The Vuelio Political Team have summarised the speeches given by the four Conservative leadership candidates.
Rt Hon Tom Tugendhat MP, Shadow Minister for Security
In his leadership address to conference, Tom Tugendhat said that, despite a ‘bruising’ election, the last four days have inspired an optimism that the Conservative Party will rebuild and will win again, given the right leader is chosen. He said the right leader needs to be honest, with good principles – and there should be no more political games, petty point scoring, or self-service. Tugendhat played on his experiences as a soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying it has shown him what true leadership is. Tugendhat promised to ‘lead with conviction and act decisively’. He also addressed those who are Conservatives at heart but did not vote for them this time round, stressing that he will make people proud to vote Conservative once again.
Tugendhat criticised the Labour Party, calling them a ‘venal and vindictive administration’, saying that when the Conservatives are back in Downing Street in five years’ time, they will have a lot of cleaning up to do. He called the Labour Party ‘selfish and greedy’ and accused them of taking us back to the 1970s’ politics of division. Tugendhat then leaned into his One Nation roots, saying that, at the end of the day, ‘we are one nation, we are one United Kingdom’. Tugendhat pledged to address ‘what the British people need’, focusing on the key areas of economy, migration, healthcare, and energy. First, he stressed the need for an effective deterrent for migration, and to fix the gaps in skills and education to recruit at home and not abroad. On health, he spoke of the importance of stripping excessive regulations, whilst on energy, he said prosperity starts with energy security and warned against being dependent on ‘tyrants’. Tugendhat closed his address by saying that whilst it is true that his opponents have more experience in management around the cabinet table, he is not here to manage, but to lead.
A full summary of Tom Tugendhat’s speech can be found here.
Rt Hon James Cleverly MP, Shadow Home Secretary
James Cleverly addressed the Conservative Party conference by emphasising the party’s purpose of serving the British people and improving their lives, not merely being in opposition. He called for an apology from the party for past failures and urged for unity to avoid dwelling on mistakes. Reflecting on his personal background, Cleverly shared his motivations for entering politics, inspired by his parents' optimism, and highlighted his ability to take risks due to his previous military and business experiences. He also highlighted the party's accomplishments, such as raising education standards, delivering Brexit, and advancing equal rights, while criticising Labour for lying to the public and being involved with scandals.
Cleverly also laid out a forward-looking agenda for the party focused on building homes, improving infrastructure, and promoting capitalism while underscoring the importance of action over rhetoric. In foreign policy, he voiced support for Israel and advocated for increased GDP spending. Cleverly concluded by urging the party to choose experienced leadership to make tough decisions, rebuild voter trust, and ensure the country's safety and prosperity.
A full summary of James Cleverly's speech can be found here.
Rt Hon Robert Jenrick, MP for Newark
Jenrick began by referencing his family background. He said he grew up in Wolverhampton and his parents moved to the West Midlands to build a better life, but were held back by a stagnating economy. Jenrick drew parallels between the Conservative Party now and in 1974. He argued that the party was in decline due to its acceptance of the status quo, but decided to chart a radical new path by electing Margaret Thatcher as leader who eventually took the party to victory in 1979. He had harsh criticism for Keir Starmer and his Cabinet, accusing the Government of only standing for ‘convicted criminals, illegal migrants and well paid train drivers’.
Jenrick said if he was leader he would make the Conservative Party a ‘pressure group’ for ‘hard working people’, but in order to renew the party they had to be honest about why they suffered their worst ever election defeat. He said the Conservatives achieved much success in office but ultimately they failed to deliver a strong NHS, a strong economy and strong borders. He then outlined five changes the party must make in order to win back power; securing the country’s borders by leaving the ECHR and putting a cap on mass migration; taking a stand on net zero; getting Britain building again; advocating for a small state that works; and standing up for British culture and identity.
A full summary of Robert Jenrick's speech can be found here.
Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, Communities & Local Government
Interestingly, the opening part of Badenoch’s speech focused on the importance of trust - she said that for too long politicians have been scared of this. With this in mind, she stressed that the Conservatives must remember who ‘we are’.
She then proceeded to outline some of the first principles that would guide her leadership - she emphasised that people mustn't be afraid to do the right thing. Thereafter, she explained that the Conservatives lost because they stopped acting like Conservatives. To substantiate this point, she cited the previous Government’s net zero policy where they set a target with no clear plan to deliver it. She condemned this commitment to the net zero agenda for making energy more expensive and hurting our economy.
The latter half of her speech focused on her plans as leader. She stressed that we must rewrite the rules of the game to reform the state and the economy; this will consider all aspects of what the state does and why it does it. Moreover, Badenoch revealed that this will involve interrogation of the UK’s international agreements, the Human Rights Act, the Equality Act, judicial review, the Treasury, the Bank of England, the Civil Service and the NHS.
Finally, she unveiled her ‘Renewal 2030’ project - a project described by Badenoch as a plan to return to Government, with 2030 representing a potential first year back in Government for the party. She explained that this project aims to bring growth to the UK that people can tangibly feel.
A full summary of Kemi Badenoch's speech can be found here.
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