Conservative Leadership Candidates Embrace Populist Strategies

James Cleverly has pledged to abolish stamp duty for first-time home buyers to stimulate the economy, a policy reminiscent of Liz Truss's proposals. Conservative leadership candidates, including Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch, are increasingly embracing populist strategies to appeal to party members. Jenrick has controversially claimed UK special forces kill rather than capture terrorists due to legal constraints, while Badenoch does not rule out withdrawing from the European Court of Human Rights. Liz Truss, at a Conservative Party conference, defended her economic policies and criticized current leadership candidates for not addressing significant national issues. She also suggested the Tories would have fared better in elections had Boris Johnson remained leader and criticized Theresa May for undermining the party’s reputation. Truss expressed disappointment at the lack of radical policy thinking among current leadership contenders.