Politics latest: Kemi Badenoch to deliver speech in last-ditch attempt to lift subdued Tory conference

The party’s chairman, Kevin Hollinrake, said the Conservatives had been “too soft” while in power, alluding to the Conservative Party’s record on welfare spending.

Speaking to Times Radio, Mr Hollinrake said: “I think we’ve done a lot of good things in 14 years, but if I look at the things we’ve done wrong, I think we’ve been too soft at times.”

He said the party wasn’t showing enough “tough love” or telling people they needed to be responsible for themselves.

“We have poured hundreds of billions of pounds into the economy, probably through Covid and the cost of living issues we have had, to save jobs and businesses, but we have probably gone too far.

“I definitely think in terms of behavioral patterns around wellbeing, too many people are leaving the workplace because of things like mild anxiety and depression, which of course you need support if you have those types of conditions, but the best place for you is work.”

He said rumors about Kemi Badenoch’s leadership and reports in The Times that a group of shadow ministers were planning to challenge her were typical of any political party.

Mr Hollinrake said: “All these rumors usually always revolve around political parties.”

The Conservative Party leader tried to downplay the seriousness of Liz Truss’ term as prime minister on the final day of the party’s conference in Manchester.

Kevin Hollinrake was asked on BBC Breakfast how the Conservatives could criticize Labor for fiscal responsibility given Ms Truss’s record.

Mr Hollinrake replied: “Liz Truss lasted about 49 days, I think. I don’t think that reflects the general economic philosophy of the Conservatives.”

He later denied that the economy was still suffering from the effects of the former prime minister’s policies.

“This is ridiculous,” he told the broadcaster.

“Of course it only took months because of the Bank of England.”

He said he believed the policies announced by Leader Kemi Badenoch would restore voters’ faith in the Conservatives.

He said: “There have been a lot of announcements throughout this conference and there will be a lot of announcements after this conference and I hope that this will rebuild people’s confidence in us and make sure that we can openly challenge the Labor leadership and the Labor Government again.”

Mr Hollinrake added that he was “determined” to reverse falling membership numbers and improve Tory voting figures.

Kemi Badenoch will turn to the economy in her speech on Wednesday, laying out a “golden rule” that half the money saved from cuts should be spent on reducing the budget deficit.

The other half will continue to spend or cut taxes to stimulate the economy.

This follows the party’s pledge to cut £47 billion in spending by restricting welfare and shrinking the Civil Service.

He is expected to say: “This starts with fiscal responsibility, we need to reduce the budget deficit.”

“We must also show how every tax cut or spending increase is paid for.

“So today I will introduce a new golden economic rule.

“We’ll put every pound we save to work. At least half will go towards reducing the deficit.”

The Conservative Party needs to return to the sensible principles that once made it great, says Tory grandee Michael Heseltine – before populist extremism settled at number 10:

It’s the Conservative Party’s last day in Manchester as leader Kemi Badenoch gives the final speech.

Here’s who we expect to speak on the main stage and when:

10am: Matt Vickers, party deputy leader

10.30am: Mims Davis, Shadow Wales Secretary, Andrew Bowie, Shadow Scotland Secretary and Alex Burghart, Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary

Written by Kate Devlin, Whitehall Editor in Mumbai

Sir Keir Starmer attacked Robert Jenrick on the plane to India for the start of a two-day trade trip.

The Prime Minister accused the senior Tory of defending his party’s leadership when asked about his secretly recorded comments and complained he “never saw another white face” during a visit to Birmingham earlier this year.

The Prime Minister told journalists traveling with him: “It’s quite difficult to take anything Robert Jenrick says seriously; he’s clearly still running the leadership campaign.”

He added: “We’re working hard on integration issues but we don’t need lectures or lessons from Robert Jenrick on any of this. He’s clearly just running a leadership campaign.”

Kemi Badenoch will put the economy at the center of her leader’s speech as she closes the Conservative Party conference.

In his speech on Wednesday, he will turn to the economy and lay out a “golden rule” that half the money saved from cuts should be spent on reducing the budget deficit.

It comes as the party struggles to restore confidence in its economic abilities following the disaster of Liz Truss’s mini-budget.

His speech will be a final attempt to lift the mood at the conference, after most of the speeches were given in half-empty auditoriums.