Half of Tory members want Kemi Badenoch removed as party leader ahead of next general election

Conservatives could merge with Reform UK if Robert Jenrick becomes leader as he fails to rule out pact

Robert Jenrick and a Reform UK insider have appeared to leave the door open for a Tory-Reform merger at the next General Election.

Gawain Towler, a close ally of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, flirted with the idea, saying Mr Jenrick would not want to lead "a rump party".

"This is not a man who's gonna spend his time on trampolines and going down water flumes as a third-party leader," he said on the PopConversation podcast, in a dig at Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Reform accused of 'marching to the left' as Tories issue swipe over 'billions in unfunded commitments'

The Conservatives have taken a swipe at Reform UK and Nigel Farage for "marching to the left" with their policies.

Speaking at the Tory party conference, Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride said Reform "are just as bad" as Labour, and are "being found out".

He said the Labour Government are "led by a Prime Minister who can only do U-turns, a Chancellor who only knows how to work the brakes and a mob of backbenchers desperate to grab hold of the wheel".

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Senior Tory MP admits he thinks the whole of Essex 'would go Reform'

Andrew Rosindell has admitted the whole of Essex could return Reform UK MPs at the next General Election.

Mr Rosindell, who is the MP for Romford, said: ""I'm worried about many of my colleagues who will not come back as MPs, including me.

"At the moment my seat would almost certainly go to Reform. I think the whole of Essex would go Reform."

At last year's General Election, Reform UK's Philip Hyde finished third in Romford on 9,624 votes, behind Labour's Andrew Achilleos on 13,876 votes and Mr Rosindell on 15,339 votes.

First-year doctors vote in favour of strike action in dispute over jobs

First-year doctors in England have voted in favour of strike action over their jobs.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said the ballot of first-year resident doctors saw 97 per cent (or 3,950) voting for strike action on a turnout of 65 per cent, providing a "mandate for industrial action alongside the linked dispute over eroded pay."

According to the union, 34 per cent of resident doctors surveyed said they had no substantive employment or regular work from August 2025.

This rose to more than half (52 per cent) among FY2 (foundation year two) doctors.

WATCH: Tom Harwood and Olivia Utley struggle to hold back laughter as they react to Tory 'policy blitz'

Watch the moment GB News stars Tom Harwood and Olivia Utley struggle to contain their laughter as they discuss the Conservatives’ latest “policy blitz” at its party conference.

Tom admitted the pair had been debating what “big thing” was actually cutting through, before concluding that few people in the country seem willing to “give the Conservative Party a hearing”.

The comments come after Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride unveiled proposals for reducing Government expenditure by £47billion when he addressed delegates.

​Sir James Cleverly accuses Labour of 'jumping on patriotic bandwagon'

Sir James Cleverly has accused Sir Keir Starmer of trying to jump on a "patriotic bandwagon" as he accusing the Prime Minister of dividing his own party.

The Shadow Secretary for Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "Labour is currently trying to jump on a patriotic bandwagon. Starmer is trying to wrap himself up in a Union flag when in reality he is an emperor with no clothes...

"They were forced to wave a St George’s flag and a Union flag with gritted teeth and Andy Burnham scuttling out by the back door.

"Starmer allegedly opposes division. Frankly, he can’t even unite his own party let alone the country."

​Sir James Cleverly admits he was looking forward to Commons clash with Angela Rayner

Sir James Cleverly admitted he had looked forward to facing off against Angela Rayner, who he dubbed "a firebrand of the modern Left."

He added: "Instead, I’m up against Steve Reed. Steve 'I’m not Wikipedia' Reed. No, Steve, you’re not Wikipedia, Wikipedia can actually be useful.

"Also let’s remind ourselves Steve Reed is a man who has just spent the last year destroying family farms so he can spend next year concreting all over them.

"He wears a baseball cap that says ‘build, baby, build' but in reality it’s ‘block, baby, block’ because he said no to new homes being built in his own urban London constituency where they are needed and they are wanted.

"And that’s Labour all over, isn’t it? Slogans saying one thing, their record showing something completely different."

GB NEWS EXCLUSIVE: Kemi Badenoch axes God Save the King from Conservative Conference to play pop music

Kemi Badenoch has decided to axe the Tories' curtain-closing rendition of God Save the King from the 2025 Conservative Party Conference, GB News can exclusively reveal.

