Heading down to this year’s Conservative Party Conference, many political commentators had the same reservations. Would attendance levels be high, would enthusiasm be dampened by some of Reform’s election victories and Labour’s ‘Burnham bounce’, or would the halls reflect a party struggling to appeal to future generations?
Some of these fears were dispelled on arrival. The atmosphere in the conference centre was upbeat, carrying a surprisingly good energy and an undercurrent of genuine positivity. From seasoned association chairs to new campaign volunteers, there was a robust sense that the party was heading in an upwards direction. There was also a broader level of youth attendance and the grassroots resilience of the Conservative Party has seemingly held on.
The tone for the conference was set right from the start, kicked off by Kemi Badenoch releasing her blueprint for a truly conservative party ‘The Right Way’. This 95-page booklet serves as an attempt to reset the intellectual foundations of the party. At its core, the document argues that the state has taken on too much responsibility and forgotten how to deliver. It establishes a central principle that wealth and value must be created by businesses before they can be taxed or distributed by the government. Crucially, it takes an unflinching look at the party’s own record, openly acknowledging past mistakes, such as promising lower immigration without a delivery strategy or legislating for Net Zero without an economically feasible route map.
Badenoch referenced the principles in the document multiple times, making it clear the Conservative Party would be guided by these principles, throughout her keynote speech. Her central message was this was a new Conservative Party. It is a party that intends to stay true to its core values while being entirely honest about the errors made during its previous time in office.
The recent issue of several former MPs failing to pass the party’s new screening process to stand as candidates again was spoken about by attendees. Kemi’s speech made it clear that new candidates had to sign a declaration to stand by these new principles at all times, even taking a swipe at some former colleagues when she said “in the past we had people who used our party to get elected and then betrayed what we believe in. I am motivated by public service not self-service”.
The clear position the party wanted to portray was of a mature party that has acknowledged the mistakes of the past and was getting ready to be in a serious position to return to government. While the focus was on values and political philosophy, Kemi also spoke to some tangible policies the party was offering voters, including the worst kept secret of the conference, a major shakeup of inheritance tax.
The party clearly wants to be prepared not just for the next general election, but for more immediate regional battles. The competition to be selected as the Conservative candidate for the Mayor of London simmered in the background. It’s clear the party intends to put up a serious fight for the London Mayoralty which had in previous elections been criticised as being poorly supported by the party as a whole.
It genuinely feels like the Conservative Party is getting a pitch together to be a serious contender for government. An alliance with Reform was unequivocally ruled out by Badenoch. Alongside new policies was a philosophical framework to hold all candidates up to a new standard and Kemi declared the party was ready for an election.
There was something distinctly Thatcherite about this year’s conference, perhaps a renewed emphasis on personal responsibility, wealth creation and a state that knows its limits. Whether or not one agrees with the politics, it is difficult not to recognise how far the Conservative Party has travelled in just two years. A party that looked badly bruised after 14 years in government now appears to have rediscovered some of its ideological confidence, and perhaps, more importantly, a sense of purpose.
Of course, being election-ready is easier to declare than to demonstrate. The real test will be whether Badenoch can turn this renewed clarity of purpose into a compelling offer for voters, while convincing the country that the mistakes of the past will not be repeated. Yet with the gap between the Conservatives and Reform narrowing, the party has reason to be more optimistic than it was a year ago. This conference did not resolve every question hanging over the Conservatives, but it suggested a party beginning to answer them. For a party that, not so long ago, appeared to be searching for its political identity, that is no small achievement.
