The first day of the Conservative Party conference has been dominated by a row over comments made by leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch, in which she suggested that maternity pay had “gone too far”. However, Badenoch later claimed that she had been “misrepresented” and that she believes in maternity pay. Her comments were actually aimed at the broader need to reduce regulatory burdens on businesses.
These remarks were seized upon by Badenoch’s leadership rivals as the race to replace Rishi Sunak heated up. However, Badenoch’s supporters sought to cool things down, with shadow Culture Minister Julia Lopez describing the row as a “confected maternity pile-on”. Other Tory candidates, including Robert Jenrick, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat, dismissed Badenoch’s claims and expressed their support for maternity pay, which they see as essential to supporting working mothers and families.
Badenoch is known for her outspoken and sometimes controversial remarks, and during the leadership campaign so far she has focused on making broad arguments about the size and scope of government, rather than making specific policy promises. However, in this case, she attempted to make a broad argument about government regulation, but repeatedly found herself drawn into discussing maternity pay.
While Badenoch’s allies see her unconventional speaking style as a positive, her remarks were ambiguous and could be seen to suggest that maternity pay is excessive. In reality, the issue is not whether the amount of maternity pay is correct, but rather how to support working mothers and ensure that businesses are not stifled by excessive regulation. The Conservative leadership candidates will need to offer clear solutions that address these issues if they want to win the support of party members and voters
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