Overview
- This week Kemi Badenoch launched a formal party reset in Birmingham by publishing a 95-page document called The Right Way and rolling out a rapid policy blitz to present the Conservatives as an alternative to Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
- The policy push foregrounds old‑school priorities: plans for 50,000 new prison places, stronger borders, protection of the state pension triple lock, expanded free childcare and higher defence spending paid for in part by tighter welfare rules.
- Badenoch signalled an energy and climate pivot by moving away from legally binding net‑zero targets and backing more North Sea oil and gas development as part of an effort to lower bills and blunt Labour’s pitch on green investment.
- Senior Tories have put the party on a heightened election footing with accelerated candidate selection and campaign organising, and a shadow minister said Conservatives might co‑ordinate with Reform UK to oppose any move to rejoin the EU.
- Coverage of the relaunch varies from praise for Badenoch’s rejuvenation of the party to warnings about weak poll standing and unclear costings, and the reset builds on a longer story of Conservative recovery after the 2024 defeat and continued pressure from Reform on the right.