Badenoch to Frame Next Election as 'Battle for the Soul of the Nation' in Conference Closer

Kemi Badenoch will use the closing address of the Conservative Party's annual conference to cast the next general election as a defining ideological struggle, telling activists that the gulf between her party and the Labour government reaches "the very core of what kind of country we want to be." The Conservative leader is expected to describe the coming contest as "a battle for the soul of this nation" when she speaks to delegates in Birmingham on Wednesday, according to extracts released ahead of the speech.

The address marks the culmination of a conference week in which Badenoch has worked to reshape public perceptions of a party that has struggled to recover its standing in the polls since the last election. Her central argument is that a clear philosophical divide now separates the Conservatives from Labour under Prime Minister Andy Burnham, and that voters will face a stark choice at the ballot box.

In the prepared remarks, Badenoch will accuse Burnham's government of seeking to "wind back the clock to failed ideas of the past." She will argue that Labour operates from the conviction that "economic growth is created by politicians" and that "government knows best" — a critique aimed at what she characterises as an interventionist and centralising approach to economic policy.

The Conservative leader will further claim that Labour regards voters' income, pensions and savings as "theirs to take and then hand out as they see fit." She is expected to acknowledge that Labour will present its programme as compassionate, but will contend that the practical outcome will be higher taxes and a poorer country trapped in what she describes as a "doom loop."

By contrast, Badenoch will set out her party's governing philosophy in direct terms, saying Conservatives hold that "what people earn belongs to them, not government." She will pledge that growing the economy "will be the central organising principle of the next Conservative government," positioning economic expansion as the overarching mission that would shape all other policy decisions.

The speech follows a concerted effort by the Tory leadership this week to shift the terms of political debate. On Tuesday, Badenoch proposed cutting the rate of employer National Insurance contributions on earnings for workers aged 21 to 24, reducing it from 15% to 7.5%. The policy is designed to address a persistent labour market problem: roughly one million young people in the UK are not in education, employment or training, and successive governments have faced pressure to lower employment costs for younger workers in order to widen access to entry-level jobs.

The Conservatives say the measure would be targeted specifically at starter jobs, with the standard rate continuing to apply to earnings above £50,270. Party estimates put the cost of the plan at £2.3 billion, and a detailed funding proposal is expected to be published on Wednesday, the same day as the leader's speech. The timing appears intended to give the conference a concrete fiscal anchor rather than leaving the pledge as an unfunded aspiration.

Economic policy has formed the backbone of the conference agenda. Earlier in the week, shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith said he hopes to scrap at least one tax in every budget if the Conservatives return to power, identifying the so-called "mansion tax" as a particular target. He also committed to abolishing the High Value Council Tax Surcharge, a levy set to take effect from 2028 that would impose an additional charge on owners of properties in England valued at more than £2 million.

Defence has emerged as another headline theme. The party has already pledged £10 billion for a UK air defence system, a commitment that signals growing concern within Conservative ranks about the vulnerability of British skies and the need to strengthen protective capabilities. Badenoch has also made direct overtures to voters who have drifted to Reform UK, telling them in a BBC interview that she wants them to "come back" to the Conservative fold.

According to the Times, Badenoch is additionally expected to announce a cut to the 40% rate of inheritance tax, which currently applies to property worth more than £325,000. Such a move would appeal to the party's traditional base and sharpen the contrast with Labour on questions of wealth, taxation and the family.

In an interview with BBC political editor Chris Mason on Tuesday, Badenoch described her project as a return to first principles, saying "we are going back to the authentic Conservative Party, that people knew and loved." The remark encapsulates her broader strategy: present the current leadership as a restoration of familiar conservative values rather than a continuation of the recent past.

Labour has pushed back against the Conservative narrative. Earlier this week, the party said the Tories "completely failed at every turn" to grow the economy during their 14 years in power, a counter-argument designed to undercut Badenoch's claim that her party is the credible engine of growth. The exchange sets up a central battleground for the next election: which party can convincingly claim ownership of economic competence after years of sluggish productivity and squeezed living standards.

The conference closes with the Conservatives having laid out a series of policy proposals they say would be implemented if they form a government at the next general election. Whether the combination of tax cuts, defence investment and a renewed ideological message can reverse the party's polling fortunes remains the open question. For Badenoch, the speech represents her most significant opportunity yet to define what her leadership stands for — and to persuade voters that the battle of ideas she describes is one worth joining.