Observations from an Association Officer – ‘Stronger Economy, Stronger Borders’
It was with a sense of duty rather than excitement or even anticipation that I packed the car on a cold grey October Sunday to head north for the Party Conference; it has been a bumpy year for us. Having kept up with news from CCHQ mainstream media and various conservative policy outlets the outlook looked bleak, with coverage on the drive to Manchester being especially negative when compared with the Labour and Reform conferences.
With plenty of time to consider what I needed from Kemi and the conference, I had used the excellent conference app to plan where best to fill my knowledge gaps and stimulate my thoughts on how we as a country, a county and an association can formulate our strategy to reinvigorate our grassroots support, find our confidence and regain our grip on conservative values. Too much to expect from a leader of which we have seen little and policies which had been in short supply, would Kemi even be leader at the end of the next week?
The industrial warmth of Manchester was instantly welcoming, Tory attire is evidently rarely seen in the solid working-class east of the city, drawing some amusing banter on the bus (the trams were down for maintenance) to the city centre. The walk from Piccadilly Gardens to Manchester central surprisingly, built a level of excitement akin to arriving for a rock concert! A ring of steel manned by extremely professional security staff and first-class police officers corralling the delegates towards airport-style security gave ample opportunity to catch up with party officials, Councillors and members. All were in good spirits but unsure of how the next few days would develop, we all needed to see the same thing, evidence that we had a plan and the people in place to deliver it.
I arrived slightly later than intended in the Exchange hall and just caught the second half of recent Conservative convert Matthew Syed (Times columnist, former Olympian, Labour candidate in 2001, read his excellent book ‘Black Box Thinking’), telling a standing room only, full size hall that we were the only party that could reverse the decline of Britain! Branding Farage a socialist for his economic policy was a humorous touch!
You will all have seen Kemi’s speech, the negative or at least ambivalent press coverage she received, from my perspective, was all completely unwarranted and extremely biased. When she strode onstage it was with confidence, flair and panache! As her speech developed it became clear to me why we hadn’t heard much for the last few months, she had been busy planning and analysing the policy announcements she was making. Her speech gave me an indication of what was to come and the idea that the party had voted for the right leader was firmly cemented.
The next few days passed in a blur of running between events trying to take in as much as possible, the volume of events on offer was staggering, it being impossible to get to everything of interest. The quality of each event was in general excellent, with Kemi, Kevin Hollinrake, Suella Braverman, Mel Stride and a host of other high quality MPs working their socks off sprinting between venues.
The hard work of the Shadow Cabinet, the National Convention and the enthusiastic realism of attending delegates gave me great inspiration, a huge amount to digest and some fantastic points to ponder on how we move forward.
Many will have already drawn their own conclusions from the conference reporting digested, from my perspective, the policy announcements, energy of the senior parliamentary leaders and the realistic approach to reviving our great nation were enough to convince me of the way forward. We have the right party leader, the start of the right policies and the right strategy.
It was especially heartening to see the central message from conference mirroring our association strategy plan, a grassroots movement, building trust gradually with the right people, policies and determination to implement them. The Conservative Party does not have an inalienable right to govern, it must build a convincing vision for Britain and it must be united. Hard work lies ahead, we all have to pitch in where we can and maybe, we can look back on the conference as the point where the party gained some confidence in what could be the start of the beginning of the fightback.
Conservative Policy Announcement Summary
For those who would like to dive a little deeper than my summary and opinion, from the conference, please look at the Conservative Policy Prospectus.
- Golden Economic Rule – For every one pound saved in public spending at least half will go towards reducing the deficit and the remainder to pro-growth measures. A sound policy that sets the tone for the government in waiting, it provides fiscal credibility and clear blue sky between competing right of centre political parties.
- Abolish Stamp Duty – Taxes on transactions are the most damaging economically, removing this will stimulate the housing market, allow downsizing and encourage housebuilding. One downside may be the increase in house prices in the short term, which market forces may not rebalance in one parliamentary term. Combined with the ‘First Job’ £5,000 tax cut to enable saving for a deposit or pension, it is a solid commitment to young people entering the job market. It should also be aligned with a reformed tax regime to further encourage economic growth and enhance government departmental savings.
- Leave the ECHR – The leaking of this announcement to Reform prior to the announcement at conference, stole some impact from this policy. However, it is mitigated by a roadmap of how we will do this. Yes, there will be challenges, these are acknowledged and will require firm leadership and unity to drive through parliament. Reduction in illegal and legal migration will be central to our credibility.
- Strengthen Energy Security – The recent Climate Change Committee report has told the government to prepare for 2°C, this confirms Net Zero by 2050 is impossible. Any sensible policy maker reacts to a change in circumstance. Removing this need for compliance will remove cost to business and consumers of energy. If we combine this with solid environmental conservative policies we can move towards energy security and reliance on imported fuel. This will need careful messaging, backed by evidence to successfully convince sceptical voters of our ‘green’ credentials, we are not abandoning the environment, only changing the way in which we produce our energy.
- Repeal Family Farm/Business Tax – We are an agricultural county, helping feed the nation and ensuring food security, we must support our farmers and ensure continued growth in this industry, it is simply non-negotiable. When the Education tax is also removed, we are implementing solid conservative policies and supporting aspiration.
- Safer Streets – The hiring of 10,000 new police officers, deployed to 2,000 crime hotspots, tripling the use of stop and search and the end of Non Crime Hate Incident reporting is something we can all get behind. How people feel is important, we need a cohesive society which is fair and seen to be fair. The removal of the ability to commit low level crimes with a zero tolerance approach will help us all feel safer. The choice of Home Secretary will be paramount to ensuring this works.
- Champion Personal Freedoms – nothing is more conservative than personal liberty, the scrapping of digital ID cards will ensure the state doesn’t overreach and services are open to those who choose not to have a smartphone.
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