Kemi Badenoch claims ‘our country will be lost’ if Conservatives don’t make success of coverage renewal – UK politics reside | Politics

In a response to Kemi Badenoch’s speech in London on the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) convention, the Liberal Democrats deputy chief Daisy Cooper has accused the Tory chief of “competing with Farage to fawn over Donald Trump” and selecting to “parrot Trump’s dangerous rhetoric”.

During a passage of her speech, Badenoch drew heat applause within the room when she mentioned:

The Conservative get together in Britain has simply misplaced an election. We have a disaster. People ask me what distinction new management will make? Well, check out president Trump. He’s proven that typically you want that first stint in authorities to identify the issues, but it surely’s the second time round whenever you actually know methods to repair them.

In different passages of her speech Badenoch asserted that the UK was not a racist nation however steered “some cultures are better than others” and claimed that some immigrants to the west have been discovering widespread trigger with “our own useful idiots” with the intention to undermine society’s values.

In response, Cooper mentioned:

Kemi Badenoch is competing with Nigel Farage to fawn over Donald Trump. Instead of standing up for Ukraine and Europe’s safety, Kemi Badenoch has determined that she would slightly parrot Trump’s harmful rhetoric. To borrow a phrase from her political hero: unhappy.

Kemi Badenoch has warned that western civilisation is prone to collapse resulting from “weakness” and a scarcity of braveness on the a part of conservatives to help classical liberal concepts.

The Conservative chief of the opposition made the feedback throughout a wide-ranging discuss at a right-wing conservative convention in London throughout which she touched on numerous tradition struggle speaking factors, claimed the prime minister Keir Starmer had been “cowed by the mob” over Black Lives Matter protests, and asserted that “some cultures are better than others”.

Pledging that she was main “the largest renewal of policy and ideas in a generation” within the Conservative get together, she mentioned “we stand at the dawn of a new conservative century with so much opportunity and possibility” if the get together will get it proper, however warned “If we throw this opportunity away, because of anger, or self doubt, or weakness, our country and all of western civilisation will be lost.”

Badenoch criticised what she perceived as lack of defence spending by the present authorities as “weak”, described “pronouns or DEI or climate activism” as examples of what she referred to as “the real poison of left-wing progressivism”, and in addition claimed that minds have been being poisoned in increased schooling institutions.

She opened the speech by saying “Western civilisation is in crisis,” including “Our ideas and our culture have dominated the world for well over two centuries. This is not a crisis of values. It’s a crisis of confidence that has set in at exactly the same time that we face existential threats.”

In a strident passage coping with immigration, Badenoch mentioned:

Immigration is much too excessive. We can not help all those that want to come to our nation. We haven’t any obligation to take action. The British individuals should come first.

Our nation is just not racist. We don’t have to apologise. We don’t have to pay reparations or give away the Chagos islands.

Free speech issues. Some cultures are higher than others, and it’s solely contentious to say this as a result of honesty has change into unimaginable.

Most of all, we have to stand up off our knees and begin preventing not only for the UK, however for the west and our values.

Badenoch mentioned that some immigrants “bring behaviours, cultures and practices that will undermine the west” and that “They find common cause with our useful idiots who don’t appreciate their own inheritance.”

The Conservative chief praised Katharine Birbalsingh, saying the headteacher had proven “how you defend western civilisation” by refusing to offer a prayer house for pupils on the college she runs regardless of stress and a authorized case from mother and father.

She warned individuals to not take heed to the “media class” speaking about populism, saying that the true objective of democracy was to place into motion the needs of “everyday people”.

Badenoch mentioned:

So let’s bear in mind what we’re defending right here. Not simply our wealth, however our tradition. A tradition constructed on these values we’ve taken as a right. Classic liberal values. Not left-wing liberalism, however basic liberalism. Of free markets, free speech, free enterprise, freedom of faith, the presumption of innocence, the rule of regulation, and equality beneath it. No matter who you’re or the place you come from.

The convention is meant to be a gathering of influential intellectuals shaping world rightwing considering, and also will function US House speaker Republican Mike Johnson, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Reform UK chief NIgel Farage being interviewed by Canadian psychologist and self-help creator Jordan Peterson.

