Conservative Party Conference 2025: Notes from Manchester

Atmosphere & Attendance

The conference was notably quieter than in previous years, with significantly reduced attendance. However, despite poor polling numbers, the mood among attendees was more optimistic than anticipated, suggesting a degree of resilience within the party base.

To Challenge or Imitate Reform?

A striking theme throughout the conference was the party's determination to differentiate itself from Reform UK. Rather than viewing Reform as a potential coalition partner or ally, senior Conservatives positioned them as a direct threat, both electorally and ideologically. There was genuine conviction among attendees that many Reform policies are "unconservative" and would damage the country. However, there isn't unanimity on this approach: Shadow Foreign Minister Andrew Rosindell broke ranks on Monday, appearing to call for an electoral pact with Nigel Farage's party in an interview with GB News.

Ambition to Seize the Economic Credibility Mantle

There was broad consensus that re-establishing economic credibility is essential, with the party seeking to occupy the centre-right economic space currently vacant between Labour and Reform. The Conservatives are highlighting Reform's fiscal profligacy, particularly proposals such as raising the income tax threshold to £20,000 without articulating funding mechanisms, in an attempt to claim the mantel of fiscal responsibility.  

Interestingly, there is a growing belief that the challenge posed by Liz Truss’s legacy has been overstated. While Labour has sought to capitalise on her calamitous mini-budget, Conservatives at conference expressed confidence that this has not registered with the electorate as deeply as Westminster assumes.

The Policy Timing Dilemma

The leadership has adopted a deliberate, slow-and-steady approach to policy announcements, resisting pressure to rush out proposals early in the electoral cycle. The intention is to ensure policies are substantive, robust, and can withstand scrutiny. However, this caution has created challenges. The Lord Wolfson-commissioned report on small boats and the ECHR has taken longer than expected, allowing Reform to seize the initiative on immigration over the summer.

The Reform Threat and Network Effects

Conference attendees expressed concern about losing further ground if polling does not improve. There is particular worry about a "network effect", where a platform or party becomes more valuable as its popularity increases, with Reform’s appeal potentially increasing as voters come to believe it is the only right-wing vehicle capable of defeating Starmer. Just as social media platforms become more attractive when your friends join them, Reform could gain momentum simply by appearing to be where right-wing voters are coalescing.

Kemi’s Speech

Badenoch’s conference speech was very well received, both in the hall and across key national media outlets, securing positive coverage in The Mail, The Times, and The Telegraph, a crucial indicator of success in reaching the Conservative base and potential voters.

Key Announcements

Economic & Fiscal Policy

• “Golden rule” mandating that at least half of all spending cuts must go to deficit reduction

• £47 billion cut to welfare, foreign aid, and the civil service over five years

• Scrapping business rates for most high-street shops, pubs, and leisure businesses in England (100% relief up to £110,000)

• Repeal of the inheritance tax changes for farmers

Housing & Home Ownership

• Abolition of stamp duty

• A “first-job bonus”, amounting to a £5,000 tax rebate to help young people purchase their first home

Immigration & Borders

• Removal of non-British/EU nationals from eligibility for most benefits (excluding pensions and settled-status entitlements)

• Repeal of the Human Rights Act, withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights, and establishment of a US-style “Removals Force” (akin to ICE) to deport up to 150,000 migrants annually

• Consideration of leaving additional international treaties (possibly including the 1951 Refugee Convention) to ease deportation powers

Law, Order & Justice

• Plan to hire 10,000 new police officers and triple the use of stop and search (including without suspicion in designated zones)

• Commitment to abolish the Sentencing Council and allow dismissal of judges deemed “activist”

Education

• Higher education reform: capping university places in “low-value” subjects to reallocate funding toward apprenticeships

• Reversal of VAT rises on private schools

Employment & Workers’ Rights

• Restrictions on doctors’ rights to take industrial action

• Plans to roll back the Government’s flagship workers’ rights package

Energy & Environment

• “Cheap Power Plan”, pledging to reduce energy bills by £165 through axing the Carbon Tax on electricity generation and scrapping subsidies for wind farms

• Abolition of Great British Energy

• Repeal of the Climate Change Act 2008