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Birmingham’s Symphony Hall is returning as the Conservative conference’s main stage, as Kemi Badenoch prepares to set out her party’s priorities.
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Birmingham’s Symphony Hall is due to serve as the main stage for the 2026 Conservative Party conference, where Kemi Badenoch is expected to set out the principles she wants the party to champion. The build-up has included a proposed major expansion of prison places and an announced ‘tough love’ approach to young people seeking benefits. [1]
In a BBC News preview published on 3 October, journalist Laura Kuenssberg interpreted the return to Symphony Hall as a sign that the party could draw a substantial conference audience. She judged Badenoch’s position within the party secure and said the leader had become better known to the public. An unnamed ally told her that people now knew where Badenoch stood. [1]
Badenoch told interviewers that the Conservatives were ‘finally saying what we believe’ and ‘should be more aggressive’ in displaying their core beliefs, Kuenssberg reported. Kuenssberg expects her to expand on those principles at the conference. [1]
The challenge extends beyond Badenoch’s own profile. An unnamed shadow cabinet member told Kuenssberg that trust in the party’s brand remained a problem, while a shadow minister said it still faced ‘a whole battle on the right’. Kuenssberg also cautioned that Conservatives could not assume voters who switched to Reform would return. [1]
1 listed sources · explore evidence, limitations and provenance.
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