Kemi Badenoch is due to speak at the Conservative Party's annual conference on Wednesday and will set out plans to cut inheritance tax and halve employer national insurance contributions for young staff. What time is Kemi Badenoch's speech today is not stated in the available details, but the speech is being previewed now.
The speech is expected to pitch the Conservatives as facing a "battle for the soul of our nation," while also putting tax and jobs policy at the centre of the conference message. Badenoch also said in an interview with the on Tuesday that she would rather have another general election than do a deal with Reform UK to secure power if no party wins the next election.
Kemi Badenoch and the conference
The Times says Badenoch will speak to the Conservative Party's annual conference on Wednesday. Her planned remarks point to two linked proposals: cutting inheritance tax and halving employer national insurance contributions for young staff.
The Daily Mail described the plan as a "rescue package" for jobless youngsters and said the Conservatives would "slash jobs tax to get young back into work." Those lines match the policy focus Badenoch is expected to set out, with the speech aimed at younger workers and the employers who hire them.
Reform UK and interview
Badenoch's comments on Reform UK add a separate pressure point before the speech. She told the on Tuesday that she would "rather have another general election than do a deal with Reform UK to secure power" if no party wins the next election.
That position leaves her trying to do two things at once: promote tax cuts at the Conservative Party's annual conference and rule out any coalition with Reform UK. For Conservative members, the speech is likely to be read as both a policy pitch and a line on how far the party is prepared to go in seeking power.
Wednesday speech timing
The key missing detail for readers following the conference is the start time. The available details give the day, Wednesday, and the policy content, but not the exact clock time for Badenoch's speech.
For anyone tracking the announcement, the practical answer is to watch for the conference coverage on Wednesday itself, when Badenoch is due to deliver the speech and set out the tax changes in full.
