Understand
Kemi Badenoch pledges to scrap inheritance tax on family homes
Overview
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has used her keynote conference speech in Birmingham to pledge that a future Conservative government would abolish inheritance tax on family homes and allow couples to leave an additional £1m tax-free. Badenoch positioned the Conservatives as a "no-nonsense" party, ruled out any election deals with Reform UK, and stated her long-term ambition is to abolish inheritance tax entirely when affordable. Rival parties criticised the proposals, arguing they would benefit wealthier people rather than ordinary families.
Key points
- Kemi Badenoch pledged to scrap inheritance tax on family homes and enable couples to leave an additional £1m tax-free.
- She stated her ultimate ambition is to abolish inheritance tax altogether as soon as the government can afford it.
- Badenoch ruled out doing an election deal with Reform UK, describing the party as a "circus" and a "drama queen" exporter.
- The Conservatives estimated the inheritance tax policy would cost around £6bn a year, funded by proposed government spending and welfare savings.
- Labour, Reform UK, the Liberal Democrats, and the Green Party all criticised the speech, claiming the policies favour the wealthy or represent unfunded promises.