Tag: Kemi Badenoch

The speech made by Kemi Badenoch, the Leader of the Opposition, in Manchester on 8 October 2025.

Only the Conservative party can deliver the stronger economy and stronger borders that will give people a more prosperous future.

Every generation must face its test.

In the 1940s, our test was to defeat fascism and ensure the victory of freedom.

In the 1980s, it was to banish socialism and deliver prosperity.

And in the 2020s, our test is to restore a strong economy, secure our borders, and rebuild Britain’s strength so our children inherit a country that works.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Conference, thank you.

Thank you, for standing by the only party that can meet the test of our generation.

The only party that can deliver a stronger economy and stronger borders.

Everything else relies on getting this right.

National security, order on the streets, decent healthcare, high quality education, cohesion in our communities.

None of this exists without a strong economy and strong borders.

A weak economy makes us poorer.

The services we rely on get worse and people cannot build a better life for themselves or their families.

Weak borders allow people to exploit our generosity, put our housing and public services under pressure, and fracture our sense of who we are as a nation.

A weak economy and weak borders mean steady decline.

I reject that fate.

Together, we Conservatives will save Britain from that fate.

And we can do it together because we are a strong team.

My fantastic shadow cabinet Mel, Chris, Claire, Laura, Rob, Andrew – both of them, James – both of them, Mims, Jesse Stuart, all of you: thank you. Thank you so much.

My front bench, experienced hands and rising stars.

Conference, we know our MPs and peers have more collective wisdom than the rest of Parliament put together.

And it’s not just them, lets to forget Darren and our MSs in Wales, Russell and our MSPs in Scotland, our fantastic mayors.

Labour beater Ben Houchen and Reform slayer Paul Bristow, Councillors, activists.

You are our party. Thank you.

I joined our party as an activist 20 years ago.

I was with you delivering leaflets and knocking on doors.

I sat in this hall listening to speeches.

I celebrated all our wins, and I felt the pain of every defeat.

I cannot tell you how honoured, how privileged, and how proud I am to stand before you as Leader of our party.

Leader of the Conservative Party.

The only party that can meet the test of our generation.

You are more than just a political party to me.

You have supported me, you have stood by me, you have enabled me to achieve more than I ever dreamed.

You are my family, in many ways quite literally.

I married the deputy chairman of my association, and I certainly would not be standing here today without my husband, Hamish. Thank you.

I love this party for what it has given me but more than that, I love it because it has made life better for so many in our country and will do so again.

Time and time again, guided by our values.

And our principles.

We have steered this country through its darkest days.

And today, we must be ready to do the same again.

Because we are the only party that has the vision, the courage, and the competence to tear up a broken political model, deliver a new blueprint for our country, and together take Britain into an era of prosperity and security.

To do this, Conference, we must be frank about the problems our country faces.

Because they are not the same ones that we faced in the 1940s, or the 1980s, or even the 2010s.

The country that Hamish and I were born in, had its issues.

But thanks – in large part – to hard choices taken by this party

Opportunity was there for people who worked hard.

People had a sense of pride in our national story, and excitement about the future.

I am not sure young people feel that way anymore.

They feel they are living somewhere where things never get any better.

Britain is stagnating, while the world around us moves on.

We are competing with restless and ambitious countries around the world.

We are competing with a billion people in India striving to become middle class.

We are competing with economic success stories like Poland.

15 years ago, Polish workers came here to find opportunity.

Now, Poland is growing twice as fast as we are.

While Britain was redefining what a woman is, China was building five nuclear reactors.

Conference, people around the world are determined to lift their lives, and their children’s lives up to a standard that we have taken for granted.

Some countries won’t be able to do this.

And in those countries millions of people will decide that they want to come here instead.

And if our borders are not secure, they will succeed.

Especially, if our economy is addicted to migration.

Of course, we want brilliant minds and great talents to come here.

But at the moment we are not just taking in doctors, engineers, and scientists.

We are accepting hundreds of thousands of people, some with many dependents.

Some with no skills at all.

This broken immigration model is heaping pressure on our public sector.

A public sector which already every year, demands more and more and more of our money, yet services don’t get better, they get worse.

Everyone in this room knows what I am talking about.

We have all felt it.

We used to ring up our GP and get an appointment the same day.

Now, now we have to wait on the phone to see if we’re one of the lucky ones.

We have potholes that have been around, so long people are holding birthday parties for them.

Underneath all of this, is a society which is struggling to cope.

Struggling to cope with the reality of getting poorer, struggling to cope with the erosion of a sense of who we are as a country.

We cannot drift our way into solving these problems.

We know what drift looks like.

It looks like allowing the trade unions to overturn years of progress in school standards.

