Badenoch set to speak at UK Conservative conference as Politico reports funding concerns

Kemi Badenoch, leader of the UK Conservative Party, was due to give a speech at the party's annual conference in Birmingham on 7 October 2026, according to Politico Europe's "Politics at Sam and Anne" podcast, published at 08:41 UTC that day. Politico reported the speech needed to land with voters and party donors as well as the party faithful. According to Politico, Badenoch was calling it a "battle for the soul of the country". The podcast episode was titled "Will Tory donors splash the cash?".

Politico reported "signs the Tories' finances are not in the shape they need to be to fight an election on two fronts", saying its hosts picked up clues from the conference hall in Birmingham. The New York Times reported on 7 October that attendees at the conference had been buoyed by Badenoch's rising poll ratings and by a mock Bayeux Tapestry. The New York Times also reported that the challenge from Reform U.K. remains. Politico said it would release a debrief edition after Badenoch's speech in the mid-afternoon.

Politico's podcast also reported that Green Party delegates adopted a motion declaring Zionism as a form of racism. Politico posed the question of what the motion means for Green Party leader Zack Polanski.