Story perspectives

Conservatives pledge 50,000 new prison places at Birmingham conference

By Drooid · Oct 4, 2026, 11:42 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Kemi Badenoch opens the Birmingham conference promoting a “commonsense” agenda.
Recent polls show Conservatives trailing by four points with just above 20% support.
Shadow minister says party unity improved after Robert Jenrick defected to Reform UK following his sacking.
Conservatives pledge to bar non-Britons from social housing and strip dual nationals’ citizenship for serious crimes.
Conservatives also plan to cut overseas aid to fund 50,000 new prison places.

History

Historical Context

In 2010 the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, led by Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne, launched a sweeping austerity programme that cut public spending by £14.3 billion by 2013 and aimed to erase the deficit. The 2024 Conservative conference, fronted by Kemi Badenoch, revived that agenda with proposals to cut overseas aid and to reduce welfare by £12 billion, echoing the earlier fiscal tightening.

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Story summary

Kemi Badenoch opens the Birmingham conference promoting a “commonsense” agenda.
Recent polls show Conservatives trailing by four points with just above 20% support.
Shadow minister says party unity improved after Robert Jenrick defected to Reform UK following his sacking.
Conservatives pledge to bar non-Britons from social housing and strip dual nationals’ citizenship for serious crimes.
Conservatives also plan to cut overseas aid to fund 50,000 new prison places.

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