It looks like letting our veterans face vexatious prosecutions when we should be worrying about the strength of our military.

Drift looks like Labour’s one-in-one-out returns deal with France that ends up letting 100 people in, for every one who leaves.

Being timid will get us nowhere.

We need bold ideas.

We need a positive vision for this country.

And a plan to deliver it.    

We need a new approach.

A new approach that delivers a stronger economy and stronger borders.

We owe that to our children.

During our time in government, we did great things.

Labour, want to pretend the last 14 years were all bad.

They want to forget that they were losing all that time.

Let’s remind them.

Between 2010 and 2020 we slashed the deficit.

We lifted millions of people out of tax and got millions in to work.

We sent English schools soaring up the international league tables.

We led the coalition against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

But Conference, the truth is we didn’t always fight hard enough for what we believed in.

We need to remember who we are fighting for.

We are fighting for people who work hard and do the right thing.

We are fighting for people who ask, “why do sickness benefits pay more than the minimum wage?”

More than the living wage even.

We are fighting for small business owners, people who take risks and get things done.

We are fighting for the victims of crime.

They want to know that we are on their side.

That criminals will face the full force of the law.

We are fighting for the farmers, putting food on our tables.

These are our people.

They are the backbone of our country.

We fought for them before.

And we will fight for them again.

Conference, time and time again, we have been the only party that is bold enough to do what is needed.

The only party that is competent enough to do it properly.  

We were bold enough to create the modern police force, to introduce free state education for every child.

We were radical enough to launch the Right to Buy, to free the workplace from the dead hand of the state, to give working men the vote and — better late than never — women too.

We were courageous enough to introduce same-sex marriage.

And of course, brave enough to take Britain out of the European Union, honouring the biggest democratic mandate in our history.

All, Conservative, achievements.

Yes, all of that was us.

But enough about past glories.

Actually, how about one more.

Conference, do you know the one thing we Conservatives have done the most throughout our history?

Clear up the mess left by Labour.

And my goodness, they are making one hell of a mess.

Never in the field of human history have so many been let down by so few.

All they have delivered is a doom loop of higher taxes, weaker borders, and month after month of chaos.

They had a plan to win, but no plan for power.

No vision for Britain.

They know how to make promises, but not how to deliver them.

This year, the Prime Minister was asked to name his best moment in office.

Do you know what he said?

“Walking into Downing Street.”

For once, I agree with him.

It’s all been downhill all the way since.

What have Labour given us?

An anti-corruption minister under investigation for corruption.

A homelessness minister who made her own tenants homeless.

A Housing Secretary sacked for dodging housing taxes.

You couldn’t make this stuff up.

We had a transport secretary fired for stealing a phone.

And our Ambassador in Washington thrown out in disgrace.

There is an old joke, that a diplomat is someone sent abroad to lie for their country. Well at least in Peter Mandelson they had a man of experience.

Just look at the spectacle we saw in Liverpool last week.

Minister after Minister failing to rule out the tax rises, we all know are coming.

The Mayor of Manchester touting his own manifesto for the country.

But to be honest I can’t blame Andy Burnham for that one, who doesn’t want to get rid of this utterly useless weak Prime Minister.

After five years as Labour leader, people still don’t know what Keir Starmer stands for.

And you know what the real problem is?

He doesn’t know himself.

Today we learn, today we learn that Labour deliberately collapsed the trial of two men accused of spying on MPs for China because the PM wants to suck up to Beijing.

This is squalid.

We have got the measure of them.

Just look at Shabana Mahmood, the new Home Secretary.

She’s trying to convince us she’s tough.

Right.

I remember when she tried to stop foreign criminals being deported. Do you remember that one?

I remember when she lay down on the ground in front of a Sainsbury’s protesting because they were selling food from Israel.

So, forgive me, if I treat this new-found tough image with a little scepticism. You remember.

Labour represents everything that is wrong with politics.

Rachel Reeves likes to congratulate herself for breaking the glass ceiling.

But what she’s really broken, is our economy.

Attacking those who work hard, destroying business confidence, forcing wealth creators to leave the country, piling debt onto our children.

We know, that in her November Budget of Doom, she will give us all something to cry about.

The highest business taxes since the 1970s.

Taxes on farmers.

Taxes on education – an unprecedented tax punishing parents who work hard to invest in their children’s future.

Shameful.

The tax burden is so high.

It is making Britain poorer.

Because business is giving up.

Business is leaving.

And as they leave, or never start in the first place, people’s livelihoods, people’s hopes, people’s dreams, go with them.

Grangemouth refinery gone, Merck, BMW, Ineos pulling investment.

Schools for children with special needs, are shutting their doors.

Farmers feeling they’ve got no way out.

