UK politics: Jenrick’s ideas mostly ‘my thoughts repackaged’, says Badenoch – as it happened

Green MP Carla Denyer said Kemi Badenoch, above, was taking the Tory party ‘even further down the path to irrelevance’ Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

5.45pm BST

Afternoon summary

• The former prime minister Theresa May has condemned a promise made by Kemi Badenoch to repeal the Climate Change Act if the Tories win the next general election, calling the plans a “catastrophic mistake”.

• Kemi Badenoch is expected to announce a plan this weekend to leave the European convention on human rights (ECHR) if the Conservatives win the next election, as the party attempts to halt a haemorrhaging of support to Reform UK.

• Michelle Mone has accused the chancellor of using “dangerous and inflammatory” language about her, after a company linked to the peer was ordered to repay millions of pounds for breaching a Covid-19 PPE contract.

• The EU and Britain are poised to agree a deal sparing British businesses from a carbon border tax being introduced in 2026, with officials targeting late spring for the next EU-UK summit.

For a full list of all the stories covered on the blog today, do scroll through the list of key event headlines near the top of the blog.

5.24pm BST

In an interview with BBC North West, Kemi Badenoch was asked what her message would be at the Tory conference in Manchester. She replied:

I will be announcing new policies explaining how Conservatives can deliver both a stronger economy and stronger borders.

We’re the only party that will be tough enough to make difficult decisions, but also competent enough to deliver them properly. No other party has that unique combination.

In other words, Badenoch is presenting the Tories as tougher than Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens, and more competent than Reform UK (although doubtless she would claim to be more competent than Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens too).