Kemi Badenoch has declared she will not be diverted from her mission to hold the Labour government to account, launching a robust defence of her party's direction while taking aim at Conservative defectors to Reform UK and internal factions seeking to pull the Tories back towards the political centre.
A Stinging Rebuke to Defectors
In a speech delivered on Wednesday, the Conservative leader likened the recent wave of high-profile defections to Nigel Farage's Reform party to children "having tantrums." She firmly asserted that the Conservatives remain "the only party of the right" in British politics.
This week witnessed former home secretary Suella Braverman crossing the floor to join Reform, becoming the third sitting Tory MP to defect to the party in less than a fortnight. Badenoch had previously sacked Robert Jenrick from his position as shadow justice secretary and removed the whip after learning of his defection plans, which she described as being designed "to be as damaging as possible" to the Conservative Party.
Romford's Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell resigned the Tory whip just three days later, while former chancellor Nadim Zahawi also defected after reportedly being refused an appointment to the House of Lords, according to Conservative sources.
"Tantrums Dressed Up as Politics"
In a particularly cutting assessment of her former colleagues, Badenoch stated: "To those who are defecting who don't actually disagree with our policies, I will say: 'I'm sorry you didn't win the leadership contest. I'm sorry you didn't get a job in the shadow cabinet. I'm sorry you didn't get into the Lords, but you are not offering a plan to fix this country.'"
She added pointedly: "This is a tantrum dressed up as politics."
Expanding on her criticism, Badenoch observed: "There are people in politics who don't really know what they are doing or why. They just want to be in the world. They want to be on top. They want access, attention and advancement. And when they don't get their way they create drama."
"What we need are people who are going to help get Britain working again, and that means we have to be a truly Conservative party," she emphasised. "So I won't apologise to those walking away because they don't like the new direction. We only want Conservatives."
Polling Impact and Reform's Response
While Badenoch has suggested that Nigel Farage has done her "spring cleaning" by accepting Tory MPs who have been "repeatedly sacked from Government," recent polling data presents a more complex picture. A YouGov survey indicates that one in nine Britons now view Reform more positively following the recent defections.
Perhaps more concerning for Conservative strategists, the data reveals that 22% of those who voted Conservative in the 2024 general election said the recent defections had made them view Reform more favourably.
Nigel Farage told the Daily Mail that these figures suggest Reform's appeal is "broadening," despite some commentators pointing to plateauing support for his party in recent opinion polls. He added: "The Tories in Government put us through years of psychodrama. They are done."
Internal Challenges and Centrist Pushback
Badenoch's leadership faces challenges not only from external defections but also from internal efforts to reshape the party's direction. This week saw Conservative figures Sir Andy Street and Baroness Ruth Davidson launch "Prospect," a new group attempting to pull the Tory party back towards the political centre to capture millions of what they describe as "politically homeless" voters.
Sir Andy Street served as Mayor of the West Midlands between 2017 and 2024, while Baroness Davidson led the Scottish Conservative Party between 2011 and 2019, giving both figures significant standing within the party.
In response to this centrist initiative, Badenoch warned that those pushing alternative agendas are "not being helpful" and stressed that the Conservatives need to "move away from any sort of factionalism or groupings."
Veterans and National Security
The Conservative leader also used her speech to call on the Prime Minister to apologise for his involvement in pursuing criminal investigations of soldiers wrongly accused of causing deaths in Iraq, following revelations published by the Telegraph on Wednesday.
Badenoch described the way veterans had been harassed through the courts as a "complete disgrace" and pledged that the Conservatives are "doing everything" they can to protect them.
"What Labour is doing with its legislation it is doing because it does not believe in our veterans – whether it's Keir Starmer or his Attorney General Lord Hermer – where they have had the opportunity pro bono, not cab rank, they have gone to help the people who are acting against our country's national interest," she asserted.
"Those veterans put their lives on the line to defend us, and I want them to know that the Conservative Party will always have their back," Badenoch concluded, positioning her party as the natural defender of military personnel and national security interests.
Throughout her address, Badenoch maintained that the Conservatives under her leadership are "about the future, not the past," and are not refighting the battles of 2006 or 2016, in a clear reference to previous internal party divisions over Europe and modernisation.
