Conservative Party Conference

The 1953 conference took place in Margate. Winston Churchill's speech took place on 10 October. He had recovered from an acute stroke in June of the same year; Anthony Eden wrote in his diary that Churchill intended to use his speech at the conference to "try himself out," before he returned to work in Parliament. He had initially written an hour long speech of 4000 words, but reduced this to 50 minutes following advice from his doctor Charles Wilson, 1st Baron Moran, who also prescribed him either Edrisal or Drinamyl tablets. He was also given throat spray before the speech.{{Cite journal |last1=Scadding |first1=John W |last2=Vale |first2=J Allister |date=2019-02-01 |title=Sir Winston Churchill: recovery from an acute stroke in June 1953 and triumph at the Conservative Party Conference in October 1953 |journal=Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine|volume=112 |issue=2 |pages=61–71 |doi=10.1177/0141076818808425 |issn=0141-0768 |pmc=6378477 |pmid=30362866}}

1977 conference. Blackpool.

James Russell, speaker at 1977 conference

The 1980 conference was headed by Margaret Thatcher in Brighton. Her speech on 10 October included the line “you turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning!”{{Cite web |last=O'Grady |first=Sean |date=2023-09-30 |title=Rishi beware: history shows conferences can make or break a leader |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/party-conference-speech-politics-tory-labour-history-b2421008.html |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=The Independent}}

During the 1984 conference, held in Brighton, the Provisional Irish Republican Army targeted the government in a hotel bombing on 12 October. While it did not kill any Cabinet members, it killed five people and injured thirty four.{{Cite book |last=Oppenheimer |first=A. R. |title=IRA: the bombs and the bullets; a history of deadly ingenuity |publisher=Irish Academic Press |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-7165-2895-1 |location=Dublin |pages=119}} Despite this, Thatcher insisted the conference begin at 9:30 a.m., and in her speech she stated "this attack has failed. All attempts to destroy democracy by terrorism will fail."{{Cite news |date=1984-10-12 |title=1984: Tory Cabinet in Brighton bomb blast |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/12/newsid_2531000/2531583.stm |access-date=2023-10-13}}

The 1992 conference followed a surprise victory in the 1992 general election. In his speech which promised that the government’s welfare reforms would stop benefit fraud, social security secretary Peter Lilley adapted the “little list” song from Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado.”{{Cite web |last=Keate |first=Noah |date=2024-09-20 |title=When UK party conferences go wrong |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-party-conferences-british-politics-keir-starmer-labour-party-liz-truss-conservative-party-gordon-brown-jeremy-corbyn-jo-swinson-theresa-may-ed-miliband-iain-duncan-smith-peter-lilley/ |access-date=2024-11-24 |website=Politico}}

John Major spoke about returning "back to basics", and called for a return to "decency" and "courtesy" in his speech at the 1993 conference.

The Conservatives were projected to lose the next election in 1995. In his speech at the 1995 conference, defense secretary and leadership hopeful Michael Portillo said in his speech that "The SAS has a famous motto: Who dares wins. We will dare, we will win.” This was disliked by the wider public, and Portillo later said the reference "was ill-judged".{{Cite news |last=Katwala |first=Sunder |date=2001-07-22 |title=The rise and fall of Michael Portillo |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/jul/22/conservatives.uk |access-date=2024-11-24 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}} The Conservatives later lost the 1997 election and Portillo lost his seat.

At the 2003 conference in Blackpool, party leader Iain Duncan Smith stated in his speech; "to the prime minister, I say this: the quiet man is here to stay, and he's turning up the volume!" This line was not successful.