The London Stock Exchange dropping out of the world’s top 20 for listings.

Our party knows that a job is the best route out of poverty.

We got unemployment to a 40-year low.

And what has happened since Labour came in?

A jobs tax.

Unemployment up.

Inflation up.

Borrowing up.

These are the real-life consequences of a weak, directionless, government.

Conference, last year, the public voted for change.

But all they have been given is change for the worse.

And because they are still angry with us, parties that in normal times would never be seen as a serious option for government are gaining ground, making promises they will never be able to keep.

Let’s look at what’s on offer out there. for all those disappointed by Labour.

Reform promising free beer tomorrow.

Jeremy Corbyn promising free jam.

Lib Dems promising free lentils.

All of them promising more spending.

Blowing up the public finances.

Whether it’s Starmer, Farage, Corbyn or Davey all these men are shaking the same magic money tree.

Following the same, failed playbook.

No plan for growth.

No honesty about the scale of the challenges.

And it always leads to the same result.

More government, more taxes, more debt.

It’s irresponsible, it’s cynical, and it’s why Britain needs Conservatives back in charge.

But we can’t beat them, simply by attacking them.

As George Bernard Shaw said.

‘Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty, and the pig likes it.’

We have to offer something better.

So, what are we going to do?

Conference, as you may have heard, I am an engineer.

My starting point is always to carry out a diagnosis, before producing the blueprint to put it right.

Since I became your leader, my Shadow Cabinet and I have analysed the problems facing the country.

Our diagnosis is clear: Britain is being held back by a broken model.

A model which says that government always knows best.

That high immigration is always good for the economy.

That Britain should apologise for its history rather than be proud of it.

We lost because we accepted the status quo.

No more.

When Margaret Thatcher was Leader of the Opposition, she said this.

“If every Labour Government is prepared to reverse every Tory measure, while Conservative Governments accept nearly all socialist measures the end result is only too plain.”

She was right. To fix our country, we must reverse Labour’s measures.

So, we will cancel their vindictive tax on education, Vicki knows what’s coming, we will scrap their tax on family farms, Andrew, we will scrap their tax on family businesses.

And we will reverse the terrible measures in Angela Rayner’s Unemployment Bill, written by the unions, for the unions.

A bill that will wrap firms in red tape.

Cost business £5 billion.

And make Angela Rayner one of the last people in Britain to ever be legally sacked.

But conference, simply unwinding Labour measures isn’t enough.

We are Conservatives, not anarchists.

I am an engineer, not an arsonist.

So together, we are going to build something better.

We are creating a Blueprint for Britain – a new settlement – based on Conservative values.

So, what’s in it?

Firstly, securing our borders.

On Sunday I announced our plan.

To take the UK out of the ECHR.

To scrap the Human Rights Act.

To deport 150,000 illegal immigrants.

This is a plan, not a slogan.

Next in my blueprint, work, and welfare.

If we want to end our over-reliance on immigration, then we must make sure that every British citizen who can work, does work.

Right now, there are six and a half million working age adults claiming benefits instead of working.

You heard me right six and a half million.

That is the entire population of Cardiff, Belfast, Glasgow, and Manchester.

Combined.

Being paid to sit at home all day.

We cannot expect people to get up and go to work, and pay more and more in taxes, to subsidise millions of others not to work.

It is not controversial to say this.

Conference, we have done the hard work.

And we have a plan to cut welfare spending.

First, British benefits for British Citizens.

It is common sense that you should not draw out of a system that you haven’t paid in to.

Second, we will restrict benefits to those with more severe mental health conditions – not anxiety or mild depression.

Yes, these challenges are real, and people should get support.

But they cannot be treated as a reason for a lifetime off work.

And third, we will restrict Motability vehicles to people with serious disabilities.

Those cars are not for people with ADHD.

These are the first steps of a radical reform of our welfare system.

We will return to its founding principle.

That support only goes to those that really need it.

This should be common sense.

But only the Conservatives understand this.

Labour, the Liberal Dems, Greens, the nationalists, and Reform are all demanding more welfare spending.

They don’t care that it’s not fair, but we do.

After Covid, 2,000 people a day were being signed onto out-of-work sickness benefits.

It is a national tragedy.

That in just one year of Labour the latest figure has more than doubled.

5,000 new people are signing on every single day.

Many are young people, who are losing the chance to make something of themselves.

Never knowing what it’s like to pay their own way.

This isn’t just about saving money – important though that is.

It’s far more than that.

It is driven by our deep, Conservative conviction that work is a good in itself.

And as people work, as they strive, as they provide for themselves and their families, they should not pay more and more of their money in taxes, to a state that provides less and less.

So, fixing the state is next in our Blueprint.

