In a major speech today, UK Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch acknowledged serious mistakes made by her predecessors in handling Brexit. Badenoch, who has struggled to gain traction since becoming opposition leader three months ago, delivered her strongest criticism yet of the Tories’ past failures.
“I will acknowledge the Conservative Party made mistakes,” Badenoch stated bluntly. She went on to highlight several key errors:
- Lack of post-Brexit plan: The Tories announced they would leave the EU before developing a strategy for growth outside it.
- Unrealistic emissions targets: They set a 2050 net-zero goal in law without a clear plan to achieve it.
- Failure to reduce immigration: Despite promises, immigration levels continued to rise.
Badenoch attributed these missteps to a tendency to “tell people what they wanted to hear first and then try to work it out later.” She vowed this habit would “stop under my leadership,” even if it meant delivering hard truths.
Brexit failures span multiple leaders
While Badenoch had previously criticized David Cameron for holding the Brexit referendum without an implementation plan, her latest remarks suggest she sees the Brexit failures as spanning the tenures of Theresa May and Boris Johnson as well. This signals a new willingness to break with the party’s recent past.
However, it remains to be seen how far Badenoch will go in condemning Johnson, who retains support among many Conservative members. Her mediocre performances in Parliament and inability to distinguish the Tories from Nigel Farage’s ascendant Reform UK party have raised questions about her leadership.
Aiming to restore trust and turn the page
Titled “Rebuilding Trust,” Badenoch’s address aimed to reposition the Conservative party after its worst electoral defeat in two centuries. Public faith in the Tories was decimated by the tumultuous years following the Brexit referendum.
These mistakes were made because we told people what they wanted to hear first and then tried to work it out later. That is going to stop under my leadership.
– Kemi Badenoch, UK Conservative Party Leader
With unflinching language rare for a Conservative leader, Badenoch painted her party’s Brexit approach as governed by wishful thinking rather than pragmatic planning. By owning up to these failures directly, she hopes to convince voters the Tories have learned from their errors.
Uphill battle to win back public confidence
Still, Badenoch faces an immense challenge to restore the Conservatives’ credibility after years of Brexit chaos, scandals, and economic turmoil. Denouncing past mistakes is a start, but she must demonstrate the Tories have truly turned the page.
Her speech sought to do that by emphasizing honesty and facing difficult realities head-on. “If we are going to turn our country around, we’re going to have to say some things that aren’t easy to hear,” she noted.
But changing public perceptions will require sustained, disciplined effort – not just rhetoric. Badenoch must prove she can develop sound policies, unite her fractured party, and provide steadier leadership than her much-criticized predecessors. Only then might disillusioned voters give the Conservatives another look.
