Staff Writers Grace Holloway and Ali Raja examine the complexities and challenges of the conferences held by British political parties in the autumn. They reflect meaningfully on what the next few months might hold and whether these conferences will positively impact party supporters.
As Conference season concludes, we now have a look into the future of the political parties. From bold speeches to protests; conferences are never without their share of drama and this year was no different. Labour’s landslide, record election victories for third parties, and the Conservatives reeling from losses across the country have filled this conference season with mixed emotions.
We look to analyse the Labour, Liberal Democrats, Reform and Green conferences to highlight their main policies and notable issues.
Labour – Things can only get better?
Prime Minister Keir Starmer was in Liverpool between 22 September and 25 September, celebrating the Labour Party’s 412 seat landslide triumph at the Labour Party conference. However, a dark cloud loomed over the conference, as accusations of cronyism, corruption and cruelty towards the Labour leadership challenged whether things would actually get better.
Starmer addressed the conference, attacking the Conservatives’ record in government and their unsustainable fiscal policies, such as: the almost £22 billion “black hole” in the public finances, the expensive Rwanda plan, and their approach to the housing crisis. In addition, the constant reiteration of the previous government’s economic failures was an especially powerful line. If Labour can prove their strong leadership on economic matters, that could significantly alter the dynamic between both parties.
The Prime Minister emphasised the criminal nature of the riots earlier this summer in the UK and abhorred racism in any form. Regarding immigration, the party seems to be positioning itself as tough but fair. It is an interesting stance to take. Since the Tories have traditionally dominated this area, it could help Labour gain the support of those wanting a firmer stance on immigration. However, Labour must maintain support from those on the left, avoiding going too far in one direction.
Starmer continued to condemn the invasion of Ukraine and the escalation of violence in Gaza. However, at one point, he accidentally said a “return of the sausages” rather than a return of the hostages, before quickly correcting himself.
The Prime Minister was later interrupted by a pro-Palestinian activist attempting to discuss the Labour Party’s stance on Gaza further. Starmer said, “This guy’s obviously got a pass from the 2019 conference”. In my opinion, this underlines the shift of the Labour Party from a left-leaning social democratic party to a more centre-left liberal party. This change has been at the heart of a lot of internal opposition to the current Labour Party and has alienated many of Labour’s core supporters.
This was an attempt to recapture some of the support lost due to the ongoing ‘freebies’ scandal and changes to the winter fuel payments.
Rachel Reeves – Austerity 2.0?
The Chancellor also delivered a speech on the state of public finances. She promised to restore economic stability to the UK and not play “fast and loose with the public finances“. However, the Chancellor’s focus on economic issues at home did not stop her from being heckled about British arms sales to Israel by a pro-Palestinian protestor.
The Chancellor also claimed that pensioners would be protected from the winter with the rise in state pensions. This attempts to downplay the effects of changing the winter fuel payments. However, this was seemingly unsuccessful, as Labour members later voted against the change. The Labour Party has continued with the policy despite such fierce opposition.
The Chancellor also attacked Tory corruption, as £674 million of COVID contracts were left in dispute. The government is blocking the abandoning of contracts until a COVID corruption commissioner reviews them. The chancellor pledged no return to austerity in the next budget. However, detractors have raised concerns due to actions like the winter fuel allowance cut. It is difficult to say whether austerity is planned, as the above-inflation pay increases suggest the government is not planning austerity. At the same time, the cuts to the winter fuel indicate the budget may include further cuts to benefits.
Angela Rayner’s surprise speech
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner delivered a speech to a Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East (LFPME) event. This is a surprise as the Labour government has been consistently timid in its support of Palestine, causing disillusionment among traditionally pro-Labour Muslim and young voters. Rayner called for a de-escalation of tensions between Israel and Hezbollah with a diplomatic solution recognising an independent Palestinian state.
Outside of her support for Palestine she also announced the Employment Rights Bill and she claimed it would improve workers’ rights by outlawing “anti-worker” practices like fire and rehire or zero-hour contracts. Additionally, Rayner pledged to strengthen union rights by repealing anti-union legislation as well as introducing Awaab’s law, cracking down on damp and mouldy homes while extending it to private landlords.
Liberal Democrats: revived or destined for decline?
Sir Ed Davey arrived at the Liberal Democrat conference held between 14 and 17 September. Whether jet skiing or riding a rollercoaster, he ensured everyone knew there were 72 Liberal Democrat voices in Parliament.
Davey kicked off the Liberal Democrat conference with a speech to Lib Dem supporters. Davey repeatedly emphasised the Conservatives’ effect on the NHS, focusing on community and social care – a policy that primarily appeals to elderly Conservative voters. Davey highlighted the economic benefits of public investment, claiming a strong NHS would allow 6.5 million people to “be back at work earning a decent living and boosting our economy”.
Moreover, Davey called for tighter regulations on water companies to end the dumping of untreated sewage. Half of Conservative voters in 2019 saw waste as a key issue, highlighting the Liberal Democrats’ focus on Tory voters. The Liberal Democrats affirmed their commitment to preserving the United Kingdom’s “green spaces” and investing £50 million more annually to support new and existing national parks.
