Kemi Badenoch sets out the Conservative's pitch to London

The party conference season where political party leaders and activists meet every year continues with the Conservatives in Birmingham.

BBC London's political editor Karl Mercer is sitting down with leaders and other senior party figures to discuss some of the key issues facing the capital and what their party might do to tackle them.

Last week, he spoke to the leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch MP, and asked about Brexit, Heathrow expansion and her party's prospects in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.

Karl Mercer: The deadline has passed for applications from people who want to be the Conservative candidate for mayor of London. Have you been overwhelmed with the number of people who've applied?

Kemi Badenoch: So we are running a very competitive process. James Cleverly, Festus Akinbusoye would be fantastic candidates.

They'd certainly be a lot better than Sadiq Khan.

London has not thrived under Sadiq. Everyone thinks the city's getting worse. I've spoken to hundreds of people who have left to go abroad because they're unhappy with London. We've got a better offer.

Karl Mercer: Would James Cleverly, as a Brexiteer, be the right man in London, which is a very anti-Brexit city?

Kemi Badenoch: Well, the last Conservative mayor of London was also a Brexiteer, that was Boris Johnson, and he was somebody who people have very fond memories of.

Karl Mercer: Do you think Brexit has been good for London?

Kemi Badenoch: They [the voters] are not interested in having a row, which we had 10 years ago. The Conservative Party is moving forward. The country voted, as did many people in London as well.

Karl Mercer: But do you think Brexit has been good for London?

Kemi Badenoch: I don't think Labour has been good for London and the people of London will be voting whether it's Conservatives or Labour, not on Brexit.

Karl Mercer: Will part of that offer be supporting expansion at Heathrow?

Kemi Badenoch: So we are definitely for growth. We will be talking about what our plans are for growth in London at our party conference.

And when people come to our party conference and hear the announcements, they will know what our position is going to be on a whole measure of things.

Karl Mercer: You won't say whether you're in favour of an expanded Heathrow, a third runway.

Kemi Badenoch: I think the prime minister has come out and said that he is not in favour of an expanded Heathrow.

The Conservative Party has had various people taking different positions, and I want people to know that we are coming out with a lot of policies on our economy and for growth, and we're going to be saying what that means for cities all across our country, including London.

Karl Mercer: You talk about coming out with policies on the economy. You came out with one about VAT in London for foreign visitors saying they should be able to reclaim their 20% VAT because it's harming London.

But you were one of the ministers in the Treasury who brought in that policy and said at the time, it's a costly relief which doesn't benefit the whole of the UK. What's changed?

Kemi Badenoch: I was one of the ministers who said we shouldn't do that policy, but the Treasury and the chancellor at the time overruled me. And once that happens, you have to go with the official line.

As business secretary, three years ago I said that it was time to bring it back. I even went to Japan to see how they delivered it.

I think it is something that should come back and as party leader I want us to bring it back.

Karl Mercer: Can I ask you about the news that Conservative-run Kensington and Chelsea Council has been referred for corporate manslaughter charges in relation to the events at Grenfell?

Kemi Badenoch: I want to start by saying that we all know what a tragic incident Grenfell was and how much we support that community.

I know Kensington Council has done all it can to show how it can support the community and do everything within its power to provide redress.

It's disappointing of course that they have been referred to the CPS but we have to wait for the outcome of that case.

We brought in quite a lot of legislation to improve building safety regulations, to make sure that something like Grenfell doesn't happen again.

Karl Mercer: On the Holborn and St Pancras by-election - what does it say about the state of the Tories in London that you are nowhere in contention for that seat in a council that you used to run not that long ago?

Kemi Badenoch: But we've never run Holborn and St Pancras. That's just not true. That constituency has always been solid Labour.

The answer is it doesn't say anything at all. What I saw this May was us picking up lots of councils, Westminster, Wandsworth.

People are coming back to the Conservatives and I'm very pleased that they are.

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