Badenoch pledges to back police facing misconduct cases
Kemi Badenoch has said she will back police officers who are unfairly hounded over alleged misconduct. She made the remarks in a speech to the Police Federation conference in London on 22 October 2026. The Police Federation is the body that represents police officers.
Speaking to the conference, Badenoch said: "I am not scared to wade in, and I am not scared to back the police." She said she would back officers facing lengthy misconduct proceedings, which are formal internal investigations into an officer's conduct. Bury Times reported the same pledge.
Badenoch also called for more support for members of the public and police officers who step in to stop wrongdoing. BBC News reported her remarks on the matter.
She criticised Labour for not sending a minister to address the conference for two years in a row. Badenoch said that neither the policing minister nor the Home Secretary had addressed the conference.
The prime minister's official deputy spokeswoman rejected Badenoch's claims. She said police have the government's "full backing".
Badenoch named two officers who died in the crash on the A66 road in Cleveland, PCs Matthew Blades and Tom Clough, as police officers killed in the line of duty. She also named PC Andrew Harper, who was killed while investigating a quad bike theft.
The Conservative Party published an item titled "Conservatives Back Police Officers" on 22 October 2026. The party states its plan is to put 10,000 extra officers on the street.