Since Brexit and Covid the size of the Civil Service has swollen by over a third.

There are now more than half a million civil servants.

And have you noticed?

Is Government working a third better for you?

I don’t think so.

So, we are going to reverse this.

We are going to cut the civil service back to where it was in 2016.

And as Conservatives, we don’t just believe in reducing the size of the state.

I have always said, that while Government should do less, what it does, it should do well.

Let me give you an example.

Conservatives are proud of our police.

Unlike Labour, we will always have their back.

But security and prosperity cannot exist, in a country where the law is mocked, where crime is ignored, and where criminals laugh at justice.

Right now, tens of thousands of police hours are wasted every year on “non-crime hate incidents” and form-filling.

Officers chasing tweets instead of thieves.

The Shadow Justice Secretary is stopping more fare evaders than Transport for London. Thank you, Rob.

Conference, we are going to free the police to protect the public.

Not to chase political correctness.

Right now, our police are spending 800,000 hours every single year waiting with mental health patients.

Eight hundred thousand hours.

That’s the equivalent of 400 police officers doing nothing else all year except waiting around.

No more.

Every single officer we free from pointless paperwork.

We will put back on our streets.

We will send them after the shoplifters making life a misery for high streets.

And we will triple stop and search.

Because the more people we stop and the more people we search, the more knives we take off the streets.

Across public services, we are developing similarly detailed plans to make things work better.

In the NHS, industrial action has kept waiting lists high for far too long.

Enough is enough. We will ban doctors from going on strike.

In education, Labour have bent over to the teaching unions – and are removing our academy freedoms which have been so successful.

We will reverse this act of educational vandalism.

And we will make sure that brilliant schools and teachers have the freedom to do what they do best. Teach.

Because education should be how people change their lives.

It should help you develop the skills you need to get on in life.

It should ensure you get the job you want.

So, if your name’s Rachel, you can be an economist instead of working, in customer complaints.

And speaking of customer complaints, let’s talk about university.

Every year thousands of young people go off to University but leave with crippling loans and no real prospects.

Nearly one in three graduates see no economic return, and every year taxpayers write off over £7 billion in unpaid student loans.

Wasted money, wasted talent. Its every year.

A rigged system propping up low-quality courses, while people can’t get high-quality apprenticeships that lead to real jobs.

And this is personal for me.

I did two degrees.

One in engineering. One in law.

And I also had an apprenticeship first.

But while I can’t remember how to do parallel integration.

I can remember how to fix a broken computer.

Which I learnt to do during my apprenticeship.

I was working with adults.

I was paying my own way.

And it gave an eighteen-year-old me a self confidence that my university degrees never did.

And unlike my degrees, I wasn’t left with any debt.

So, we will shut down these rip-off courses and use the money to double the apprenticeship budget.

We will be giving thousands more young people the chance of a proper start in life.

Just like I had.

Which brings me Conference, to the most important task that we will face, and the centrepiece of our blueprint.

The reason, why the Conservative Party is the only party in Britain who can be trusted to meet the test of our generation is that none of this works without a strong economy.

Securing our borders.

Getting people into work.

Policing our streets.

Defending the nation.

None of it is possible without the money to pay for it.

And we are the only party with a plan to get our economy back on track.

It starts with fiscal responsibility.

We have to get the deficit down.

And we must also show how every tax cut or spending increase is paid for.

So today, I am introducing a new Golden Economic Rule.

Every pound we save, will be put to work.

At least half will go towards cutting the deficit.

Because living within our means is our first priority.

And with the rest, we will get Britain growing and bring down the taxes stifling our economy.

Over the next decade, Rachel Reeves is going to double the deficit with her borrowing and tax doom loop.

She is stealing from our children and grandchildren.

And Conservatives will put an end to it.

We will always explain – up front – where we will make these savings.

We’re not going to do what Labour did – promise not to cut public spending, only to snatch away pensioners’ winter fuel payments.

We are doing things differently.

Thanks to the hard work of the Shadow Cabinet, we have already identified £47 billion in savings

Priti has earmarked £7 billion from the overseas aid budget.

Alex has identified £8 billion from cutting the civil service

Helen has found £23 billion from welfare.

Under our Golden Rule – half of those savings will go towards reducing Labour’s deficit.

With the rest, we are going to unleash our economy.

That’s the Conservative way.

Responsibility today. Opportunity tomorrow.

Like so many young people, all of my first jobs were on the high street.

Yes, in McDonalds, have I ever mentioned that?

But it wasn’t just me, my friends were working in similar jobs.

Cafés, local pubs, family run shops.

The places that make our high streets what they are.

The shops and businesses essential to communities in every town and village.

