Kemi Badenoch opened the Conservative conference by branding herself a "classic old school Conservative" and publishing a 100-page statement arguing the party lost in 2024 because it no longer knew what it stood for.
The document says a future Tory government would put business before the state, drive growth through tax cuts and deregulation, and shrink the civil service back to pre-pandemic levels.
At the same time, Badenoch backed benefit cuts as restoring welfare to a "safety net, not a lifestyle," promised 50,000 prison places funded by cutting overseas aid to £1 billion, and vowed to end the £100,000 childcare cliff edge.
The reset comes with the Conservatives still trailing Labour and Reform UK in polls, as Badenoch tries to sharpen the party's identity after its historic 2024 defeat and fend off rivals including Nigel Farage.