Kemi Badenoch attends local election campaign launch in Harrogate

The gathering was originally planned for Northallerton but was moved to Pavilions within the Great Yorkshire Showground to accommodate higher-than-expected demand, Tory chiefs said.

Yorkshire Conservatives regional chair and North Yorkshire councillor George Jabbour said: “Hosting such a successful event has been a thrilling experience.”

He added: “The demand to attend the lunch with our party leader was so high that we had to move the venue from Northallerton to Harrogate so we can accept as many requests as possible.”

Mr Jabbour said that even after moving to a larger venue, there was still strong interest, stating: “Even with this much larger venue, we had a long waiting list. It just goes to show how interested people are in listening to what the most popular Party Leader in Britain has to say.”

Conservative officials said the turnout was a sign of enthusiasm among members ahead of a key election year.

Ms Badenoch outlined priorities for both local and national government during the event.

Conservative-run North Yorkshire and East Riding of Yorkshire councils are due to face all-out elections in May 2027.

Voters in parts of West and South Yorkshire will also go to the polls at the same time.