By the best way, if you wish to watch that Kemi Badenoch speech, Sky News have video of it here.

Health secretary Wes Streeting has conceded that folks in England are nonetheless struggling to get GP appointments throughout his spherical of media appearances this morning, however mentioned the federal government is decided to offer “year-on-year improvement” within the NHS.

Streeting was selling the federal government’s announcement that it has reached its election promise of two million additional NHS appointments in England early.

He advised viewers of BBC Breakfast:

We’ve delivered on our first step, and we’ve delivered it seven months early. But I don’t need anybody watching to assume we’re doing victory laps. There are nonetheless large challenges within the NHS, a hell of rather a lot additional to go on ready lists.

People are nonetheless struggling to get GP appointments, and GPs are struggling, let me let you know, with the exhausting caseload they’ve acquired, and we’ve additionally acquired huge challenges on issues like ambulance response occasions and A&E trolley hall care.

I want I may sit right here now and let you know that, by subsequent Christmas, there shall be no-one ready on a trolley in a hall. I can’t make that promise, however what I can let you know is that we are going to ship year-on-year enchancment, and I’m decided to see an finish to that sort of hall care.

The authorities has mentioned ready lists in England have fallen by nearly 160,000 for the reason that authorities took workplace, and that “the NHS delivered almost 2.2 million more elective care appointments compared to the same period the previous year.”

Conservative opposition chief Kemi Badenoch has asserted that “our country is not racist” however that “some cultures are better than others” in a part of a speech in London the place she mentioned “immigration is far too high” and that minds are being “poisoned” in increased schooling establishments within the UK. She mentioned “British people must come first”.

Speaking on the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) convention, which can be anticipating to listen to from Reform UK chief Nigel Farage, Badenoch mentioned:

A rustic can’t be profitable if its individuals and its mental elite don’t imagine in it. This means coping with the poisoning of minds taking place in increased schooling.

We have been naive on financial development. We have been naive on points from web zero to immigration, weakening ourselves and strengthening our opponents.

Immigration is much too excessive. We can not help all those that want to come to our nation. We haven’t any obligation to take action. The British individuals should come first.

We can not preserve racking up debt for our kids, It was fiscal weak point, not simply struggle, that led to the decline of the Roman Empire. We want smaller authorities and smarter spending. The perception that the state and never enterprise creates wealth has change into normalised.

The world owes nobody a dwelling. Millions of individuals can not simply sit on welfare and count on to be paid to take action, and in the event that they don’t prefer it, that’s their downside, not the state’s.

Our nation is just not racist. We don’t have to apologise. We don’t have to pay reparations or give away the Chagos islands.

Free speech issues. Some cultures are higher than others, and it’s solely contentious to say this as a result of honesty has change into unimaginable.

Most of all, we have to stand up off our knees and begin preventing not only for the UK, however for the west and our values.

Badenoch implored the viewers “Don’t listen to the media class complain about populism. The very essence of democracy is acknowledging the will of everyday people and then actually making it happen.”

Speaking of her personal mission as the brand new chief of the Conservatives, Badenoch mentioned:

For these of us who search management, we should do higher, and that’s the reason within the UK, my get together is beginning the biggest renewal of coverage and concepts in a era.

This convention is a part of discovering these solutions, and it fills me with hope.

If we get this proper, we stand on the daybreak of a brand new conservative century with a lot alternative and risk.

If we throw this chance away, due to anger, or self doubt, or weak point, our nation and all of western civilisation shall be misplaced.

ARC was co-founded in 2023 by the Canadian psychologist and self-help creator Jordan Peterson and the Tory peer Philippa Stroud. Financial backers embrace Paul Marshall, one of many house owners of GB News, and the Legatum Institute libertarian thinktank. It is anticipated that on Tuesday as a part of the convention Farage shall be interviewed onstage by Peterson.

In a passage of her speech to the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship convention in London, opposition chief Kemi Badenoch has mentioned that some immigrants to western nation are working with “useful idiots” to undermine society.

She mentioned:

Millions of individuals all around the globe need to reside within the west as a result of they need the advantages. However, a few of them carry behaviours, cultures and practices that can undermine the west and the values that helped make us nice. They discover widespread trigger with our helpful idiots who don’t respect their very own inheritance.

