in the national interest, but ruled out returning to the EU, a customs union or the single market.
She described debate about rejoining the EU as a “distraction” and said the UK should instead focus on lowering energy costs, reducing the tax burden on businesses and helping young people into work. She blamed job losses on domestic policies, including what she called Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer’s “jobs tax”.
On pensions, Ms Badenoch said retaining the existing triple lock was current Conservative policy and remained in the draft manifesto. Mr Burnham has announced plans to adjust the guarantee, with the aim of raising £15 billion a year by the end of the 2030s to help fund a new national care service. The Conservatives have criticised the proposal as unfunded, although senior party figures have said the current triple lock is unsustainable.
Ms Badenoch also rejected the Prime Minister’s proposals for electoral reform, including a national commission to examine voting changes that could lead to proportional representation. She said the proposals were a “distraction” intended to “lock in the left” and said she believed Mr Burnham was preparing for an early election despite his position to the contrary.
“I think he’s getting ready for an election, and so am I,” she said.