Prime Minister David Cameron headed the 2015 conference in Manchester. On its opening day, a protest of up to 60 thousand anti-austerity protestors marched in Manchester, with a small group of protesters egging a young Conservative member attending the event.{{Cite news |last=Pidd |first=Helen |date=2015-10-04 |title=Anti-austerity protesters march in Manchester |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/oct/04/anti-austerity-protestors-march-manchester-demonstration-conservative-party-conference |access-date=2023-10-07 |issn=0261-3077}} Party chairman Andrew Feldman had emailed members to remove their Conservative Party branded identification badges when outside the venue.{{Cite web |last=Stone |first=Jon |date=2015-10-05 |title=Hide your Tory conference passes when walking around Manchester, Conservatives told |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tory-conference-passes-manchester-safety-tuc-protest-a6675471.html |access-date=2023-10-07 |website=The Independent}}

Theresa May made her speech on 6 October,{{Cite web |date=2015-10-06 |title=Theresa May's speech to the Conservative Party Conference – in full |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/theresa-may-s-speech-to-the-conservative-party-conference-in-full-a6681901.html |access-date=2023-10-07 |website=The Independent}} and Cameron made his speech on 7 October. During his speech, he attacked Labour for not helping working people, labelled Jeremy Corbyn as soft on ISIS and Osama bin Laden, addressed a "refugee crisis," and made a defence of EU membership.{{Cite web |last=Behr |first=Rafael |date=2015-10-07 |title=David Cameron speech at Tory conference: what he said – and what he meant |url=http://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2015/oct/07/david-cameron-speech-at-tory-conference-what-he-said-and-what-he-meant |access-date=2023-10-07 |website=The Guardian}}

At the 2016 conference in Birmingham, Prime Minister Theresa May addressed the conference on its opening day in her speech "Global Britain: Making a success of Brexit."

At the 2017 conference in Manchester, May suffered from a combination of a prankster handing her a P45, Philip Hammond giving her a lozenge for a hacking cough, and a letter on the set falling off behind her during her speech.{{cite news |last=Belam |first=Martin |date=4 October 2017 |title=The cough, the P45, the falling F: Theresa May's speech calamity |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/oct/04/the-cough-the-p45-the-falling-f-theresa-mays-speech-calamity |access-date=25 May 2019 |via=www.theguardian.com}}

At the 2018 conference, May danced onto the stage for her speech on 3 October to ABBA's Dancing Queen in reference to her previous dancing during a visit to South Africa, and also made reference to the letter that had fallen from the backdrop at the 2017 event.{{Cite news |last=Scott |first=Jennifer |date=2018-10-03 |title=Why was Theresa May dancing? And did it work? |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-45733370 |access-date=2023-10-04}}{{Cite news |last=Belam |first=Martin |date=2018-10-03 |title=Dancing Queen: Theresa May steps out again |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/oct/03/dancing-queen-theresa-may-steps-out-again |access-date=2023-10-04 |issn=0261-3077}} During the speech, she made several policy pledges including the end of austerity, lifting caps on local authorities borrowing to build new council houses, setting new targets for early cancer detection and continuing the freeze on fuel duty.{{Cite news |last=Stewart |first=Heather |date=2018-10-03 |title=Theresa May pledges end to austerity in Tory conference speech |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/oct/03/theresa-may-conference-speech-ambasts-labour-as-she-calls-for-tory-unity |access-date=2023-10-07 |issn=0261-3077}}

Kong Linlin, a Chinese state journalist with CCTV+, was charged with common assault after an incident at the conference during an event on the “erosion of freedom” of Hong Kong; the case was discontinued on the advice of the Crown Prosecution Service and the Embassy of China in London commented on the incident.{{Cite news |last=Weaver |first=Matthew |date=2018-11-20 |title=Case dropped against Chinese journalist who allegedly slapped Tory delegate |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/nov/20/kong-linlin-chinese-journalist-case-dropped-allegedly-slapped-tory-delegate |access-date=2023-10-04 |issn=0261-3077}} An app developed for the conference, announced by party chairman Brandon Lewis as "the first 'interactive' conference app", led to leaks of members' phone numbers including that of Boris Johnson.{{Cite news |date=2018-09-29 |title=Conservative Party conference app reveals MPs' numbers |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-45693143 |access-date=2023-10-07}}