Romford MP Andrew Rosindell, who pushed for the Tories to reintroduce singing the national anthem at its party conference in 2021, revealed that members will not sing God Save the King on Wednesday.

Speaking to GB News, Mr Rosindell said: "I've asked for the national anthem to be played at the end of conference again.

"And I hope it will be played. I've spoken to the party chairman [Kevin Hollinrake]. He's sympathetic."

READ THE FULL EXCLUSIVE STORY HERE.

Tories spell Britain wrong on chocolate bars at conference

In a very embarrassing moment, the Tories misspelt Britain on chocolate bar wrappers at the conference.

The message reads: "When Labour negotiates, Britian loses - Kemi Badenoch."

Head of Doge at Reform UK, Zia Yusuf, reacted to the mistake, writing: "The level of talent left at CCHQ literally can't spell Britain."

A Labour source said: "Yet another Tory Flake. They can't proofread five words on a bar of chocolate. This conference really isn't proving to be the Boost Kemi needs."

Robert Jenrick compared to Martin Lewis with fare dodging video

Robert Jenrick has been compared to Martin Lewis with his fare dodging video, which has racked up over 15million views.

Voters said they liked it and felt it was "quite effective".

One voter said on Times Radio: "I would like to listen to him on what his ideas are."

Another stated: "It was passionate, someone who is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get into the nitty-gritty."

WATCH ROBERT JENRICK'S FARE DODGING VIDEO ABOVE

Claire Coutinho vows to scrap wind farm subsidies, branding them a 'rip-off' and 'the biggest racket going'

Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho has vowed to scrap wind farm subsidies, calling them a "rip-off".

She said: "Back in 2008, Ed Miliband, in his infinite wisdom, chose to double the subsidies on offer for wind farms. That means when the wind blows, there are wind farms getting up to three times the market price of electricity - and you're paying for that through your bills. It's the biggest racket going.

"We closed the scheme when we were in office, but we'll go further and say we must scrap those subsidies for good. Our energy system is not here to prop up the profits of multimillion-pound wind developers at billpayers' expense. It's here to deliver cheap, reliable energy for the country."

Director of Net Zero Watch, Andrew Montford, praised her speech at conference, describing it as "pretty much flawless".

Sir Keir Starmer 'appalled' by suspected arson attack on mosque in Peacehaven, East Sussex

The Prime Minister is "appalled" by the suspected arson attack on a mosque in Peacehaven, East Sussex, his official spokesman said.

The fire, which damaged the front entrance of the mosque, is being treated as a hate crime by police.

Sir Keir Starmer's spokesman stated: "(Sir Keir Starmer) was appalled by the arson attack in Peacehaven.

"As the Home Secretary said, attacks against Britain's Muslims are attacks against all Britons and this country itself.

"He thanks the emergency services for their swift response. Anti-Muslim hatred has no place in Britain."

Tories need to target younger voters, with polling showing average Conservative voter is almost 70

New polling has revealed the average age of a Tory voter now is almost 70, up from 43 in 2019.

Only 10 per cent of 16 to 28-year-olds would vote for the Conservatives, and that only jumps to 14 per cent with 29 to 40-year-olds.

Pollster Jim Blagden noted three areas the Conservatives need to target to win younger voters back.

Sharing his thoughts on X, he said the Tories need to "restore the reputation for competence... prioritise the right issues" and become distinctive as "hardly any voters say they know what the Conservatives stand for anymore".

Victoria Atkins wears Union Jack blazer for pro-farmer speech

Shadow Farming Secretary Victoria Atkins has donned a Union Jack blazer during a pro-farmer speech.

She spoke to activists in front of a JCB tractor, promising to scrap the inheritance tax if the Tories were re-elected.

The Farming Secretary praised GB News for The People's Channel's coverage of farmers.

Reform's plan with the ECHR is 'b******t' - James Cleverly

James Cleverly has called Reform's plans with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) "b******t".

Mr Cleverly said: "I've said leaving the ECHR is not a silver bullet, which at the time was, 'Cleverly at odds with Kemi'.

"The point of differentiation is not between me and Kemi - there's at best a fag paper between us, perhaps not even that. The real differentiation is between Reform's position, which is, if we leave the ECHR, all our problems go away. B******t.

"It's going to take work, and Kemi has committed to that work, rather than what Reform wants, which is a good headline. We've got a policy, they've got a headline - that's the difference."

