Kemi Badenoch speech latest: Conservative leader to tell conference party faces ‘fight not seen for 50 years’

A “battle for the soul of the nation” is approaching, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch will say as she closes her party’s conference later, claiming only the Tories can deliver a stronger economy.

Ms Badenoch will warn that “something is going to break” without better growth as she accuses Andy Burnham’s Labour of presiding over a “tax doom loop that is making us all poorer”.

The Tory leader is expected to say: “There is a fight coming in British politics. A fight that we have not seen in this country for more than half a century.

“It will be a battle for the soul of this nation. A battle of ideas.”

Ms Badenoch will hope the speech revives the electoral hopes of her party, which trails both Labour and Reform UK in opinion polls.

She said on Tuesday that if there were a hung parliament at the next election, she would rather fight two general elections in quick succession than form a coalition with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.