And so, on Monday, you will have heard Mel, make our commitment to abolish their Business Rates.

Whether you’re a councillor, a mayoral candidate, a campaigner, I want you to go out there and spread the word.

That the Conservatives are bringing back the high street.

Conference, energy is growth.

It always has been, and it always will be.

Countries with cheap energy grow faster.

Countries with expensive energy decline.

Right now, we pay four times what industry in the US does for electricity.

The result.

We are deindustrialising.

It’s not just manufacturing that is disappearing.

Not just steel, not just chemicals, not just ceramics, not just oil and gas.

We are losing our farming industry.

We are losing our fishing industry.

These are the foundations of a strong economy, and they are going all because we chose a slogan of Net Zero over a serious strategy for a stronger economy and a better environment.

So, I am saying, enough.

I am reversing this.

We will get rid of the Climate Change Act and replace it with a proper strategy that actually works.

A strategy which protects the natural environment and landscapes we love.

A strategy that takes sensible steps to tackle climate change, without bankrupting ourselves in the process.

We will cut bills for families, slash costs for businesses, end the madness that you have to tear out your boiler, or disconnect your gas hob.

We are going to bring industry and jobs back home.

This is real action Conference, not slogans.

Conference, I am not a climate change sceptic.

But I am a Net Zero sceptic.

Britain has already done more than any major country to cut emissions.

But we cannot have a law which will make this country poorer, while creating jobs abroad and increasing our reliance on hostile states.

So, we will axe the Carbon Tax on electricity.

We will scrap Labour’s wind and solar levy.

And instead, we will give you our Cheap Power Plan.

Through this plan we will cut bills by £165 for the average family.

Nearly £5,000 for the average restaurant.

And over £1,100 for the average pub.

Those are costs that are passed on to consumers.

Conference I won’t promise you free beer, but I do want you all to have cheaper beer.

Now it is time to put British prosperity first, give this country the cheap, reliable energy it needs to thrive again.

Backing nuclear but also recognising that it is pure folly to ban new oil and gas extraction, while paying to import resources that Norway takes from the very same basin.

So, when it comes to the North Sea, we have a very simple policy, drill our oil and gas now.

Conference, you’d would have seen, you will have seen it, out there in the fringes all over Manchester, that this is a Party fizzing with ideas, building our policy programme, setting out our plans.

A tax cut for our high streets, a helping hand for the young with our first-jobs bonus, reforms to welfare, 10,000 new police officers, tripling stop and search, scrapping the sentencing council, a new removals force, improving behaviour in schools, doubling apprenticeships, support for our veterans, £165 off your electricity bills, drilling in the North Sea, an end to the Energy Profits Levy, scrapping the Family Farm Tax, scrapping the Family Business Tax, scrapping VAT on School Fees, out of the ECHR, a plan for our borders, a plan for a stronger economy.

And Conference.

Because of all the savings we’ve found and costed.

Because of the tough decisions on what the government shouldn’t do.

Because of our golden economic rule.

We can afford to make one more announcement.

As the Conservative party, we know who our people are.

They are people who work hard.

They are the people who save hard.

They are the people who understand the importance of putting down roots.

They are the people who make sacrifices today for a better life tomorrow.

They do the right thing.

Our people are the Brits who want to get ahead in life.

At the heart of a Conservative Britain is a country where people who wish to own their own home, can.

I remember the joy, when I got the first set of keys, to my first flat.

The excitement of opening my own front door for the very first time.

The smell of the fresh paint. I remember it just like yesterday.

I want everyone in our country to have that feeling.

To know, it’s your place, your house, your home.

We Conservatives believe that owning your own home gives you a real stake in society, roots in your community.

But our housing market is not working as it should.

Because there’s a big barrier that keeps getting in the way.

That barrier, Conference, is the tax you have to pay when you buy your home.

I haven’t even said what it is yet, but you all know.

You all know that barrier is stamp duty.

Young people trapped in the pain of renting.

Workers who want to further their career.

Pensioners who want to downsize but can’t afford the thousands of pounds they have to pay in tax.

Conference, Stamp Duty is a bad tax. It is an unConservative tax.

The last Conservative Government cut stamp duty for thousands of homebuyers.

But now we must go further, we must free up our housing market.

Because a society where no one can afford to buy, or move, is a society where social mobility is dead.

So I have looked at the Stamp Duty thresholds to see if we can change them.

I have looked at the rates you have to pay to see if we can lower them.

I have decided we can’t.

Because that simply wouldn’t be enough.

Conference, the next Conservative Government will abolish stamp duty on your home. It will be gone.

I thought you’d like that one. Thank you.

That is how we will help achieve the dream of home ownership for millions.

