Conservative Leadership Candidates Address Key Issues at Party Conference

At the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch made waves by stating that Conservative students face discrimination on university campuses. During her speech, Badenoch asserted that university lecturers were marking down students due to their political beliefs, though she did not provide evidence for these claims. “Young Conservatives… tell me they are afraid to share their politics with other students because they will be attacked,” Badenoch remarked. “They are marked down by lecturers because of their beliefs. We have let young Conservatives down.”

As the race to choose the next Conservative leader intensifies, all four candidates presented their platforms to party members. Among them was Robert Jenrick, who emphasized support for scientific research and addressed immigration policies. “Our courts, our prisons, our police, our universities, our welfare system—none of this is working as it should,” Jenrick stated, proposing a ‘growth strategy’ that prioritizes scientific development while controlling migration.

Former Education and Home Secretary James Cleverly highlighted his record on immigration control, claiming credit for reducing net migration by 300,000 annually after implementing new policies. Celebrating Britain’s scientific contributions, Cleverly added, “British science and engineering shaped the modern world. We are the country that gave the world the vaccine.”

Tom Tugendhat criticized the current Labour government’s actions regarding freedom of speech at universities. He criticized the pause on the higher education free speech bill, which was stopped by Labour. Tugendhat also proposed setting a legal cap on net migration at 100,000, indicating a firm stance on immigration control.

In addition to their speeches, the candidates faced scrutiny from the media. Kemi Badenoch chose to have her supporting MPs address questions on her behalf, while the others engaged directly with reporters. The responses varied, with Cleverly emphasizing his communication abilities and Tugendhat confident in the message he conveyed. Meanwhile, Jenrick’s interactions were described as terse when queried about his campaign’s momentum.