Kemi Badenoch is set to deliver the keynote speech at the 2026 Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, and her allies say she has defied the doubts that greeted her rise to party leader. The speech, opening with a proposed expansion of prison places, marks a bid to reclaim the party’s old ground — putting people first — while her opponents warn she risks going too far back in time.
The conference returns to Symphony Hall, a venue that hosted rock band Marillion last month and will host soprano Katherine Jenkins next week. Badenoch’s speech will echo Michael Howard’s “Prison works” mantra from the early 1990s, alongside a new “tough love” approach for young people claiming benefits.
Defying the Doubters
One senior Tory admits he was among those who doubted Badenoch’s leadership when she took over. He now says she has “defied cynics like me” who initially disapproved of her.
People now know who she is and they enjoy her interventions, the thing we hear most is I don’t always agree with her but I know where she stands.
Badenoch herself told interviewers this week that the party was “finally saying what we believe” and “should be more aggressive” in displaying its core principles.
Trust Remains the Problem
Not everyone shares the enthusiasm. A shadow cabinet member argues the party still faces a branding problem.
The problem we still have is trust of the party and the brand.
Rewinding Through Party History
Badenoch’s speech carries risk. One former cabinet minister warns she must be mindful that she has to win Cheltenham and Maidenhead as well as Clacton.
But the bigger danger, according to one senior ally, is that Badenoch could rewind to a previous era when David Cameron ushered in the modern Tory party on the conference stage.
The Prison Expansion Pitch
The keynote will open with a proposal to expand prison places, echoing Howard’s “Prison works” mantra from the early 1990s. The “tough love” approach for young people claiming benefits follows.
Badenoch’s own framing suggests she sees this as a moment to state plainly what the party believes.
Andy Burnham’s Fairy Tale
Badenoch’s ally offers a sharp assessment of Burnham’s Labour.
Burnham’s Labour is like a fairy story where he has come to the rescue of Britain and he has a wand in his hand and nothing else, the ally says.
The ally adds that Andy Burnham has opened the door to it quite well, as he has harked back to the ’70s in a way that I’m astonished by.
The Road Ahead
Badenoch’s keynote is a statement of intent. Whether it sticks depends on trust, and on whether the party can deliver on its promises.
| Event | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Marillion concert | Symphony Hall | Last month |
| Katherine Jenkins performance | Symphony Hall | Next week |
| Conservative Party Conference keynote | Symphony Hall | 2026 |
What the Paper Thinks
The Conservatives want to restate their old principles — lower taxes, less government, less borrowing — while rejecting everything they actually did in power.
The conference will test whether Badenoch has truly cemented her image, or whether she is simply repeating the mistakes of the past.
Key facts box
– Keynote speaker: Kemi Badenoch
– Venue: Birmingham’s Symphony Hall
– Previous performers: Marillion, Katherine Jenkins
– Policy highlights: prison expansion, “tough love” welfare approach
– Year: 2026
The speech is a chance for Badenoch to define her party’s identity. Whether she risks rewinding to a previous era is the question hanging over Birmingham.
Source material: “Kemi Badenoch has cemented her image. Now she wants to put her party back on the big stage,” the BBC.
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