Home ownership should be a dream that’s open to everyone.

Abolishing stamp duty on your home is a key to unlock a fairer and more aspirational society.

We cannot unpick every tax, the debt, the deficit and the damage this Labour government is creating means we cannot do everything all at once.

Scrapping stamp duty will benefit people of all ages because Conservativism must speak to all generations.

The young professional, buying their first flat.

The couple looking for somewhere to bring up their first baby.

The growing family hunting for their forever home.

The pensioner who wants somewhere a little smaller, or maybe to move nearer the grandchildren.

No longer will they be punished with a tax that is a barrier to doing the right thing for them, for their family, and for society.

And this change will bring wider benefits to our economy, too, because every time a home is sold it triggers a chain reaction of activity.

Movers, builders, decorators.

Flat pack furniture and DIY.

Trips to Next, John Lewis and IKEA.

And I can afford to do this while still leaving space within my golden economic rule.

Because that’s the fiscally prudent way to do things.

That’s what Conservatives do.

Conference, I want to see a better Britain, where people have a brighter and more prosperous future.

The Labour Party fails when it follows its principles.

We fail when we don’t follow ours.

We are going to follow the same timeless, Conservative principles which have led us to success in the past.

Personal responsibility.

Free enterprise.

Family.

Freedom of speech.

People want to know what I stand for; I stand for a government that takes less of your money and doesn’t interfere in your life.

Where the state does less but does it better.

Where those who create wealth are welcomed with open arms, not driven from our shores.

Where reward matches effort.

Where Britain stands tall in the world.

I stand for an economy where profit is not a dirty word.

Where enterprise is supported not crushed.

I stand for a country where what you put in determines what you get out.

Where excellence is celebrated.

I stand for a country where actions have consequences.

Where we talk about responsibilities as well as rights.

Where crime is punished and justice is served.

Where the welfare of victims outweighs the welfare of criminals.

I stand for a society where free speech trumps hurt feelings.

Where everyone knows what a woman is.

Where people are judged by the content of their character not the colour of their skin.

Where the vulnerable are supported.

But where freeloaders are told where to get off.

Conference, I stand for stronger borders and a stronger economy.

So that the young can fulfil their potential, the old can live out their years in dignity, and everyone can achieve their dreams – to own a home, run a business, raise a family.

This is the Britain I stand for.

If it is the Britain, you stand for then stand with me.

And let’s build it together.”

The speech made by Kemi Badenoch, the Leader of the Opposition, in the House of Commons on 22 April 2025.

I thank the Minister for Women and Equalities for advance sight of her statement, even if it was mostly a shameless work of fiction. I could not believe my eyes, or my ears, this afternoon.

In 2021 the Prime Minister said it was “not right” to say that only women have a cervix. In 2022 he said it was the law that “trans women are women”. In 2023 he said, “99% of women don’t have a penis”. I know what a woman is, and I always have. The people of this country know what a woman is. We did not need the Supreme Court to tell us that, but this Government did: a Labour Government so desperate to jump on a bandwagon that they abandoned common sense, along with the Scottish National party—which put rapists in women’s prisons—and, of course, the Liberal Democrats.

The Supreme Court ruling is a powerful victory for the determined women behind For Women Scotland, and for people all over the UK who know how important it is to give privacy and dignity to women and girls who need it, but it follows years of battle. Individual women took action to uphold the law at great personal cost, losing their jobs and their reputations. A few weeks ago I met the Darlington nurses who were forced to bring legal action after a male nurse started using their changing room. Even their union, the Royal College of Nursing, refused to represent them. Women should not have to battle the NHS or their employers through the courts.

Why has it been such a battle? Because something as simple as biological reality became politicised and corrupted by activists pushing this ideology as foolish politicians cheered. Even the Minister—who said in her statement that this was “personal” to her—stated just last year that men should access women’s spaces. Whether it is female victims in our courts being forced to refer to their male sex attackers as “she” or the NHS using confusing “gender-neutral” language, putting the health of women at risk, this is a serious matter.

At every point when we have fought for women, we have faced hostility from activist groups and the Labour party: in 2020, when we rejected Labour’s calls to introduce self-identification, and in 2021, when the then Home Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witham (Priti Patel), ordered police forces to stop recording offences by trans women in female crime statistics. The current Culture Secretary, the right hon. Member for Wigan (Lisa Nandy), said that crimes committed by men should be recorded how they wished, and that those convicted of serious sexual offences should be held in jails that matched their chosen gender. It was crazy then, and it is crazy now.

