Politics
Badenoch returns to Conservative conference declaring a "new" party
October 3, 2026 at 10:56 PM · Updated 12d ago
Coverage
4 reports · over 17 hours
TGThe Guardian
Party conference will be more upbeat than last year, Tories say – but that’s not the whole story
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BNBBC News
'It's really tough': Badenoch on threats to politicians
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BNBBC News
Badenoch: 'We are a new Conservative Party'
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TGThe Guardian
Badenoch returns to Conservative conference much stronger than a year ago
(opens the publisher’s site)Kemi Badenoch addressed the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, declaring the party renewed after a year of rising approval ratings.
- Badenoch told delegates: "We are a new Conservative Party."
- Badenoch described threats faced by politicians as "really tough."
- Badenoch told the Financial Times she could not think of any mistakes she had made, saying "nothing comes to mind."
- Opinium polling puts Badenoch's approval at -3, up from -27 in May 2025, with the party in the low 20s.
- Some Conservative MPs warned that the upbeat mood at the party conference is overhyped.
- The party is focusing on winning back voters from Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats.