Kemi Badenoch, the new leader of the Conservative Party, has vowed to be upfront with the British public even when the truth is difficult to hear, as she seeks to rebuild voter trust following the party’s disastrous election defeat last year.
In her first major speech of 2025, Badenoch will acknowledge that the Tories made “mistakes” on issues like Brexit, net zero and immigration during their 14 years in government. She will promise a more transparent approach, saying: “For the next four years and beyond we are going to be telling the British people the truth, even when it’s difficult to hear.”
The former business secretary is expected to criticise her party’s past habit of making “crowd-pleasing policies without having a proper plan for how to implement them.” She will vow that such an approach will “stop” under her leadership.
Badenoch will also take aim at Labour, claiming the opposition is “struggling” in power due to a lack of coherent planning. She will say “policies without a plan are not policies, they’re just announcements” – a veiled swipe at Rachel Reeves’ recent tax and spending proposals.
In a nod to the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, the Tory leader will admit her rival has a “head start” on her due to his lengthy experience leading various parties. However, she will firmly rule out any merger between the two right-wing forces, saying: “Nigel Farage says he wants to destroy the Conservative Party. Why on earth would we merge with that?”
Badenoch’s speech marks the start of her attempt to chart a new course for the Conservatives after their crushing general election defeat. Facing a daunting task to win back public trust, she has promised to be upfront about the party’s past failings in a bid to chart a path back to power.