Plenty of empty seats at Conservative Party auditorium

There are plenty of empty seats scattered around the Conservative Party auditorium while MPs deliver speeches.

GB News' Tom Harwood compared the conference to a "ghost town", but noted it is busier than yesterday.

Andrew Pierce makes confession about 'Margaret Thatcher shrine' in his home

GB News host Andrew Pierce has revealed he has "a shrine" to Margaret Thatcher in his home study.

The presenter appeared overjoyed as he admired the former Prime Minister's most famous outfits while reporting live from the Conservative conference.

Speaking on The People's Channel, Mr Pierce said: "There's apparently a photograph of me on the internet because I'm on bended knee worshipping at the altar of Margaret Thatcher.

"I have a confession to make, I do have a Thatcher shrine in my study at home, which includes a life-size cut-out of Lady Thatcher. And why wouldn't I?"

WATCH THE FULL MOMENT ABOVE AND READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Labour hits out at Conservatives saying it is 'the same old' Tories

Reacting to Sir Mel Stride's speech, a Labour spokesman said he did not say how he would "fund" abolishing business rates.

The spokesman stated: "Mel Stride's supposed savings plan has already fallen apart hours after being announced.

"The Conservatives claimed they would state how they'd pay for their policies, yet made a multibillion-pound pledge to abolish business rates without saying how they'd fund it.

"It's the same old Tories with the same old policies. They didn't work then, and you can't trust them now."

Michael Gove believes two-tier policing has become 'widespread'

Michael Gove stated that two-tier policing has become "widespread" in Britain.

Lord Gove said: "Two-tier policing has become a widespread way of describing what we see on our streets.

"The police know or believe that if they were to arrest people on those marches, they don't believe they would have the resources capable of dealing with consequences at that time, which is why they record some of the things that are said and then arrest people afterwards.

"This is an open admission that the forces of law and order do not control our streets, and that's terrible."

'Net zero has become a religion' - Claire Coutinho

Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho said net zero has "become a religion" and "is not working for Britain and it's not working for the climate".

She stated: "The British people are no stranger to sacrifice for a just cause, but watching good jobs move abroad is not just.

"Piling more pain onto people's bills is not just. And passing down a country that is less secure and less prosperous is not just.

"For too many people, net zero has become a religion, and for too long, we were an unthinking part of the congregation.

"Here's the problem with the legislation: we know it's not working for climate change, but it's also forcing ministers to make decisions that make people poorer."

'The atmosphere is flat!' Ellie Costello asks Mel Stride if Tories are 'dying' amid poor attendance at conference

Mel Stride has insisted the Conservative Party conference will be a "turning point" after GB News' Ellie Costello questioned whether the party is "dying" amid low attendance.

Ms Costello said: "Our Deputy Political Editor, Tom Harwood, was speaking earlier about the atmosphere there.

"He admitted it's the quietest he's known it in the nine years he's been attending conference. There have been posts all over X, both yesterday and this morning, showing that some events are poorly attended and suggesting the atmosphere is quite flat.

"You've also got polls putting you in third place, some even in fourth. Some would say that's a reflection of your relevance now. Do you feel this is a sign that the party is dying?"

Mr Stride responded: "I think this conference will mark a turning point. We had a superb speech from Kemi yesterday the hall was packed, there were standing ovations, and a real buzz."

WATCH THE INTERVIEW ABOVE AND READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Conservatives will scrap Great British Energy if elected

The Tories said they will scrap Great British Energy if they win the next election.

Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho told the Conservative conference that it is a "vanity project that won't cut bills" from Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.

She said: "At the last election, Ed Miliband promised to cut bills by £300. Keir Starmer promised it, Rachel Reeves promised it. Last week, Ed Miliband had some pretty choice words for Elon Musk about disinformation.

"So conference, we've got a return message for Ed Miliband. If you want to talk about disinformation, where's our flipping £300? Far from cutting bills, bills are going up, and every choice Ed has made is making it worse."

'We can and we will': Sir Mel Stride receives standing ovation at Tory Party Conference

Sir Mel Stride has just concluded his speech at the Tory Party Conference to a standing ovation as he exclaims: "We can and we will."

He wrapped up with: "Where Labour choose debt, we choose discipline. Where they choose welfare, we choose work. Where they chose stagnation, we choose aspiration.