I spent years battling abuse from Labour Members as I fought to uphold biological sex in government and blocked the SNP’s introduction of its mad self-identity laws, and I will take no lectures from them about what to do on this issue. Women and gay rights groups such as the LGB Alliance were even refused stands at the Labour party conference. The idea that Labour has supported this all along is for the birds. The Foreign Secretary described opponents of self-ID as “dinosaurs”. Labour now says that it knows what a woman is, and that transgender people should use services and facilities designated for their biological sex. It has never said that before, and this is a U-turn, but we welcome it.

Now that we have legal clarity, will the Prime Minister show some courage and do the right thing? Will he apologise to the hon. Member for Canterbury (Rosie Duffield), who faced so many security concerns as she was hounded out by the Labour party, and who was rebuked by the Prime Minister, and by many Labour MPs who are sitting there looking at me, for stating what the Supreme Court has now ruled to be true? Will the Minister apologise to the hon. Member for Canterbury? I doubt it. Will the Prime Minister crack down on the groups whom we saw defacing statues of suffragists over the weekend with the same energy that he reserves for his political opponents, or will we see more two-tier justice? Last time we saw Labour MPs standing next to them with no rebuke whatsoever. Will the Minister ensure that the Equality and Human Rights Commission has the Government’s full support in its enforcement of the code of practice? In particular, will she condemn the Labour Ministers who described Baroness Falkner’s entirely correct position on the judgment as “appalling”?

We need to root out gender ideology from our institutions. This Government now have a serious job to do, as many organisations will still fail women. I ask the following questions. As Minister for Women and Equalities, I published guidance for schools that made it clear that toilets and changing rooms must be provided separately for girls and boys, but the Minister scrapped that guidance. Will she stand up to the unions and urgently publish what she now admits is the law? She has also scrapped relationships, sex and health education guidance that would prevent schools from teaching contested gender ideology as fact. Will she now publish the guidance, and remove materials that mis-state the law? Will she act to stop passports and licences being issued with information on them about self-declared, rather than legal, sex? Will the Government support our amendments to the data Bill to ensure that digital ID systems record biological sex accurately? Finally, the Minister says that she is here to protect transgender people, many of whom were misled by Labour’s mis-statements on this issue. Some are now left very anxious. She has not provided any reassurance, and she should not use them as a shield to protect her failure.

This is not the end of the matter, but the beginning of the end. There is so much to do, and the Conservative party, under my leadership, will be relentless in ensuring that the Government do the right thing.

Bridget Phillipson

I am delighted to see the right hon. Lady in her place today. Many would run from a record like hers on these matters, but not the right hon. Lady. She and the Conservative party had 14 years to provide clarity on the issues that they now claim to take an interest in. The Supreme Court has confirmed that Labour’s Equality Act 2010 is the basis for single-sex spaces and protection, but the Conservatives did not provide that clarity. Before I say a bit more about her record, I will say a little more about mine. I will come to the questions—[Interruption.] If the right hon. Lady has some patience, I will respond to her questions.

I have supported countless women and children fleeing appalling male violence, sexual violence and domestic abuse. I have campaigned for decades on women’s rights. I know more than most about the importance of spaces for women—I have fought for them, I have delivered them and I have run them. While I was running a refuge, and while Labour was delivering the groundbreaking Equality Act, which, as this ruling confirms, sets in law the basis for single-sex spaces, what was the Leader of the Opposition doing? Forever the keyboard warrior, she was busy hacking the website of the leading architect of the Equality Act, and she has learned nothing from her party’s crushing electoral defeat last year. She held the post of Minister for Women and Equalities for two years and did precisely nothing. She provided no clarity in the law and nothing to improve the lives of women, which got materially worse on her watch.

The right hon. Lady comes here claiming to speak for women, but let us look at her record and her party’s record. There has been an increase in stalking offences. Prosecutions and convictions for domestic abuse have nearly halved since 2015. The rape charge rate is at a record low. Survivors of sexual violence are waiting years for justice. There has been a 2,000% increase in the use of mixed-sex wards in only 10 years. That is the Conservatives’ record.

The right hon. Lady asks about the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s statutory code of practice. I have set out that I am expecting an updated version of that as soon as possible. I will work with the Equality and Human Rights Commission to implement the code of practice, to make sure that everyone has the clarity that they require, and I expect the EHRC to work quickly and thoroughly on this matter.

The right hon. Lady asks about gender-questioning guidance and RSHE guidance. I am afraid that too is simply laughable. Mere months before the election was called, the Conservatives published a version of the draft guidance for gender-questioning children. Since that time, we have had the final review by Dr Hilary Cass published. It is right that we ensure that the guidance aligns with Dr Cass’s final review.

