Badenoch's conference speech on Reform draws mixed reactions

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 14 Oct, 14:21 · Archive

Kemi Badenoch, Conservative leader, delivered a widely praised conference speech attacking Reform UK as 'weird' and ruling out an electoral pact.

Kemi Badenoch, Conservative leader, delivered a conference speech that was widely praised for rejecting the extremist rhetoric of Reform UK. In the speech, she described Reform as 'weird' and explicitly ruled out an electoral pact with the party.

The Daily Mail reports that polling has shown the Conservatives moving ahead of Reform following the speech, reaching 23 points to Reform's position below, with Labour at 24 points. This represents what commentators have termed a 'Kemi bounce' in the party's fortunes.

However, The Mirror's Darren Lewis argues that Badenoch's rejection of extremist rhetoric arrives too late. Lewis points to her previous defences of the Sewell Report, published in 2021, which denied the existence of institutional racism in the UK. He also notes her dismissal as 'trivia' of remarks by Tory donor Frank Hester regarding Labour MP Diane Abbott, her defence of Robert Jenrick's complaints about not seeing 'another white face' during a Birmingham visit, and her previous statement that 'not all cultures are equally valid'. Lewis further cites her description of diversity initiatives as a waste of money and her 2021 claims that she did not 'care about colonialism'.

The Guardian's Jonathan Liew takes a different approach, suggesting that the apparent divisions between Badenoch and other right-wing figures, including Jenrick and Reform's leadership, may be largely performative. Liew notes that the Conservatives remain significantly below their 2024 levels despite recent positive coverage, and questions whether media narratives of a Badenoch revival have been disproportionately influenced by favourable outlets.

The Telegraph reports that the election of Badenoch as Conservative leader in 2024 was initially dismissed by commentators as unsustainable, but support for her leadership has proved more durable than predicted.

How it is being reported

• Kemi Badenoch tries to unite Britain’s rightA handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The EconomistThe Economist · 14 Oct, 09:37
• This civil war on the British right is a charade – its politics are more united than ever | Jonathan LiewDon’t be fooled by its bickering leaders. Their calibrated fake fighting will probably end in coalition Kapow! In a warmly received conference speech, Kemi Badenoch turns her fire on Reform UK, describing it as “weird”, and ruling out an electoral pact. Slap! Not to be outdone, her former colleague Robert Jenrick derides Badenoch as a champion of the wealthy, which is quite rich for a guy who looks like he’s just accidentally ingested a bundle of £50 notes through his sphincter. Bosh! Reform’s Richard Tice and Restore’s Rupert Lowe clash online over the result of a council byelection in…The Guardian · 14 Oct, 08:00
• SARAH VINE: Know-all men sneered when I told them Kemi is a winner. Now they all agree with me!After years of being patronised for suggesting that Kemi Badenoch is a serious political contender, I now find myself being patronised by people telling me Badenoch is a serious political contender.Daily Mail · 14 Oct, 01:00
• DARREN LEWIS: 'Badenoch rejecting Reform racism might be too little too late'Her speech may have been widely praised but most, if not all the MPs and political commentators doing so have zero experience of what it is to be a person of colour affected by the toxic rhetoric from people just like Kemi Badenoch...;The Mirror · 12 Oct, 17:56

In this story: Kemi Badenoch · Reform UK · Conservative Party · Diane Abbott · Robert Jenrick · Nigel Farage

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem