\n<\/p>\n
Kemi Badenoch has declared herself a “classic old school Conservative” as she begins her party’s annual conference with a string of policy pledges and <\/b>a 100 page statement on her guiding principles.<\/b>, external<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n “I believe in common sense, people working hard and being rewarded for that effort,” she told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg.<\/p>\n She added that welfare should be a “safety net, not a lifestyle”.<\/p>\n The Tory leader is trying to ensure her party stands out in a crowded political field. The Conservatives are trailing Labour and Reform UK in the opinion polls and have yet to recover from their historic defeat at the 2024 general election.<\/p>\n Badenoch, whose personal poll ratings are higher than that of her party, has characterised Reform leader Nigel Farage as a “grumpy grandpa” and she told Laura Kuenssberg that Labour leader Andy Burnham is “the cheesy uncle who does all the dad jokes”.<\/p>\n She described herself as a “no-nonsense mum”.<\/p>\n Asked if her plan for benefit cuts and a massive increase in prison places was a return to the “nasty party” of the past, she said: “It’s the common sense party. That’s what we’re doing.<\/p>\n “And, quite frankly, if we were doing so well the old way, then why did we have such a terrible issue in 2024?”<\/p>\n