At the Tory conference Badenoch offers a 'Britannia Shield', cheaper hiring of the young and a rewrite of the EU food deal. She admits the party would not win now
At the Conservative conference in Birmingham the Financial Times reported three pledges: a Britannia Shield to protect the UK from drone attacks, a halving of employers' National Insurance contributions for younger workers, and a plan to rip up the UK-EU food deal, which it said risks huge uncertainty. In a Sky News interview Kemi Badenoch told Beth Rigby the party would not win now but that she would rather fight than do a deal with Reform. The Guardian said the party is united behind her but the road to recovery is long. A YouGov MRP of about 17,000 people puts Labour on 241 seats, the Conservatives on 130 and Reform on 123, and her net favourability has risen from −35 to −15 in a year.
The Conservatives are trying to recover as Reform falters. The pledges signal a populist-right line on security, the EU and taxes on business.
Employers' National Insurance is paid by firms on staff pay, so a cut would lower the cost of hiring younger workers if enacted. None of this is policy until there is an election.
The pledges are a coherent offer: security, cheaper jobs and a firmer line on Brussels.
The food-deal plan would reopen trade rules with the UK's largest market, and the policies come without costings.
The conference bounce is real only if it survives the Budget. Watch the next YouGov and the gap between the Tories and Reform.
DailyDrop U.K. edition No. 2 · Morning · TUE., OCT. 6, 2026