The Conservative Party Conference came back to Manchester from 5 October to Wednesday 8 October. The Conservatives had deemed this their ‘biggest political event of the year‘, with most of the action taking place in Manchester Central and The Midland Hotel. With public support looking fragile at best and internal tensions simmering, party leader Kemi Badenoch and her team sought to present a fresh agenda intended to reset the Conservatives’ narrative ahead of the next general election.
A central highlight was Badenoch’s announcement of the abolition of stamp duty on primary residences in England and Northern Ireland, (for purchases over £125,000), a pledge projected to cost around £9 billion annually. Badenoch framed the move as part of restoring home-ownership as a national aspiration and criticised the use of stamp duty as a “bad tax” that penalises mobility and families. In order to offset the cost, the Tories laid out plans for roughly £47 billion in cuts – focused particularly on welfare and foreign aid – framing this as the new “golden rule” approach.
On immigration, Badenoch escalated the rhetoric with a proposal for a “Removals Force”, modelled after the U.S’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), aiming to deport around 150,000 migrants without legal status on an annual basis. Furthermore, the party also pledged to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, tighten asylum rules and suspend legal aid in immigration cases.
With regards to energy and climate policy, the Conservatives also signalled a substantial retreat from legally binding net zero commitments and have proposed to scrap the Climate Change Act. Instead the party has started emphasising energy affordability and sovereignty, backing more domestic production in the North Sea specifically – and opposing green levies.
Other notable policies that the Tory party have brought to the forefront include a £5,000 “first job bonus” – a national insurance rebate for new full-time workers to help them out with home deposits or savings. The Conservatives also say they want to scrap business rates for high street shops and pubs. Controversially at the conference, Badenoch pushed for a dismantling of the Sentencing Council, so ministers could directly set sentencing guidelines.
With big changes and sweeping turns in Conservative policy – you’d expect that the turnout and ambition would be riveting – but no – observers flagged low attendance, with many empty seats, and the absence of some high-profile figures. The level of energy was ‘subdued‘, with critics questioning whether these sorts of dramatic party promises could restore party momentum. There were also signs of internal strain, reflected by defections to Reform UK at the local level, and lingering doubts over Kemi Badenoch’s grip on the party.
Security in Manchester was tight and closely managed over the first weekend of October: Greater Manchester Police did their bit in conducting a large multi-agency operation over the conference period – deploying extensive resources but making only nine arrests – none relating directly to the event.
In sum, the Manchester conference marked a significant shift in tone for the Conservative Party, with dramatic fiscal and immigration promises, a notable pivot away from climate commitments, and an attempt to cast Badenoch as a decisive, competent leader. However, with a mixed reception – the scale of the political challenge ahead remains a considerable one.