On electoral reform, the Liberal Democrats called for replacing the First Past the Post (FPTP) with proportional representation (PR), strengthening the electoral commission, and scrapping voter ID. The motion also called for over-16s and settled EU nationals to be given the vote while increasing political education. This is unsurprising, as the Liberal Democrats have consistently supported electoral reform, as the current system favours the main two parties.
The Lib Dems took a markedly different approach to their policies and the Conservative Party at this conference. Traditionally, the Lib Dems portray themselves as a sensible middle ground between the Labour and Conservative parties. The Liberal Democrats now aim to replace the Conservatives rather than just be a coalition partner. This would be a decisive shift in British politics as the Lib Dems would push for more moderate centrist policies, making it trickier for Labour to capture the center-ground.
The Liberal Democrats find themselves in perhaps the most challenging position of any party. They must attack Labour, but not so effectively that voters decide to back the Conservatives. However, the Liberal Democrats’ laser focus on key swing voters and the Tory’s continuing electoral malaise could lead to a 2029 Liberal Democratic opposition.
Reform: A professional party or a Trump rally?
This year, Britain’s most provocative political party party, took to Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre from 20 September to 21 September. This year’s event had a celebratory tone, following the party’s success in the 2024 election where it managed to secure five MPs, including Nigel Farage.
The conference had a festival-like atmosphere, members were seen drinking pints and pyrotechnics were set off as Farage took to the stage. The party’s casual and often chaotic image has long been a challenge for Reform, particularly attracting voters in the run up to the general election. Members were seen wearing both ‘Make America Great Again’ merchandise and even hats with the slogan ‘Make Britain Great’. This fits in with their populist appeal, but it could very likely alienate moderate voters.
Farage did address and admit to the party’s failing at the election, regarding their ineffectiveness of vetting candidates who then went on to stand for office with a history of offensive comments. The conference also focused on increasing the party’s credibility and broadening its appeal, which was especially reiterated through their new constitution being voted in.
The new constitution gave the party a ‘not for profit’ status to prevent future scrutiny over its ownership structure. This constitution sets the rules for how policy should be set, a no-confidence procedure to remove the leader; however, it would only be effective if the party were to achieve 100 MPs, which seems far-fetched for now. This restructuring is an attempt to become a more traditional political party.
Policy-wise, Reform maintained its anti-immigration stance, calling for ‘controlling our borders’, which was reiterated by many speakers. Former outspoken Tory MP Lee Anderson took to the stage to rip up a TV License letter and repeat his inflammatory comments about London Mayor Sadiq Khan, despite prior criticism. A commitment to leaving the European Convention on Human Rights, as a method to assist immigration policy, was also a flagship policy, which in turn could be seen to pressure the next Tory leader to also adopt this policy to win back voters.
Positivity and optimism still radiated throughout the conference, a stark contrast to the Labour government claiming ‘things will get worse before they get better’. They also continued with their commitment to electoral reform, with the hope that if a PR system was ever adopted, they would do tremendously well.
While it may seem a way off, Reform UK have their mind’s set on winning the 2029 election, so they won’t be disappearing from our news feed anytime soon.
The Green Party: Bold challenge from the left
The Green Party of England and Wales held its annual conference from September 6 September to 8 September in Manchester Central, following an election that quadrupled the party’s size to 4 seats and record local council election victories.
The Green Party’s appeal to disillusioned left-wing voters, particularly those frustrated with Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, was a major theme of the conference. In their initial speeches, this is something they targeted with their co-leader, Adrian Ramsay, arguing “Labour is getting it wrong” and vowing the party will be present in parliament to hold them to account on this. This was reiterated in their fury with the winter fuel payment being abandoned.
The party took bold stances on two major issues: the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the short-sightedness of current policy-making. Notably, they have become the first UK political party to declare Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide. The party also stressed their belief that parties need to change their policies to be more long-term focused, looking at 20-30 year plans to bring effective long-lasting change.
Their economic policies focused on reshaping capital gains and inheritance tax, to limit tax loopholes and ensure a fairer tax system. They also reiterated their manifesto policy of increasing National Insurance contributions for individuals earning over £50,000, which is a potentially divisive proposal.
Additionally, the party called for a renationalisation of water companies and a new law titled ‘Zane’s Law’ which calls for local councils to keep public registers of contaminated landfill sites. Both of these policies aim to move towards more transparent environmental operations.
Two more democratic changes were mentioned: reforming the voting system and using citizen assemblies. As a whole, the Green party has displayed its move to position itself more strongly on the left. This is part in preparation to scrutinise the new Labour government.
Moving forward
Across all conferences, there was a divide between the Labour government’s lingering pessimism and the hope and optimism of all the other parties. While the new government’s popularity faced a blow, we saw how the other parties are still relishing the general election success, with a clear momentum of support behind them.
There was a clear shift to left and right extremes, as Reform UK’s and the Green party solidified their platform, while the Labour government is firmly pushing a center-left agenda. Overall, this conference season has shown that British politics will continue to have passionate characters, debates, and policies light up our news feeds.