Kemi Badenoch has accused the prime minister of taking the knee as a part of Black Lives Matter protests as a result of he was “cowed by the mob”.

Speaking on the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship convention in London, in a passage during which she praised Michaela Community School headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh for refusing to offer prayer areas or permitting prayer to happen within the college’s secular setting, the Conservative opposition chief mentioned:

Katharine confirmed the way you defend Western civilisation. Contrast this braveness with Keir Starmer, the prime minister who took the knee throughout Black Lives Matter protests in response to an issue that was not in his nation and didn’t apply. Why? Because he was cowed by the mob. The downside isn’t liberalism. The downside is weak point.

Earlier within the speech Badenoch praised what she described because the classical liberal values of free speech and freedom of faith.

Badenoch additionally took a swipe on the prime minister over defence spending, saying:

Totalitarian states like Russia, Iran and North Korea are coordinated of their efforts. Failing to spend extra on defence is just not peacemaking, it’s weak point, and it solely emboldens their threats to democracy and world stability.

After 14 years of Conservatives in authorities, defence spending in real terms in 2023/24 was £53.9bn, decrease than the £57.1bn spent in 2009/10 over the last yr of the earlier Labour administration.

Kemi Badenoch has been talking on the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship convention in London. The Conservative opposition chief opened her discuss by saying “Western civilisation is in crisis.”

She mentioned {that a} “crisis of confidence” has set in “at exactly the same time that we face existential threats.”

She mentioned “it is not liberal values that are the problem – it is weakness.”

Citing survey outcomes that counsel giant numbers of younger individuals within the UK should not proud to be British, and imagine the nation to be racist, and have little religion in parliamentary democracy and would help “a strong leader”, Badenoch mentioned:

We shouldn’t be shocked. Young individuals see a parliament presiding over stagnation, regardless of making increasingly legal guidelines. A parliament with only some defending our values and plenty of extra too scared to problem those that assault what we imagine in.

She mentioned:

So let’s bear in mind what we’re defending right here. Not simply our wealth, however our tradition. A tradition constructed on these values we’ve taken as a right. Classic liberal values. Not left-wing liberalism, however basic liberalism. Of free markets, free speech, free enterprise, freedom of faith, the presumption of innocence, the rule of regulation, and equality beneath it. No matter who you’re or the place you come from.

As the world turns into extra difficult, we have to bravely combat for these values now.

Instead, we’re distracted, too busy critiquing and deconstructing what earlier generations constructed, slightly than ensuring that the easiest of our inheritance is left intact for the following era.

This is the actual poison of left-wing progressivism, whether or not it’s pronouns or DEI or local weather activism. These points aren’t about kindness. They are about management. We have restricted time and each second spent debating what a girl is, is a second misplaced from coping with these challenges.

Asked in regards to the influence of migration on NHS providers whereas showing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, well being secretary Wes Streeting mentioned it was “a mixed picture”.

Suggesting that the service was “slightly over-reliant on overseas workers” he advised viewers:

There’s little question that web migration is inserting actual stress on the NHS. But it’s a combined image, as a result of in these figures are additionally people who find themselves coming to work in our NHS and social care providers.

So we’re, I feel, barely over-reliant on abroad staff to workers our well being and care providers. And I feel it’s partly my job to assist the house secretary cut back these web migration figures.

And general, we have been investing within the expertise of our nation so we are able to prepare up our personal individuals, to scale back our reliance on individuals coming from abroad to fill vacancies.

Streeting had been requested “What about the pressure on the NHS of immigration, legal and illegal? We see figures just this weekend, very high. Hundreds of people crossed over the weekend, and it’s February. We’re not even in spring or summer. That’s putting immense pressure on the NHS, isn’t it?”

The well being secretary defended the federal government’s document, saying:

On the query of unlawful migration, in widespread with different challenges throughout authorities, we’ve made progress within the first seven months, particularly on deportations of people that shouldn’t be right here.

And the house secretary and the prime minister have been working ferociously with our allies throughout Europe, notably nations like Italy, the place that is additionally a problem, to begin coping with our border safety points.

