Kemi Badenoch, Leader of the Conservative Party and former Business and Trade Secretary, shares her insights on personal responsibility and the evolution of conservatism. She delves into the current political landscape, reflecting on youth anxiety and the Conservative Party's internal challenges. Badenoch critiques immigration policies, emphasizing cultural values, and discusses falling birth rates and the need for genuine leadership. The conversation also touches on the complexities of trade agreements and the impact of wellness culture on societal views.
Kemi Badenok emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility and its distinguishing role in conservatism compared to state intervention ideologies.
She outlines the need for the Conservative Party to rebuild public trust through thoughtful policy development rather than impulsive announcements.
Deep dives
Personal Responsibility as a Conservative Principle
Kemi Badenok emphasizes the significance of personal responsibility as a core principle of conservatism. She believes that individuals should take ownership of their lives, raise their children properly, and aim to leave a better legacy for future generations. This commitment to personal responsibility sets conservatives apart from other political ideologies, which may favor greater state intervention. Badenok also reflects on her experiences growing up and how the optimism of previous generations appears lacking in today’s youth, which fuels her desire to preserve the positive aspects of society.
Navigating Change and Public Trust
Badenok acknowledges the challenges the Conservative Party faces in re-establishing public trust following years in power. She outlines the importance of planned and thoughtful policy development, rather than impulsive announcements, to regain credibility with voters. Drawing on her engineering background, she notes that effective solutions require careful structuring and that merely rushing to present policies could lead to further erosion of trust. She argues that the party needs to explain past failures clearly and work toward rebuilding its reputation before focusing on specific proposals.
The Impact of Competing Movements
Badenok expresses awareness of the growing influence of alternative political movements, particularly those led by figures like Nigel Farage. She recognizes the urgency to counter this shift by solidifying the Conservative Party’s internal structure and messaging strategy. She believes that while immediate gains for rival movements may be tempting, the Conservatives need to focus on long-term solutions and building a coherent narrative. Badenok insists that political strategy should not rely solely on gimmicks or viral moments but should emphasize substantive offers to voters.
Addressing Immigration and Cultural Integration
Badenok addresses the complexities of immigration policy, acknowledging the high levels during the Conservative tenure and the frustrations it caused. She notes that past attempts to curb immigration have often been undermined by competing interests within the party and the need for labor in various sectors. Highlighting the importance of cultural integration, she insists that not all cultural views hold equal weight in society and advocates for a better understanding of what constitutes healthy integration. Her focus is on recalibrating immigration strategies to align with national resilience while ensuring respect for contemporary societal values.
A few weeks into her new job, Amol sits down with the Conservative Party leader for a wide-ranging interview about her brand of politics, what she would do as prime minister and why Elon Musk is backing Nigel Farage.
They also discuss what she has done since taking over from Rishi Sunak, the Conservative government's record on immigration and Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election.
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Between now and the end of the year we will be bringing you our News Review of the Year and extended interviews with the Today programme's Christmas guest editors, so hit subscribe on BBC Sounds to make sure you get an alert every time we release a new episode.
The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson who are both presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Amol was the BBC’s media editor for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he’s also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC’s political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV’s political editor.
This episode was made by Lewis Vickers with Kirsty Mackenzie and Oscar Pearson. The technical producers were Mike Regaard and Ben Andrews. The editor is Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.
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