Government and campaigns
As this year’s political conference season draws to a close, one theme has dominated discussions across all parties – the rise of Reform. Yet at the Conservative Party Conference, newly elected leader Kemi Badenoch chose a different focus. In her closing keynote speech, she barely mentioned Reform, instead positioning the Conservatives as a party of substance, with “well thought through and costed policies” rather than “just slogans.”
Despite not engaging directly with Reform in her speech, the party still garnered attention during the week following the defection of 20 Conservative councillors. Against this backdrop, Badenoch sought to demonstrate that the Conservatives have a clear and credible plan for the country, describing her party as the only one “able to meet the test of our generation.”
At the heart of Badenoch’s speech was a new fiscal framework she called the “golden economic rule.” The proposal would require that for every pound saved through spending cuts, at least half would go towards reducing the deficit, with the remainder used for tax cuts or investment to boost growth. She said this approach was designed to “get the economy back on track” and support long-term financial stability.
To underpin this plan, Badenoch outlined £47 billion in identified savings, including £23 billion from welfare, £8 billion from the civil service, and £7 billion from the overseas aid budget. She also announced proposals to abolish stamp duty on home purchases and to reverse certain tax rises on schools, farms, and family businesses introduced by the Labour government.
Of relevance to the recruitment and skills sector was her commitment to double the apprenticeship budget. Funding would be supported by reducing the number of low-value university courses that offer limited outcomes for students and taxpayers. Badenoch said the aim was to create more opportunities for young people aged 18 to 21 and ensure that public investment is focused on high-quality vocational and technical training. For employers, these announcements reflect a continued emphasis on productivity, skills, and growth. Reforming the apprenticeship system and expanding access to work-based learning could help strengthen the UK’s skills base and address long-term workforce challenges.
Badenoch also set out her position on immigration and border management. She reiterated her intention to “secure the UK’s borders,” confirming plans to take the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights and to reform the asylum system to enable the deportation of 150,000 people who have entered the country illegally.
While details of these proposals are yet to be published, they underline the government’s continued focus on controlling migration. From a labour market perspective, the REC continues to stress the importance of ensuring that any reforms to the immigration system maintain access to skilled workers in essential industries, particularly where domestic labour shortages persist.
Alongside fiscal and immigration policy, Badenoch’s speech included a strong focus on work and welfare reform. She said that welfare should go to those who “really need it,” and that policy should help people into employment and ensure that young people understand that “work is a good in itself.”
She also pledged to return the size of the civil service to pre-Brexit levels while maintaining police numbers and prioritising frontline services. On education, she confirmed her intention to double apprenticeship funding, remove “rip-off” degrees, and redirect funding towards research-led universities and high-value qualifications.
The Conservative Party Conference took place against a backdrop of political change and debate about the future direction of the party. Attendance was lower than in previous years, but Badenoch’s closing speech aimed to set a serious and credible tone focused on fiscal discipline and economic growth.
For the recruitment and employment sector, the key messages were clear: a renewed focus on apprenticeships, an emphasis on skills investment, and potential changes in welfare and immigration policy that could shape workforce planning. Across all major party conferences this season, there has been shared recognition that skills, opportunity, and sustainable growth will be central to the UK’s future prosperity and that employers, educators, and recruiters will continue to play a vital role in achieving it.
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