And simply final week, we put laws by means of parliament to arrange our safe border command, which, sadly, the Conservatives and Reform voted in opposition to. But we’re making progress. And in widespread with what I mentioned in regards to the NHS, rather a lot finished, a hell of much more nonetheless to do.

Keir Starmer’s announcement through the Telegraph that he was ready to place British peacekeeping troops on the bottom in Ukraine was additionally described by Conservative MP and shadow cupboard spokesperson Alicia Kearns as not the fitting precedence. She advised viewers of Sky News “his priority should be today talking about defence spending.”

It was put to her that by Sky’s Wilfred Frost that “you’re trying to criticise the state of defence spending six months into their government, when this is a long-term issue, after 14 years [of Conservatives being] in power.”

Kearns responded by saying:

I’ve at all times been very clear. I used to be important of my very own authorities. But what I’m saying is, since July, a call was made to aspect with the Treasury, to not give the rise in defence spending. We wanted to proceed to replenish shares. Replenishing shares must be the precedence in order that we’re prepared if we do want to offer peacekeeping providers, if we do want to offer extra help to Ukraine.

Another one that raised the difficulty of the associated fee related to Starmer’s announcement and broader defence spending was Richard Dannatt, chief of the final workers between 2006 and 2009, who advised BBC Breakfast:

My response is the prime minister is doing the fitting factor. But, in fact, doing the fitting factor comes at a value. If the prime minister is critical about desirous to deploy British troops, put boots on the bottom in Ukraine as a part of a peacekeeping pressure, he’s acquired to grasp that’s going to return at a substantial value.

Frankly, we haven’t acquired the numbers and we haven’t acquired the tools to place a big pressure onto the bottom for an prolonged time period at the moment second. We’ve acquired to have the fitting variety of individuals with the fitting tools and the fitting coaching, and begin to fund that now.

Conservative MP for Rutland and Stamford, Alicia Kearns, who acts as a shadow cupboard spokesperson, was additionally on the media spherical this morning, and advised viewers of Sky News that whereas her get together stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine, she was “quite cautious” about Keir Starmer’s announcement within the pages of the Telegraph that he was ready to place British troops on the bottom as a part of a peacekeeping pressure.

She mentioned:

I’m fairly cautious, as a result of we’re not a spot during which we perceive the phrases or the situations or the numbers or the best way during which we’ve been deploying our individuals, and we must always at all times guarantee that we’re making choices primarily based on as a lot info as potential.

The actuality is that Ukraine continues to be preventing for its freedom. Russia has taken round 600 sq. miles of territory over the previous few months. We’re not in a spot as but the place I feel we could be making these commitments … issues are going to alter over the following few hours, not to mention the following few days, weeks and months.

I’m used to seeing what it’s like out the place now we have individuals deployed. I don’t wish to deal in hypotheticals in relation to placing our women and men on the bottom, preventing for individuals, as a result of I’ve seen how harmful it may be on the bottom and the way necessary these choices are.

On the prospects of a US-Russia brokered peace deal with out together with Ukraine or European voices in negotiations, Kearns mentioned:

We will at all times give Ukraine the help they want. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with them. We will combat for them to find out the phrases of this peace.

And additionally, it’s necessary to notice, this could’t simply be that we’ve managed to cease the taking pictures and homicide, and subsequently we’ve acquired peace. We want a peace deal that can finish the menace to our European neighbours and to us, one that can make us safer from a state that’s at present behaving like a terrorist.

Denis Campbell

While well being secretary Wes Streeting has been doing the media spherical boasting about making progress on the NHS in England, my colleague Denis Campbell has this report stating that NHS sufferers in England are affected by dysfunctional admin. He writes:

Patients routinely should chase up check outcomes, obtain appointment letters after their appointments and have no idea when their remedy will happen as a result of the NHS is so “dysfunctional”.

That is the conclusion of analysis by two main sufferers’ organisations and the King’s Fund, which lays naked a number of issues with the best way the well being service interacts with it customers.

Sixty-four % of individuals in England who used the NHS or organized take care of another person during the last yr encountered an issue involving its administration or communication.

