Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has emphasized that she will not be rushed into policy positions, asserting that there is no “quick fix” following the party’s defeat in July’s general election.
Badenoch became the party’s sixth leader in less than nine years when she was elected at the start of November.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Badenoch explained that the public “kicked out” the Conservatives because the party was not trusted and did not deliver, adding that building trust “takes a while.”
Badenoch dismissed concerns that her approach of not immediately defining policy positions could leave a vacuum that might be filled by Reform UK. Speaking to Amol Rajan, she said, “Reform is saying stuff because it hasn’t thought it all through. You can give easy answers if you haven’t thought it all through.
“I do the thinking, and what people are going to get with new leadership under me is thoughtful Conservatism, not knee-jerk analysis.”
“We are about what we are for, not just what we are against,” she added earlier in the interview.
Badenoch stated that she would not “rush out” policy positions within six weeks and urged people to be “patient,” emphasizing that she wanted to ensure people could believe she was telling the truth to earn their trust.
