The UK Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Conservative Party, the Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP, visited the Gibraltar stand at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham. She was welcomed by the Minister for Justice, Trade and Industry, the Hon Nigel Feetham KC MP.

Mr Feetham thanked Mrs Badenoch for the support the Conservative Party has given Gibraltar over many years, in Government and in Opposition.

Mrs Badenoch said that Gibraltar could always count on the support of the Conservative Party, and that she would love to visit the Rock.

Minister Feetham also directly raised the impact of increases in UK gambling taxation on Gibraltar’s gaming sector.

The visit drew significant media interest. 

"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 was joined 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.

In the evening Minister Feetham also held a productive dinner with Louie French MP, Shadow Minister for Gambling, representatives of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) and other Conservative MPs. This provided a further opportunity to address the challenges facing Gibraltar’s gaming sector and to engage directly with both UK policymakers and industry representatives on the consequences of changes to the UK gambling tax regime.

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