Patients have been left pissed off by check outcomes going lacking, being unable to alter or cancel appointments or having to pursue the outcomes of a check, scan or X-ray.

You can learn extra of Denis Campbell’s report right here: Most NHS customers in England affected by dysfunctional admin, report finds

The well being secretary has mentioned that he hopes the federal government’s announcement on further NHS appointments in England will go some approach to rebuilding the “shattered confidence” in politicians maintaining their guarantees.

Appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Wes Streeting advised viewers:

I need to say two issues actually. The first is that now we have delivered that first step. We promise to ship two million extra appointments a yr to chop NHS ready lists [in England], and we’ve finished it seven months early.

So for all these individuals on the market watching, and there shall be many, who assume that politicians discuss rather a lot and do little or no, and that politicians don’t follow our guarantees, I hope this begins to rebuild your shattered confidence that we’re sticking to our guarantees. So that’s the primary level.

The second level, although, I’m not doing victory laps. The prime minister isn’t doing victory laps. We know there’s a hell of much more to do … whether or not it’s the dimension of the ready lists, the ambulance response occasions, the individuals on trolleys in corridors, or the wrestle individuals should get a GP or a dentist appointment. There are huge challenges within the NHS.

We’ve hit the bottom operating. We are attacking these challenges and searching for to ship yr on yr enchancment. But you received’t hear us immediately going round saying, don’t fear. Job finished. What we’re saying immediately is we’ve delivered our first step.

So rather a lot finished, however a hell of much more to do. And I hope it simply rebuilds a little bit of confidence that we’re delivering our guarantees and that issues will get higher and brighter.

The authorities has introduced that it has hit an election promise to ship extra NHS appoints in England. In a press release it claimed “Pledge to deliver over two million more elective care appointments hit early with over 100,000 more treatments, tests and scans for patients each week” and that “Waiting lists falls by almost 160,000 since government took office, as extra appointments delivered for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy, and diagnostic tests.”

Health secretary Wes Streeting has been on the media spherical for the federal government this morning, and has been requested about Keir Starmer’s dedication to place British troops on the bottom in Ukraine in a peacekeeping function if required by any peace deal.

Speaking on Times Radio he mentioned it was “premature” to speak about what number of British troops may very well be despatched. PA Media experiences he advised listeners:

The prime minister shall be travelling to France to fulfill with different European Nato leaders to debate what’s a once-in-a-generation second for the collective safety of our continent, which isn’t nearly the way forward for Ukraine, it’s an existential query for Europe as a complete.

That’s why the gathering [in Paris] immediately is necessary. Next week, he’ll be travelling to Washington to fulfill with President Trump, little question relaying the result of a few of these discussions immediately.

Asked what the size of a possible peacekeeping pressure may very well be and if the Government can be ready to hold out a recruitment drive, he mentioned: “I think it’s premature to be talking about numbers.”

He mentioned the federal government was nonetheless “on the path” to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence, though the federal government doesn’t have a date for reaching the goal.

According to House of Commons library figures, within the 2023/24 monetary yr, the UK spent £53.9bn on defence. A report printed in December 2024 said that “Real-terms defence spending fell by 22% between 2009/10 and 2016/17 (from £57.1bn to £44.6bn in 2023/24 prices), before starting to increase again to nearer its 2010 levels.”

Keir Starmer has mentioned he’s ready to place British troops on the bottom in Ukraine in a peacekeeping function as a part of any peace deal.

Taking the weird step of asserting the potential deployment of British troops within the pages of the Telegraph slightly than in parliament, the prime minister said:

Europe should step up additional to fulfill the calls for of its personal safety. We have gotten to indicate we’re actually critical about our personal defence and bearing our personal burden. We have talked about it for too lengthy – and president Trump is true to demand that we get on with it.

Russia continues to be waging struggle and Ukraine continues to be preventing for its freedom, which is why we should not relent in our efforts to get the package Ukrainians want for his or her fighters on the entrance line. While the preventing continues, we should put Ukraine within the strongest potential place forward of any talks.

The UK is able to play a number one function in accelerating work on safety ensures for Ukraine. This contains additional help for Ukraine’s navy. But it additionally means being prepared and prepared to contribute to safety ensures to Ukraine by placing our personal troops on the bottom if needed.