"All they have to offer is pessimism, higher taxes, fewer jobs, lower growth and a mountain of debt for the next generation. What we stand for is something far bigger and far greater than that: conservative values, opportunity, aspiration, optimism.

"We are the party of hope, we are the party of the future, we can and we will."

Tories pledge £23billion in welfare savings

Sir Mel Stride said the Tories will save £23billion in welfare cuts to support the taxpayer.

He stated: "We will ensure that benefits are properly targeted at those most in need, with people thriving in jobs where they can and should be working.

"That includes stopping claims for people with less severe mental health problems where what is needed is treatment and support, not simply cash.

"Because we know that the stability, pride and social interaction of work actually improve these conditions. So we say Labour want to park you on benefits, we want to help you to a better life.

"Citizenship should mean something. Our welfare bill will get the welfare bill down by £23billion. The culture of something for nothing must end now."

The Tories have a 'radical plan to rebuild our economy' - Sir Mel Stride

The Shadow Chancellor, Sir Mel Stride, said the Tories will "always be there" for business.

He said: "The first thing we need is hope in a world of great uncertainty, of a failing Government and a populist alternative that is totally detached from reality.

"It is our party that has to provide it, not in the way of glib words, but in the deep well of thought that will provide the solutions to our many problems.

"In short, hope can only come with a plan - a radical plan to rebuild our economy, and today I want to tell you how we will do it together."

Sir Mel Stride: 'Labour will tax everything - nothing is safe'

Mel Stride has warned that Rachel Reeves will "tax everything"

He said: "Just look at what this Government is doing. Constantly pumping up the size of the state, increasing spending by £100billion a year, that's 10 times what they said in their manifesto.

"And they said their plans involved hardly any tax increases, but what have they done?

"A £40billion tax raid, most of it on jobs, and now that Rachel Reeves has blown a vast hole in the public finances, yet more tax rises await.

"In fact, under Labour, nothing is safe from the taxman.

"Not your job, not your home, not your pension, not your farm, not your business, not even that which you simply wish to pass on to your own children.

"You name it, they'll tax it, and we say enough is enough."

Sir Mel Stride opens speech by claiming 'Britain must learn from Silicon Valley'

Mel Stride has opened his Conservative Party conference speech by claiming that Britain must learn from the US's Silicon Valley to grow the UK economy.

He told delegates: "I've just come back from another world, Silicon Valley. It really is a different world over there. The innovation, the dynamism, the constant yearning for faster, better, stronger.

"I visited technology companies at the very forefront of the revolution in artificial intelligence, venture capitalists ploughing billions into bristling new things. Lower taxes, cheaper energy and a people plugged in to making things happen.

"Right there, in that place, you could almost reach out and touch the future. I glimpsed everything from driverless cars to humanoid robots to AI to advanced reasoning to quantum computing to simulated brains to neuromorphic architectures. I didn't know what that meant either.

"Now you might think that a trip like that might have depressed me when I look at our own economy stagnating under the cold dead hand of a Labour Government. But far from it, far from it. It raised my spirits, because it reinforced in me the sense of what is possible for our country."

Labour minister backs ex-footballer Gary Neville's comments that 'angry, middle-aged white men' are sowing division

Faith and communities minister Miatta Fahnbulleh has hit out at people "trying to stoke tension" as she backs former England footballer Gary Neville's comments.

Mr Neville said: "We're all being turned on each other and the division that's being created is absolutely disgusting, mainly created by angry, middle-aged white men who know exactly what they're doing."

Asked if Mr Neville had a point, Ms Fahnbulleh said: "I think he's really right, that there are people who are trying to divide us at the moment. I spent a lot of time going around our communities, talking to people. People are ground down.

"We've had a decade-and-a-half in which living standards haven't budged and people have seen their communities held down.

"And you will get people trying to stoke division, trying to blame others, trying to stoke tension."

Polling shows double crisis for small and middle-income businesses following Rachel Reeves' speech

Small and middle-income businesses (SME) fear a double crisis following Rachel Reeves' speech at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.

Further taxes could be rising on SMEs, with 59 per cent lacking confidence in the economy and 57 per cent worried about the country's direction.

The second crisis is in costs, with 51 per cent saying turning a profit has become harder since the election.

Some 41 per cent has described business taxes as unaffordable and 38 per cent view soaring energy costs as a major concern.

