Conservative Party Conference 2016 by Edelman

CONSERVATIVE PARTY CONFERENCE 2016 Conference OVERVIEW So there we have it, this week in Birmingham three months of dramatic Party in-fighting, Shakespearian back-stabbing and ministers squabbling like school boys over who gets to use Chevening on the weekends, was finally put to bed as the Conservative Party collected itself in time to set out a plan for running the country. We were promised a departure from Cameron’s “glitzy PR show” and if No. 10’s aim was to deliver an ordered, serious Conference they certainly delivered. In truth the atmosphere teetered dangerously on the dull as relaxed special advisers and bored hacks swathed apathetically through a sea of notably older, predominantly male, Conference attendees. The expertly timed Brexit announcement served its purpose as attendees were robbed of the anticipated source of gossip and in its absence there was seemingly little to talk about. As the editor of one Sunday paper put it, it wasn’t clear whether Ministers were doing a better than usual job of staying on message or if they just didn’t have anything interesting to say if they weren’t. Fleet Street’s disappointment is of course Downing Street’s relief and No. 10 will this week be celebrating a successful Conference that finally allowed them to put more flesh on the bones of what is meant by “a country that works for everyone”. In an attempt to appeal to everyone the Prime Minister today warned politicians and commentators not to dismiss the

average voter’s concerns about immigration; in the same breath she called on the Party to steal the centre ground by building a society based on compassion, fairness and opportunity. The Party Membership may have been won over but there were grumblings from some ghosts of Cabinet past that good politics shouldn’t just mean appealing to the lowest common denominator either. Nicky Morgan and Anna Soubry have both put their heads above the parapet as two women who won’t be making May’s wafer thin majority any easier. In the absence of any credible opposition, those who have been banished to the backbenches will be responsible for holding the Government to account and May should beware of antagonising them too quickly. On the fringes, business looked on from a greater distance to that which they have become accustomed. There was a palpable sense of concern about what the new relationship with Government would be. Behind the scenes at the “Business Day”, the Prime Minister was taken to task in a heated exchange with one industry representative over the suggestion that elected Parliamentarians know best how to steer the country through uncharted Brexit territory. The question of MPs’ involvement in the triggering of Article 50 and how much of a say Parliament – with its built-in Remain majority – will have in the EU negotiations is but one of the battles that lie ahead for the new Prime Minister. Don’t be fooled by the calm waters of Party Conference, it won’t all be plain sailing from here.

POLICY TAKEAWAYS Tech Despite admitting that he was having to wrap his brain around some of these new concepts himself, Chancellor Philip Hammond pledged £220m of support for the fourth industrial revolution, supporting cutting-edge tech and fostering links between science, universities, healthcare and business. Transport Chris Grayling announced that a Modern Transport Bill would soon come before Parliament, paving the way for the growth of the new technologies – such as driverless cars – which will change the way that we commute and travel. Immigration Amber Rudd pledged to name and shame companies who hire foreign workers at the expense of British ones and cut the numbers of foreign students, while Jeremy Hunt wants to make the NHS ‘self-sufficient’ in British doctors by 2025. The danger was immediately clear as the Left was up in arms and the CBI expressed its concern that business could miss out on global talent and skills. However, the pledges may attract UKIP and heartland Labour voters. The Ed Miliband Memorial Pledges Devolution The Northern Powerhouse was namechecked, but the real focus was on the Midlands Engine, with £12m announced towards new transport links across the region. The Government’s commitment to HS2 was reaffirmed – a key part of the PM’s promise to deliver growth that works for the whole country.

Former Asda and ITV boss Archie Norman will lead a review of employment practices and the PM focused on worker representation on boards in a section of her speech entitled ‘Making markets work for working people’. This direct lift from his language could have left delegates forgiven for thinking that they were listening to Ed Miliband. The tanks are well and truly parked on Labour’s lawn.

CONFERENCE REACTION Adam Marshall – Acting Director-General, British Chambers of Commerce

Beth Rigby – Sky News

We need Government to act in partnership with business communities, not dictate to them – so that businesses in turn can deliver both

Midlands Engine namechecked by May – expect new infrastructure funding for regions beyond the Northern Powerhouse in Philip Hammond’s Autumn Statement

Nicola Sturgeon – First Minister of Scotland

Pippa Crerar – Evening Standard

I think there are lots of people wondering, with real concern, today what kind of country the Tories want us to be.

“We are the party of the workers, the party of public servants, the party of the NHS”. Did I come to the wrong conference?!

Jane Merrick – political commentator

Torsten Bell – Resolution Foundation

May says UK is a “country built on the bonds of family, community, citizenship”. I’d say it was built on immigration too.

Well, that’s ticked the box of a consistent and clear public philosophy: the economics of Ed Miliband with the social / home affairs [agenda] of the Daily Mail.

FURTHER INFORMATION Gurpreet Brar Managing Director, Public Affairs Edelman UK Gurpreet.Brar@edelman.com +44 (0) 20 3047 2466

Emily Poole Account Director Public Affairs Edelman UK Emily.Poole@edelman.com +44 (0) 20 3047 2292