I don’t say that flippantly. I really feel very deeply the duty that comes with probably placing British servicemen and girls in hurt’s means. But any function in serving to to ensure Ukraine’s safety helps to ensure the safety of our continent, and the safety of this nation.

Starmer continued by saying “The end of this war, when it comes, cannot merely become a temporary pause before Putin attacks again.”

The prime minister is heading to Paris immediately for talks with European leaders. My colleague Jakub Krupa writes:

The Paris assembly will intention to stipulate a European motion plan after days of chaotic briefing by the Trump administration. The summit may even have to resolve how to answer a request by the US to spell out whether or not leaders are ready to commit troops to a stabilisation pressure within the occasion of a ceasefire.

Confirming the Paris assembly, France’s international minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, advised France Inter radio on Sunday: “The president will bring together the main European countries tomorrow for discussions on European security.” He mentioned there was a wind of unity blowing by means of.

Health secretary Wes Streeting has mentioned he stays open to “serious proposals” for personal funding within the NHS.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Streeting mentioned:

I actually need extra affected person selection, extra affected person energy, extra affected person management over the place they’re seen, how they’re handled, the character of their appointments. The NHS must be as responsive as every other organisation that we use.

I feel there’s a function for personal funding, however the phrases of these preparations, that’s the place you’ve acquired to tread actually rigorously. But I’m open to critical proposals from the NHS, or certainly anybody else.

The authorities has claimed that it has delivered early on an election pledge to supply an additional two million NHS appointments in England inside a yr.

In a press release, the federal government mentioned:

The prime minister has welcomed new figures printed by NHS England which reveal that between July and November final yr, the NHS delivered nearly 2.2 million extra elective care appointments in comparison with the identical interval the earlier yr – delivering on the federal government’s mission to repair the NHS as a part of the plan for change.

The new knowledge confirms the federal government reached the goal seven months sooner than promised – with 100,000 extra therapies, exams, and scans for sufferers every week, and greater than half one million additional diagnostic exams delivered.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, well being secretary Wes Streeting mentioned: “Look at the size of the waiting lists overall. It’s come down four months in a row. That’s progress, but there’s still a lot more to do.”

NHS England offered 2.2m extra appointments for deliberate care – together with chemotherapy, radiotherapy and diagnostic exams – between July and November final yr than throughout the identical interval the yr earlier than.

Despite the announcement that the federal government claims to have hit its goal of two million additional appointments, well being secretary Wes Streeting has mentioned there may be “a hell of a lot more to do” to enhance NHS care in England.

Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, the MP for Ilford North mentioned:

What we’ve seen within the NHS over the course of winter with ambulance response occasions, and hall care, [there’s] a hell of much more to do there. Mental well being is in a dire state. There’s an enormous quantity extra to do there.

And on every of these fronts, in fact, we’re going to ship what we mentioned in our manifesto.

But it’s necessary that as we do, we’re reporting again to reassure the general public that politics could make a distinction. That authorities generally is a pressure for good.

Good morning, and welcome to our rolling protection of UK politics for Monday. Here are the headlines.

• The authorities has claimed that it has already delivered on its election pledge to offer two million further NHS elective care appointments in England

• Health secretary Wes Streeting mentioned there may be “a hell of a lot more to do” to enhance care within the NHS in England, singling out ambulance response occasions and hall care as points

• Prime minister Keir Starmer has written an op-ed for the Telegraph saying that he’s prepared to place British troops on the bottom as a part of a peacekeeping pressure on the bottom in Ukraine if required as a part of any peace deal

• Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been warned public sector unions will demand increased pay will increase to compensate for accelerating inflation

• UK employers are reported to be making ready for the largest redundancy spherical in a decade amid collapsing enterprise confidence as companies brace for tax will increase from April

• Britain’s poorest households are paying an growing share of their revenue on council tax, based on new evaluation

• Conservative opposition chief Kemi Badenoch, and Nigel Farage, chief of Reform UK, are anticipated to attend the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) convention in London

It is Martin Belam with you immediately. You can get in contact with me at martin.belam@theguardian.com.