CONSERVATIVE Party leader Kemi Badenoch has ruled out any deal with Reform UK during an interview with GB News.
Speaking to GB News Political Editor Christopher Hope, she vowed to guide the party back to electoral success, and said she was determined to give voters the truth in order to win their trust.
In a wide-ranging discussion, she also said:
Tories who defect to Reform UK are “not tough enough to deal with tough times”
Gary Neville’s remarks on flags as “disgraceful”
the issue of small boats crossing the Channel was not caused by Tory policies
she would not commit to maintaining the triple lock pensions policy at the next General Election
TRANSCRIPT:
CH: Kemi Badenoch thank you for talking to GB News today. Promising bold plans have been announced at this conference by your party, on ECHR, climate change, justice too. How can voters trust you that you will do it after not doing it for 14 years?
KB: Well, they can see that we have put a lot of work into this. We didn’t just rush out with the announcement without having the plans to back it up. Just look at the plans that Claire Coutinho announced on energy yesterday. Labour said that they were going to, you know, cut bills by £300. No detail. Bills have gone up by £300. We said we can cut £165 and we’ve shown how. That’s the honest way. But they can also trust me. When I was in government, lots of people saw what I did. We had to take collective responsibility, but many of the things that they didn’t like, like on net zero, I was, you know, arguing against. They can see how tough I was when it came to dealing with the issues around transgender activists, you know, harming women and children, going into single sex spaces. I stopped Scotland from putting in self ID. I am a Conservative, and I believe that we’re the only party that can deliver that strong economy and strong borders that they want.
Kemi Badenoch GB News 7:10.jpeg
CH: But there are other failures too. And now we have the small boats crisis. The PM calls it the Farage boats, others might call it the Tory boats. It is caused by policies pushed by your party, the Boriswave. That’s Boris Johnson. Millions came here. How do you shake off that record of failure?
KB: So by telling people the truth. Small boats were not caused by Tory policies. There are small boats in France. They’re in Italy. There is a problem with global mass migration. We tried lots of things to fix it. They didn’t work. People saw that it ended up in the courts, you know, stopping us from doing that. That’s why we’re leaving the ECHR, because we’re tired of people using the courts to frustrate the democratic will. But you will remember that before small boats, it was channel migrants coming through the tunnel. We fixed that. We stopped that. So we can do it again. And that’s what I want your viewers to know, that we believe immigration was too high under us. It happened not deliberately, but because we were trying to get more care visas, you know, Ukrainians, people from…
CH: That was a mistake, wasn’t it?
KB: Yes.
CH: The Boriswave was a mistake.
KB: Yes, but it was a mistake by omission. It was not clear until a year later how many people had come in, and immediately after that we changed lots of rules to bring the numbers down. Those numbers have come down now and we will do more.
CH: As we speak councillors are defecting from the Tory party to Reform. Twelve so far. It could be as many as 20 by late morning. Are you worried by this? These are people who fought for you at the last local election. Now they are leaving. Going to Reform. Nigel Farage has got it and you haven’t?
KB: Well, I completely disagree and I’m sorry to see councillors go. But at the end of the day we are making it clear that we are Conservatives. That means fiscal responsibility. We don’t want to increase welfare. We don’t want nationalisation. Those are Reform’s policies. If people agree with those policies, then they do have to go, they’re not going to get them with us. We’re going to live within our means. And the point I keep making is that the people who jump from party to party, based on who’s leading in the polls, are not the sort of people you want running your country or running your council.
CH: Just to be clear, you would rule out any deal pre-election with Reform?
KB: I’ve always, always, always ruled that out. People need to know what they’re voting for.
CH: We haven’t heard much about the triple lock during your conference.
KB: That’s because it’s not our policy to change anything.
Ch: So you will fight the election on the commitments to honour the triple lock?
KB: Well, people have paid. They’ve paid their contribution. And I don’t think that’s where we should start when it comes to cutting the spending.
CH: So it’s a yes, you’ll fight the election.
KB: Chris, you’ve asked me this before.
CH: But you haven’t said about the election.
KB: I have said that the triple lock is Conservative policy.
CH: And will be at the election?
KB: The election is not tomorrow. I am talking about policies for today.
CH: So you can’t make that commitment?
KB: I can. I have said it’s a Conservative policy. But there is an election in four years’ time. What about the stuff we’ve said about the economy now, getting people into work? People who are off work but on benefits.
CH: Will you means test the state pension?
KB: If I could just make this point, the first place to start has to be in the workplace. If people get off benefits and into work, it’s a double whammy. They pay more in taxes. We’re not paying their benefits. We will grow the economy. If we grow the economy, then we don’t have to worry about whether or not we can afford the triple lock. We can afford it. That’s our policy.
CH: Would you means test it? What do you mean? One of your Treasury team has said that it could be means tested.
KB: We are having a conference and I said, I want us to have debates. Let people have the debate. But that is not policy. But we are not Labour or Reform where everybody is scared to say anything that the leader hasn’t given permission to say. Have the debates and then we’ll decide who’s right or wrong.
CH: That’s why I am asking the leader what do you think of it.
KB: Yes, exactly.
CH: What do you make of Gary Neville’s remarks yesterday? He’s been taking down flags. He says flags were being “used in a negative fashion” on some of his properties.
KB: I think that that’s just disgraceful. The flags are the things that bring us together. I love the Union flag. Everybody should be able to feel that the flag represents their home country. There’s nothing to be ashamed of about it. It shouldn’t be taken down. But that’s Gary Neville.
CH: Are you a big United fan are you?
KB: Crystal Palace is my family team now. I’m not a football fan, but my son is. So I go where he goes and he says we’re Crystal Palace.
CH: But you’re patriotic. I mean, just a different question. Why not play the national anthem at the end of your conference? You did it last year. You were on stage with the other three.
KB: Yes and we did it on Sunday as well.
CH: Barely anyone in the room. At the end of your conference then, you’ll walk out to the national anthem? Your members go out to the country singing the national anthem, why not do that?
KB: Well, we’ve said that there’s going to be singing of the national anthem. We had it last year. We had it on Sunday.
CH: Not at the end, though. That’s what some of your colleagues are saying.
KB : Well we are going to have it on Wednesday.
CH: Are you on Wednesday?
KB: Yes, we are having it on Wednesday.
CH: Oh are you? I thought that wasn’t the case.
KB: Well, who said that?
CH: Well I was informed, we understood that was not the case. But you’ll play the national anthem at the end of conference?
KB: Yes. Well, we played it on Sunday, right? That’s not something to worry about.
CH: These things matter. And just finally, with your members and supporters, you’ve given them something to walk tall about now, some policies to defend. We’ve been badgering you for a year about policies. You’ve now got them. And the big sell starts now for you I suppose.
KB: Yes, it does, but I want people to know that we have thought very carefully before announcing policies. We know that announcing things without knowing how you’re going to deliver them breaks trust. And that’s what’s happening with Labour now. They rushed into the election saying all sorts of things. They don’t know how to do it. We are the only party that can get stuff done, but also tough enough to make the difficult decisions. And that’s why when I see people leaving our party, I know these people aren’t tough enough to deal with tough times. We need people who will stay the course, who will hold their nerve. We’re the only party that’s got both stronger economy, stronger borders.
CH: And your message to Nigel Farage?
KB: We’re the only party that can deliver a stronger economy, stronger borders. When people ask about our plans, they stay robust.
