The Conservative Party has a bold agenda – but there’s a problem

October 5, 2026 — 10:49am

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A sharp remark about British complacency highlighted the immense challenge for Kemi Badenoch, when the leader of the nation’s Conservative Party sought to outline her mission in a major speech on Sunday.

Her warning in the address also underscored a grim outlook for the country.

Her message? “The money is not there.” Badenoch argued that the UK could simply not afford all the policies it would like to have and would have to cut its spending to suit the times.

This is not a popular position when families are being punished by rising prices and burdened by low wages. Many voters expect the government to help them by spending more on household assistance and subsidies.

But that did not stop Badenoch from attempting some “tough love” in her address to the annual Conservative Party conference. It was risky. It was also a contrast with Britain’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham, who used his address to the annual Labour Party conference one week ago to talk about spending increases, not cuts.

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“We are the lucky generation,” Badenoch told the event in Birmingham on Sunday. “We didn’t have to deal with World War One or World War Two. We haven’t had many of the problems that previous generations did. Advancements in medical technology or just general technology have made life pretty comfortable.

“But I think that that is making us – across the West, to be honest, not just the UK – very complacent.”

One example, she said, was the plan under former prime minister Keir Starmer,........

© Brisbane Times