Kemi Badenoch 'impressed' by Harrogate's indie businesses after tour of Cold Bath Road
Harrogate’s former MP Andrew Jones has talked about taking Kemi Badenoch on a tour of some of the town’s “brilliant” independent businesses during the Tory Party’s Spring Conference.
The impromptu visit by the Tory leader to Cold Bath Road on early Saturday afternoon followed her keynote speech at Harrogate Convention Centre earlier that day when she had blasted Prime Minister Keir Starmer for “dithering” over Britain’s reaction to the Iran conflict.
Among those visited by Ms Badenoch, who was also accompanied by the chairman of the Conservative Party, Kevin Hollinrake, MP for Thirsk and Malton, were Illingworths Hardware shop at number 113 Cold Bath Road, Tilly Peppers cafe at number 49 and HG Pets Independent Harrogate Pet Shop & Dog Groomer at number 47.
These may be tough times for the high street sector in the UK but Harrogate’s ‘indies’ found favour with Ms Badenoch, said Andrew Jones who was elected Harrogate and Knaresborough MP four times in a row between 2010 and 2024
“Kemi has been to Harrogate before and is a great fan of the town,” said Mr Jones, who has retained a keen involvement in Tory politics in the town since losing in the 2024 General Election.
"She was very impressed - and rightly so - with all the independent businesses we visited together on Cold Bath Road.”
During her address to Conservative Spring Conference 2026, Kemi Badenoch attacked Keir Starmer for what she said was general “weakness".
"When Britain needs strong and decisive leadership, we have a Prime Minister who is too afraid of making the wrong decision, too afraid to make any decision at all.
"Everyone remembers the mistakes of the Iraq war.
"Nobody sensible is suggesting that we should drop bombs without a second thought.
"But Keir Starmer spent days consulting lawyers, plucking up the courage to say whose side he was on. Canada and Australia had the moral clarity to do so immediately and unequivocally.”
While MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Andrew Jones twice served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, as well as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury.