Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has pledged to scrap inheritance tax (IHT) on family homes and increase the amount couples can leave tax-free to £1m, in her keynote speech at the party's conference in Birmingham. Badenoch added her ambition would be for a Conservative government to abolish IHT "as soon as we can afford it", but said she could not currently propose this due to spending commitments on defence, prisons and the economy. Badenoch also used her speech to try to make clear how the Tories differed to Labour and Reform UK.
She pitched them as the "no-nonsense party" compared to the Reform UK "circus" and accused Prime Minister Andy Burnham of wanting to "live in the past". Why Tories are talking about winning the next election I'd rather have another election than do a deal with Reform UK, says Badenoch Rival parties hit back and said the proposals for IHT, which is levied on the value of someone's estate when they die, would prioritise support for wealthier people in the country. Badenoch arrived in Birmingham's Symphony Hall with a message to Conservative Party members that they face a "battle for the soul of the this nation".
She argued her party is "renewed" and "coming back" as she continued efforts to convince voters that it has changed following an historic defeat at the 2024 general election. In a nod to those who have defected to Nigel Farage's party, Badenoch said: "The Conservatives have had an export boom of drama queens going to Reform. "This party is now the no drama party, we are the no-nonsense party." With the party trailing Labour and Reform in the polls, Badenoch acknowledged that people are "looking through the shop window", they "like what they see" but "not enough of them are buying yet, we need to fix that".
Her inspiration for how to revive a long-standing brand was Marks and Spencer (M&S), saying they have "adapted their style for today's market and people are flooding back". Badenoch added: "Just like M&S, we must learn from our mistakes, win back trust and make people feel good about our party again." One of the biggest responses in the room from members came as Badenoch made clear she did not want to do an election deal with Reform. She described many Reform voters as "our people", adding: "We let them down and we want them to come back home." Following a section of the speech mocking some of Reform's senior figures, Badenoch said: "To those who say 'unite the right', we are not uniting with that.
"People deserve better than that and we are going to give them better than that. Character, conduct, and standards matter." She also said she did not want to live in a country run by people who "debate whether my mixed-race children are English". In one of many jibes aimed at Burnham, Badenoch labelled him a "Paddington Bear prime minister" who was "hoping that the problems will just go away".
In the days ahead of Wednesday's speech, there was widespread speculation that Badenoch would announce changes to IHT. As the Opposition leader neared the end of her 66-minute speech, she said IHT was "supposed to be a tax on the super wealthy" but it is "now a tax on ordinary middle-class families in every corner of our country". She said: "The next Conservative government will legislate so nobody will ever pay inheritance tax on their family home.
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