Tories vow to 'hold our nerve' despite party polling difficulties

Sir Mel Stride said the Tories need to "hold our nerve" as the party's polling continues to struggle.

When questioned about comments made by polling expert Sir John Curtice, who suggested the Liberal Democrats could win more seats than the Conservatives, Sir Mel said: "We're four years from an election. Anybody who attempts to predict what will happen in four years' time is being pretty brave.

"If you were interviewing me in 2019 and I was a socialist, you'd be saying: 'Mel Stride, you've had the worst result for the Labour Party since the 1930s, you're never going to get back into office'

"And look what happened five years later. All things are possible.

"And what we've got to do is hold our nerve and, as we are at this conference, come forward with credible, bold, relevant policies, and that's exactly what we're doing."

Priti Patel says Labour is 'complicit' in abuse towards the Jewish community

Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel said Labour is "complicit" in the abuse towards the Jewish community.

She said Labour had "lost any moral purpose" and claimed that uncontrolled immigration had led to the "importing of the demonisation of Jews".

Speaking to Conservative Party members on Sunday evening, she said: "These are shocking and difficult times for the Jewish community, and made all the worse by Labour's dreadful decisions, which have actively undermined our relationship between the United Kingdom and Israel.

"And in doing so, Keir Starmer has damaged our national interests and made it harder for Britain to help chart that course towards a sustainable end to this terrible conflict and bring peace to the region.

"And while Labour have indulged in gesture politics, and Keir Starmer has allowed his left-wing backbenchers and trade union campaigners to dictate British foreign policy, it's the Conservative Party that stands with Israel against such weakness in the face of terrorism."

POLL OF THE DAY: Would you support a UK version of ICE to deport illegal immigrants?

Donald Trump's border force has deported hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants.

The US President suggested that military intervention could be used to deal with illegal migration to the UK, which was rejected by Trade Secretary Peter Kyle.

Kemi Badenoch has vowed to deport 150,000 illegal migrants per year in a 20-page borders plan.

Vote HERE in the poll of the day, if you would support a UK version of ICE to deport illegal immigrants?

Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride speaks to GBN Breakfast ahead of speech announcing benefit cuts

The Shadow Chancellor, Sir Mel Stride, has spoken to GB News Breakfast ahead of his speech announcing benefit cuts.

Sir Mel pledges to save £47billion as he plans to ban foreign nations from claiming benefits.

Mr Stride told GB News that the Conservatives were already saving money on welfare when they were in power and "had demonstrated very quickly within Government that we could make substantial savings".

He added: "When I was Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, we had made reforms to the work capability assessments - that's the gateway onto the long-term sickness and disability benefits, which was saving mulitple billions of pounds."

WATCH PART OF THE INTERVIEW WITH SIR MEL ABOVE

James Cleverly accuses Nigel Farage of being a 'socialist'

James Cleverly has accused Nigel Farage of being a "socialist" as the Shadow Housing Secretary launched a furious tirade against the Reform UK leader.

Mr Cleverly called Mr Farage a "socialist" as he drew a chorus of boos from a packed crowd at the Institute for Economic Affairs's evening drinks on Sunday.

Mr Cleverly said: "It is more important now than at any time that I can remember, because the so-called champions of the right, led by one Nigel Farage.

"The second that he thinks there are more votes to be had in disillusioned blue-collar workers, who want state subsidies and state handouts, his Thatcherite, Reaganite instincts desert him."

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Upcoming at the Tory party conference today

Day two of the Conservative party conference in Manchester is getting underway, with several senior figures set to speak throughout the day.

Tory party leader Kemi Badenoch opened up the conference yesterday, saying her party has a "mountain to climb".

She vowed her party would "strengthen our borders, restore our sovereignty and rebuild our prosperity", insisting that the Tories remain the only party capable of delivering for the UK.

Set to speak today:

• 10:00am: Sir Mel Stride MP, Shadow Chancellor
• 10:30am: Claire Coutinho MP, Shadow Energy Secretary
• 10:55am: Julia Lopez MP, Shadow Science Secretary
• 11:30am: Victoria Atkins MP, Shadow Environment Secretary
• 2:00pm: Andrew Griffith MP, Shadow Business Secretary
• 2:25pm: Helen Whately MP, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary
• 2:50pm: Richard Holden MP, Shadow Transport Secretary
• 3:15pm: Nigel Huddleston MP, Shadow Culture Secretary