Badenoch vows to 'stay the course' to fix Tories

Kemi Badenoch has insisted she is "staying the course" to fix the Conservative Party which she cast as the only "credible alternative" to Labour.

- SOPHIE WINGATE

The Tory leader said she will use her party's conference starting tomorrow in Manchester to show voters "that we're the only party that can deliver a stronger economy and stronger borders".

She acknowledged the Tories were having a "tough time" after last year's landslide general election defeat, dismal poll ratings and a string of defections to Reform UK.

But she struck a defiant tone, portraying herself as the right leader to revive what she called the "distressed asset" of a party.

Asked whether the comparison might dampen morale among her MPs ahead of the annual gathering, she said: "Not at all.

"I use a corporate analogy. When you have a distressed asset, you need a long-term strategy, not a short-term one, to fix it.