Badenoch pushes to drop £100,000 childcare tax cap and cuts youth National Insurance at Birmingham conference

• Left-leaning outlets covered this 19h later
• Right-leaning coverage is the most divided on this story

Left-leaning coverage attacks Badenoch’s policies as a handout for the affluent and a retreat from climate action, while centrist and right-leaning coverage highlight her popularity and the party’s election-focused economic agenda.

1. Sep 3 Richard Tice condemns Chinese imports while Reform UK merch made in China is on sale
2. Sep 4 National Rally leader Jordan Bardella delivered an English speech at Reform UK’s gathering, emphasizing tighter ties with the British party and joint immigration control.
3. Sep 4 Reform UK invited Bardella to speak at its Birmingham conference.
4. Sep 6 West Midlands Police have issued a call for the protester to come forward to assist their inquiry.
5. Sep 7 The memorandum was signed, moving the idea from conference discussion to a formal agreement.
6. Sep 18 Liberal Democrat members say the party has stalled since its 2024 election surge and aim to adopt a more aggressive tone at this weekend’s conference.
7. Sep 22 YouGov's latest seat-by-seat model indicates Reform UK would secure just 123 seats if a general election were called today, a sharp drop from a similar poll a year ago. Labour is forecast to lead with 241 seats, followed by the Conservatives at 130, while the Liberal Democrats hold steady at 71. The results point to the first hung parliament since the 2010 coalition. Reform also appears to be losing its high-profile MPs Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman back to the Conservatives. The party's decline follows recent scandals involving alleged off-the-books polling and the suspension of aides Dan Jukes and James Orr, prompting a Met Police investigation.
8. Sep 25 A new YouGov poll shows Reform UK level with the Conservatives and behind Labour.
9. Sep 27 The party has moved from internal frustration to publicly unveiling a health‑and‑economy platform at its conference.
10. Sep 28 Lee Anderson announced a “whip round” to raise funds for the woman struck with a walking stick.
11. Oct 4 Kemi Badenoch opened the Conservative conference by framing the Tories as a common-sense party, unveiling pledges on tighter welfare, prison expansion and free childcare for high-earning families.
12. Oct 5 Badenoch pushed to drop the £100,000 childcare tax cap at the conference.
13. Oct 6 Announced a cut to employer National Insurance for 21‑ to 24‑year‑olds from 15% to 7.5%.