Badenoch warns Conservatives face 50-year fight for soul of nation
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Kemi Badenoch told the Conservative conference that her party faces its hardest battle in half a century. The leader has forbidden defectors to the Reform party from ever returning, while Reform has responded by planning to contest her own seat through a US-style primary. This is the latest skirmish in what Badenoch calls a struggle for the nation's soul; the voters may find the struggle for the party's soul more visible.
The conference also heard of a proposal for a British 'Iron Dome' air defence system. Experts noted the plan was poorly explained, and that the country’s current systems are likely unable to stop a Russian air attack. Security remained the theme elsewhere as a man was arrested over a suspected plot at RAF Fairford, and officials assessed the fallout from espionage charges against a former German spy chief.