The 2019 conference was held in Manchester. Parliament voted to reject the government's request for the traditional three-day parliamentary "conference recess" by a margin of 17 votes due to opposition parties refusing to back any suspension of parliament until the potential no-deal Brexit on 31 October was averted, meaning that the conference clashed with the sitting of Parliament for the first time.{{Cite news |last=Payne |first=Sebastian |date=2019-09-26 |title=Tory conference to go ahead despite no Commons break |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/052a7e58-e065-11e9-9743-db5a370481bc |access-date=2023-10-07}}

At the conference, on 1 October, Conservative MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown was removed from the event after attempting to bring a person without a relevant pass into the lounge and arguing with a member of staff.{{Cite news |last=Proctor |first=Kate |date=2019-10-01 |title=Senior Tory MP asked to leave party conference after incident |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/01/police-called-tory-conference-mp-geoffrey-clifton-brown |access-date=2023-10-07 |issn=0261-3077}}

Boris Johnson's speech at the conference had Brexit as a central focus. During the speech, he stated that "we will under no circumstances have checks at or near the border in Northern Ireland. We will respect the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement." He suggested that his proposal for a Brexit deal represented a compromise from the government to the EU, and that the alternative would be a no deal Brexit, stating that Parliament "refuses to deliver Brexit, refuses to do anything constructive and refuses to have an election." He called Labour a party of "fratricidal antisemitic Marxists".{{Cite news |last=Stewart |first=Heather |date=2019-10-02 |title=Boris Johnson tells Tory conference: UK is ready for no-deal Brexit |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/02/boris-johnson-asks-tory-conference-are-we-ready-for-no-deal-brexit |access-date=2023-10-07 |issn=0261-3077}}

The 2020 conference was initially intended to be held in Birmingham. In July 2020, the party announced that it would be held in an online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with key events livestreamed.{{Cite web |last1=Whannel |first1=Kate |last2=Seddon |first2=Paul |last3=Morris |first3=Richard |date=2020-10-06 |title=As it happened: Johnson's Conservative conference speech |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-54431456 |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=BBC News}}{{Cite news |last=Proctor |first=Kate |date=2020-07-07 |title=Conservatives confirm party conference will switch to virtual format |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jul/07/conservatives-confirm-party-conference-will-switch-to-virtual-format |access-date=2023-10-04 |issn=0261-3077}}

Johnson's speech was held on 6 October. During the speech, he refuted rumours concerning his health, stated he would "fix the injustice of care home funding," and "fix our broken housing market."{{Cite web |last=Chaplain |first=Chloe |date=2020-10-06 |title=The key moments from Boris Johnson's Conservative party confence speech |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/boris-johnson-speech-conservative-conference-address-highlights-key-moments-678641 |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=i}}

The 2021 conference, held in Manchester, was also headed by Johnson.{{Cite web |last1=Webber |first1=Esther |last2=Dickson |first2=Annabelle |date=2021-10-06 |title=5 Tory conference takeaways |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/tory-conference-2021-conservative-party-uk-boris-johnson/ |access-date=2023-10-07 |website=Politico}} David Frost told the conference that Britain would trigger Article 16 safeguard measures in the Northern Ireland Protocol if the European Union failed to agree to changes to smooth trade with Northern Ireland.{{Cite news |last1=Maclellan |first1=Kylie |last2=Piper |first2=Elizabeth |date=2021-10-04 |title=UK tells EU again it may take unilateral steps to protect Northern Ireland trade|work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britain-again-warns-eu-it-will-trigger-brexit-safeguard-measures-2021-10-04/ |access-date=2023-10-07}} Iain Duncan Smith was allegedly assaulted on the way to the conference by a group of five protesters using a traffic cone.{{Cite web |last=Heffer |first=Greg |date=2021-10-04 |title=Conservative Party conference 2021: Five arrests following alleged assault 'with traffic cone' on ex-Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith |url=https://news.sky.com/story/conservative-party-conference-2021-five-arrests-following-alleged-assault-on-ex-tory-leader-sir-iain-duncan-smith-12426130 |access-date=2023-10-07 |website=Sky News}} Two Windrush campaigners were refused access to the conference on 4 October due to concerns that they may protest in the venue.{{Cite news |last=Walker |first=Peter |date=2021-10-05 |title=Windrush activists 'disgusted' after being turned away at Tory conference |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/oct/05/windrush-activists-disgusted-after-being-turned-away-at-tory-conference |access-date=2023-10-07 |issn=0261-3077}}

