Badenoch Affirms Conservative Support for Gibraltar at Party Conference

On 7 October 2026 the Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP, Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition, visited the Gibraltar stand at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham. She was formally welcomed by the Hon Nigel Feetham KC MP, Gibraltar's Minister for Justice, Trade and Industry, and publicly confirmed that Gibraltar "could always count on the support of the Conservative Party." The visit generated significant media interest and included direct discussions about the impact of increases in UK gambling taxation on Gibraltar’s gaming sector.

Gibraltar conservative support reiterated at the conference

Minister Feetham thanked the Conservative Party for its historical backing of Gibraltar while emphasising the practical value of public statements of support. He told conference attendees that Gibraltar has relied on the party's friendship "for decades," and invited Mrs Badenoch to visit the Rock to meet residents and inspect the new frontier arrangements in person.

"It was a pleasure to welcome Kemi Badenoch to our stand," Mr Feetham said. "Gibraltar has counted on the friendship of the Conservative Party for decades, and her words will be well received at home. We would be delighted to welcome her to Gibraltar, to meet our people and to see for herself how the new arrangements at the frontier are working in practice."

Mrs Badenoch attended the stand accompanied by her husband, Hamish Badenoch. Gibraltar's Representative to the United Kingdom, Jonathan Scott, and former Conservative MP Sir Bob Neill KC were also present during the visit.

Impact on Gibraltar gaming sector and UK gambling taxation

Minister Feetham used the meeting to raise the consequences of recent increases in UK gambling taxation for Gibraltar’s regulated gaming businesses. He discussed these matters directly with Conservative MPs and industry representatives, highlighting the fiscal and commercial pressures facing firms that operate under Gibraltar licences but sell into the UK market.

In the evening Mr Feetham held a dinner with Louie French MP, Shadow Minister for Gambling, and representatives of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), together with other Conservative MPs. The dinner provided an additional forum to address the operational challenges and to explain the sector's position to UK policymakers and industry bodies.

Political reception and Gibraltar's message on sovereignty

At the annual Gibraltar Government Reception during the conference, the Hon Dr Joseph Garcia CMG MP, Gibraltar's Deputy Chief Minister, thanked the Conservative Party for its longstanding support. Dr Garcia reiterated Gibraltar's position that British sovereignty is not negotiable.

The presence of senior Conservatives and Gibraltar officials at both the stand and the reception reinforced a consistent message: political support from the Conservative Party remains a key element of Gibraltar’s diplomatic approach to the United Kingdom.

Who attended and why it mattered

Key attendees named at the Gibraltar stand and related events included:

• Kemi Badenoch MP, Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition (visitor)

• The Hon Nigel Feetham KC MP, Minister for Justice, Trade and Industry (host)

• Jonathan Scott, Gibraltar's Representative to the United Kingdom

• Sir Bob Neill KC, former Conservative MP

• Hamish Badenoch, spouse of Kemi Badenoch

• Louie French MP, Shadow Minister for Gambling (dinner attendee)

• Representatives of the Betting and Gaming Council (industry attendees)

• The Hon Dr Joseph Garcia CMG MP, Deputy Chief Minister (reception speaker)

Those attendees gave Minister Feetham multiple opportunities to set out Gibraltar's concerns directly to UK policymakers and to industry representatives. The combination of floor-time at the conference and the private dinner pushed taxation and the gaming sector onto the Conservative Party's immediate agenda.

What operators and stakeholders should note

Operators licensed in Gibraltar who access the UK market should track bilateral political engagement because party-level support can shape the tone of regulatory and fiscal discussions in Westminster. The conference meetings connected Gibraltar officials with both the Shadow Minister for Gambling and representatives of the Betting and Gaming Council, enabling a two-way exchange on how UK tax changes are affecting Gibraltar-based businesses.

For those following regulatory developments, the exchanges at Birmingham are relevant to ongoing conversations about cross-border gaming taxes and market access. Readers in the industry may wish to monitor formal submissions from the Betting and Gaming Council and any follow-up engagements between Gibraltar's government and UK ministers.

Next steps and invitations

Minister Feetham extended a formal invitation for Mrs Badenoch to visit Gibraltar so she could observe frontier arrangements and meet local stakeholders. The visit remains a live invitation from the Gibraltar Government and was framed in public remarks as an opportunity for direct observation rather than as a statement of binding policy.

The visit and associated events at the Conservative Party Conference on 7 October 2026 attracted broad media attention and provided Gibraltar with several direct channels to press its concerns about UK gambling tax increases to senior Conservative figures.

For further context on regulatory and industry reaction to taxation and cross-border issues, Gibraltar's interactions at the conference will be followed by statements and engagements from industry bodies and UK policymakers. Industry readers may also find the conference outcomes of interest in relation to ongoing discussions about market access and competitive tax arrangements. See related coverage in our regulation and b2b sections, and the schedule of party events in our events calendar.