Badenoch Warns Brits Are Not ‘Rich’ and Must Start ‘Living Within Our Means’
Conservative Leader Admits Tory Failures on Brexit, Immigration, and Net Zero
By JAMES TAPSFIELD, POLITICAL EDITOR FOR MAILONLINE
Published: 09:09 EST, 16 January 2025
Updated: 09:17 EST, 16 January 2025
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch warned Brits they are not “rich” and must start “living within our means” in a straight-talking speech, as she laid out “mistakes” her party made, including on Brexit, immigration, and Net Zero.
Badenoch sounded alarm about the “complacency that Britain will always be wealthy,” accusing Labour of repeating many of the same blunders. She also railed at Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves for “suffocating” enterprise with high taxes and red tape.
Ms Badenoch said “real Conservatism” was the only way to ensure that tomorrow would be “richer, better, and safer”. The Opposition chief is battling to restore Tory fortunes after the disastrous election saw Keir Starmer rack up a massive majority.
Reform has also emerged as a major threat with polls suggesting support for Nigel Farage’s outfit is growing. But Ms Badenoch flatly rejected any suggestion of a merger before the next election.
Kemi Badenoch laid out Tory ‘mistakes’ as she promises to be ‘honest’ with Brits about the problems the country faces
Ms Badenoch is battling to restore the party’s fortunes after the disastrous election saw Keir Starmer (pictured) rack up a massive majority
Stressing the Conservatives are under new leadership, Ms Badenoch said: “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 truth about the mistakes we made, the truth about the problems we face, and the truth about the actions we must take to get ourselves out of this mess.”
In a frank assessment of what went wrong under her predecessors – from David Cameron to Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak – Ms Badenoch said: “We announced that we would leave the European Union before we had a plan for growth outside the EU. We made it the law that we would deliver Net-Zero carbon emissions by 2050. And only then did we start thinking about how we would do that. We announced that we would lower immigration, but immigration kept going up.”
“These mistakes were made because we told people what they wanted to hear first and then tried to work it out later. That is going to stop under my leadership. If we are going to turn our country around, we’re going to have to say some things that aren’t easy to hear.”
Speaking to GB News earlier this week, the Tory leader said it was important to examine the backgrounds of those implicated in the grooming gangs scandal. She suggested they were “people with a very poor background, a sort of peasant background, very, very rural, almost cut off from even the home origin countries that they might have been in”.
Reform has also emerged as a major threat with polls suggesting support for Nigel Farage’s (pictured) outfit is growing
Conclusion
Kemi Badenoch’s speech marks a significant shift in the Conservative Party’s approach, as she acknowledges the mistakes of the past and vows to be honest with the British people about the problems the country faces. While some have criticized her for being too blunt, others have praised her for her willingness to confront the challenges head-on.
FAQs
Q: What did Kemi Badenoch say in her speech?
A: She warned Brits they are not “rich” and must start “living within our means”, and laid out “mistakes” the Conservative Party made on Brexit, immigration, and Net Zero.
Q: What did she say about Labour?
A: She accused Labour of repeating many of the same blunders as the Conservatives, and criticized Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves for “suffocating” enterprise with high taxes and red tape.
Q: What did she say about Reform?
A: She flatly rejected any suggestion of a merger between the Conservative Party and Reform before the next election.