In his speech on 6 October, Johnson announced fewer policies than usual, instead signalling a new philosophy in response to supply chain problems and labour shortages.

Liz Truss' speech at the 2022 conference at the ICC Birmingham lasted 35 minutes, shorter than usual for speeches by party leaders at the conference. During the speech, she stated that she would bring the country through "stormy days" and oppose the "anti-growth coalition," which she said included opposition parties, unions and environmental campaigners. The speech was interrupted by Greenpeace protesters.{{Cite news |last=Morton |first=Becky |date=2022-10-05 |title=Liz Truss speech: PM pledges to get country through 'stormy days' |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-63141831 |access-date=2023-10-03}}

Mel B appeared at the conference to appeal for support for domestic abuse victims.{{Cite news |date=2022-10-02 |title=Mel B appears at Tory conference to call for more help for domestic abuse victims |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-63111261 |access-date=2023-10-07}}

The 2023 conference was held in Manchester from 1 to 4 October, and was the first to be held with Rishi Sunak as leader of the party.{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=2023-10-02 |title=The 2023 Conservative Party Conference schedule |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/10/02/conservative-party-conference-agenda-2023-manchester-sunak/ |access-date=2023-10-03 |issn=0307-1235}} Prior to the event in July 2023, conference organisers dropped plans to charge journalists £137 each to attend, following a letter to the party signed by news organisations protesting the change.{{Cite news |last=Quinn |first=Ben |date=2023-07-26 |title=Tory party drops plans to charge journalists to attend conference |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jul/26/tory-party-drops-plans-to-charge-journalists-to-attend-conference |access-date=2023-10-03 |issn=0261-3077}} In September, the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen announced train driver strikes targeting the conference on September 30 and October 4, as well as a ban on drivers' overtime work on September 29, and between October 2 and October 6.{{Cite news |last=Georgiadis |first=Philip |date=2023-09-15 |title=UK train drivers announce strikes targeting Conservative party conference |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/12372689-0bb8-4585-bbbb-e895b821e419 |access-date=2023-10-07}}