On the RSHE guidance, the consultation concluded after the election. We could not be clearer that we will always protect single-sex spaces, and we Labour Members are focused on delivering for women. Whereas the Leader of the Opposition has described maternity pay as “excessive” and called the minimum wage “harmful”, we are improving protections for pregnant women at work. We are ensuring that women can take maternity leave and come back to good, secure jobs. We are expanding childcare, the first 750 new free breakfast clubs opened today, and we have brought forward the single biggest piece of child protection legislation in a generation to protect young women and girls.

It is Labour’s groundbreaking Equality Act that provides the basis for what we have set out today about single-sex spaces for biological women. This Labour Government have a plan for change; a plan that will deliver for women. It is time for the Conservative party to get offline and get on board.

The speech made by Kemi Badenoch, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, at Hampton Court on 27 November 2023.

Good morning Ladies & Gentlemen and welcome to the 2023 Global Investment Summit.

Thank you to everyone who has travelled from across the globe to be here today to mark the next chapter in this country’s future.

Two years ago at our inaugural Global Investment Summit, we were still in the throes of a pandemic, yet investors put a near £10 billion vote of confidence in our country because they saw the huge potential for growth that we had to offer.

It sowed the seeds for our hugely successful Northern Ireland Investment Summit in September which put Belfast and Northern Ireland firmly on the global boardroom map.

And as a growing science and technology superpower, the Prime Minister held our first-ever AI Summit earlier this month to ensure the UK is at the forefront of a pioneering world of artificial intelligence.

Now, it won’t come as news for many of you in this room, but the UK is already a fantastic place to invest. That’s why you’re here.

We are now third in the world for total inward investment, currently standing at $2.7 trillion, and are the top destination in Europe for FDI projects. We have attracted more greenfield FDI than Germany and France combined.

We also have the most valuable tech sector, only the third in the world to reach $1 trillion in value.

Last year alone we created 112,000 jobs in all corners of the UK from inward investment, with many more being created here today.

Since the Department for Business & Trade was formed just a few months ago, we have seen even greater investment in this country.

In my first few days as Business Secretary, I ushered in a momentous deal for Airbus and Rolls-Royce providing new aircraft for Air India.

In September, BMW announced a transformation of their Oxford Mini plant which secured 4,000 jobs, with Stellantis pledging £100 million for electric vehicles at Ellesmere Port.

Our investment minister Lord Johnson signed a £10 billion MoU with Marubeni just last month for green projects.

Tata Group have pledged £4 billion to create a new gigafactory site in Somerset which will transform our battery supply chains and create thousands of jobs.

And last week, we saw £21 billion of Korean investment in renewable energy, life sciences and tech during the South Korea State Visit.

And on Friday we secured £2 billion from Nissan for their sites in Sunderland, which will help secure thousands of jobs.

And that’s not to mention the global leadership we are showing in free and fair trade.

Such as joining the CPTPP trading bloc, ushering in our first post-Brexit free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand, and unlocking £6.5 billion of fresh export opportunities across 75 markets in the last year alone.

We’re also taking huge steps to ensure that the UK’s manufacturing sector is a world leader in innovation.

Yesterday I launched our £3 billion Advanced Manufacturing Plan which will invest in the long-term future of our innovative manufacturing industry by reducing costs and removing barriers to business.

This comes off the back of the UK’s manufacturing sector leapfrogging France to become the eighth biggest in the world.

But we cannot stand still. The world is changing fast, and the global economy is a very competitive place.

Just months ago our historic trade deal with Australia came into force – since then we’ve secured £10 billion from IFM Investors and £5 billion from Aware Super to turbocharge green transition, infrastructure, tech and life science projects, as well as £100 million from Patrizia for sustainable housing projects.

As part of a total £12 billion programme, Ibedrola have today confirmed £7 billion for our world-leading renewables sector, with Partner Groups’ portfolio companies North Star and Gren committing £1 billion and £500 million for new offshore wind infrastructure and community energy projects respectively.

And the UK tech scene continues its world-leading charge, with combined investments totalling nearly £6 billion from Microsoft, BioNTech, Yondr, the Ellison Institute, Aira, Oxford Quantum Circuits and MediaTek.

These investments total nearly £30 billion – a colossal vote of confidence in the UK, proving further how we are one of the best places in the world to invest.

But I want to take this further.

I want the UK to be even more innovative, even more dynamic and even more successful. I want business to look at the UK and see it as a dynamo for investment, free trade and growth.

I have said that my door is always open. My office is called the Department for Business.

I want your ideas on how we can create a more friendly common-sense regulatory environment; what things we should be doing differently rather than sticking to the status quo.

I want to move away from just seeing regulation as the solution, and focus instead on solving your problems.

The numbers speak for themselves, and at today’s summit you will see why we’re already on the path to even greater things.

I’m delighted to welcome the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, to the stage to tell us more.