At the party conference, Conservatives showed unity behind leader Kemi Badenoch while MPs urged a shift from culture fights to economic messaging amid concerns about defectors and the impact of Nigel Farage’s setbacks.
BT will buy TalkTalk and its wholesale arm PlatformX Communications from administration for about £400m on a debt‑free basis, a deal that the buyer says will save around 900 jobs.
3 sources
Coach and haulage firms say surging diesel costs — now averaging over £2 a litre — risk forcing hundreds out of business and may lead to cuts to services such as school transport.
Published 6 Oct 2026
The Conservative party conference this weekend underscored broad support within the parliamentary party for leader Kemi Badenoch, but many MPs said the Tories must concentrate on economic issues rather than culture-war debates to regain voter support.
Several senior Conservatives told conference audiences and colleagues there is a shared concern about recent defections from the party, which have become a common focus for unity. Delegates and lawmakers said keeping the parliamentary group together and countering the departures remained a priority.
A number of MPs also said the party’s electoral prospects would improve if attention shifted toward economic policies — growth, public services and living standards — rather than high-profile social and cultural disputes. Those voices argued voters are looking for clear plans on the cost of living and the economy rather than headline-grabbing culture battles.
At a rapid-fire question-and-answer session, Badenoch was asked to choose between two prominent colleagues, Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman. She gave a blunt, jocular response, dismissing the premise of choosing between them and signalling impatience with forced binary choices, according to accounts from the event.
Delegates noted another development that has affected mood inside the party: setbacks for Nigel Farage. Some Conservative insiders said Farage’s recent difficulties have softened fears about a long-term split of the right-of-centre vote and have given them modest grounds for optimism.
MPs’ call to prioritise economic messaging reflects unease about what they see as distractions from bread-and-butter issues that matter to swing voters. With defections creating headline risk and internal tension, party figures believe a clear policy focus on the economy could blunt criticism and attract back some voters lost in recent cycles.
Meanwhile, the party’s public unity behind Badenoch is important for projecting stability to voters and donors. Conservatives at conference appeared to accept that holding together the parliamentary party and presenting a unified economic agenda will be central to any campaign to recover ground.
Delegates and MPs at the conference spoke about the need for tactical changes without suggesting an immediate shift in leadership. Several sources described the atmosphere as pragmatic: backing the leader while pressing for a recalibration of priorities.
The combination of concern over defections, a desire to move away from culture war themes, and a sense that rival figures on the right have stumbled created a backdrop in which many Conservatives think the party can rebuild credibility if it refocuses on economic competence.
If the party follows the push from MPs to put economic issues front and centre, it will be tested by whether that narrative can reconnect with voters and counteract the damage from high-profile departures. For now, the conference showcased both unity behind Badenoch and a pragmatic effort by MPs to shape the party’s next steps.
This story was written from reports by these outlets. Read the originals:
3 sources
Jeffrey Archer, author of more than 300 million book sales and a former Conservative MP, has died at 86. His publisher said he died at home between writing sessions; his final novel was due this month.
6 sources
Britain has warned it will expel one Israeli diplomat for each British diplomat forced to leave Israel after Israel ordered the closure of the UK consulate in East Jerusalem, potentially prompting the removal of up to 27 staff.
3 sources