Discussion of the Manchester leg of the High Speed 2 (HS2) railway was prevalent in the conference due to leaks that its cancellation was under review.{{Cite news |last=Zeffman |first=Henry |date=2023-10-03 |title=Speculation about HS2 overwhelms Conservative party conference |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-66993013 |access-date=2023-10-03}}{{Cite news |last=Sparrow |first=Andrew |date=2023-10-02 |title=Rishi Sunak accused of presiding over 'chaos' as Tory conference braces for news of HS2 Manchester leg cancellation – as it happened |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2023/oct/02/conservative-party-conference-jeremy-hunt-liz-truss-rishi-sunak-tory-labour-politics-latest-updates |access-date=2023-10-03 |issn=0261-3077}} A speech by former party leader Liz Truss on 2 October, described by The New York Times as "well-attended", argued that corporation tax should be cut.{{Cite news |last1=Landler |first1=Mark |last2=Castle |first2=Stephen |date=2023-10-03 |title=Liz Truss Haunts Rishi Sunak at U.K. Conservatives' Annual Conference |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/03/world/europe/conservative-party-conference-uk-sunak-braverman.html |access-date=2023-10-03 |issn=0362-4331}} During a speech by Suella Braverman, elected Conservative London Assembly member and LGBT+ Conservatives patron Andrew Boff was removed from the conference by security staff and had his pass withdrawn after interrupting the speech by stating that "there's no such thing as gender ideology", after Braverman had described "gender ideology" as "poison".{{Cite news |last=Whannel |first=Kate |date=2023-10-03 |title=Tory politician Andrew Boff kicked out of conference after Braverman heckle |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-66998189 |access-date=2023-10-03}} Boff said that "trash about gender ideology is making our Conservative Party look transphobic and homophobic."{{cite news |date= 3 October 2023 |title= Tory conference latest: London Assembly member kicked out of main hall during Suella Braverman speech |url= https://news.sky.com/video/tory-conference-latest-london-assembly-member-kicked-out-of-main-hall-during-suella-braverman-speech-12975962 |work= Sky News |access-date= 4 October 2023}}{{cite news |last= Kelly |first= James |date= 3 October 2023 |title= London Assembly chair ejected during Braverman speech |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-66993794 |work= BBC News |access-date= 4 October 2023}} Nigel Farage attended the conference for the first time since 1988, prompting consideration on whether he would re-join the party.{{Cite news |last=Wheeler |first=Brian |date=2023-10-03 |title=Nigel Farage leaves door open to re-joining Tories after election |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-66997104 |access-date=2023-10-04}}

Sunak's speech took place on 4 October, and was an hour long. He announced the cancellation of the West Midlands to Manchester leg of HS2, stating that "the facts have changed." He also announced that £4 billion in funding would be reallocated from the railway to other transport schemes in six northern city regions, and confirmed that the planned HS2 line would run into Euston railway station.{{Cite news |last1=Zeffman |first1=Henry |last2=Whannel |first2=Kate |date=2023-10-04 |title=The facts have changed, says Rishi Sunak, as he scraps HS2 leg |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-67005544 |access-date=2023-10-04}} Sunak also announced plans to scrap A-levels and replace them with an "Advanced British Standard" qualification.{{Cite web |last=Forrest |first=Adam |date=2023-10-04 |title=Sunak axes A-levels and reveals new 'Advanced British Standard' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/rishi-sunak-a-levels-scrapped-b2423832.html |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=The Independent}} He also positioned himself against gender self-identification, stating "a man is a man, and a woman is a woman".{{Citation |title=Rishi Sunak: A man is a man and a woman is a woman - that's just common sense |date=2023-10-05 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/rishi-sunak-man-is-a-man-speech-transgender-b2424372.html |access-date=2023-10-10}}

The 2024 conference was held in Birmingham from 29 September to 2 October,{{Cite web |title=Conference {{!}} Conservatives |url=https://www.conservatives.com/conference |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240917060039/https://www.conservatives.com/conference |archive-date=17 September 2024 |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=www.conservatives.com}} and followed the defeat of the Conservative Party at the general election of July 2024, and the resignation of Rishi Sunak as the party leader. The conference was used by leadership hopefuls in the 2024 Conservative Party leadership election as a 'beauty parade' for the candidates.{{Cite web |last=Swinford |first=Steven |date=22 July 2024 |title=Tories planning to name a new leader in November |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/tories-planning-to-name-a-new-leader-in-november-tnn8nb5p5 |access-date=22 July 2024 |website=The Times}}{{Cite web |title=Conservative party plans to unveil next leader in November |url=https://www.ft.com/content/721beaf7-f671-4f46-b4dc-49819b58d5ee |access-date=2024-07-23 |website=Financial Times|date=22 July 2024 |last1=Fisher |first1=Lucy |last2=Parker |first2=George }}

• Labour Party Conference
• Liberal Democrat Conference
• Party conference season

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.conservatives.com/conference Conservative Conference Website]

{{UK Conservative Party}}

Category:Annual events in the United Kingdom

Category:Conferences in the United Kingdom

Category:Political events in the United Kingdom

Category:Political party assemblies