‘The Tory conference had a palpable absence of any real power’
In the first Conservative conference since Kemi Badenoch became leader, has the party found a focus to tackle Labour, and Reform UK, in the next election?
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In brief…
- Emily Maitlis, at the 2025 Tory conference in Manchester, says the event has an absence of “real power” and “x-factor”, despite seeing good numbers of attendees and a “buzz” in the main hall.
- Lord Michael Spencer tells Emily the party must focus on the economy, admitting that Tory governments “screwed up” immigration, which is now a topic dominated by Reform UK.
- Both Lord Spencer, and MP Oliver Dowden say the Tories have a strong history on the economy, and say neither Labour or Reform are able to address its issues.
What’s the story?
Well-attended speeches. Fringe events bringing a sense of buzz to the main hall.
This year’s 2025 Conservative conference had plenty of positive aspects, but a year after the party faced the worst defeat of its parliamentary history, Emily Maitlis found the negatives difficult to ignore.
"The one thing that you can palpably feel is the absence of any real power,” she says, after attending Tory Party conferences for 20 years, and believes it has never felt further from the "centrifugal force" of UK politics.
"You have a sense that the speeches themselves, or the fringe events, even the off-mic gossip doesn't really matter," she adds.
"There is no x-factor here. There is no superstar politician in-waiting. There's a sense that whoever walked into the room, your head wouldn't really turn."
Kemi Badenoch denied some of the events during the three-day conference were half-empty in a TV interview, while rows of empty seats were shown on screen.
She has faced an uphill struggle since becoming Tory leader, languishing behind Labour and far below Reform UK in opinion polls, an increasing number of MPs and councillors defecting to join Nigel Farage, and even suggestions that Robert Jenrick is positioning himself to take her place at the head of the party.
‘We screwed up when it came to immigration’
Now 15 months after the end of 14 years of Tory government, some of its members are now facing the party’s reality face-on.
“Obviously, the crowds are much less this year,” Tory peer Lord Michael Spencer tells Emily Maitlis in Manchester.
“The Conservative Party had a drubbing at the last election, morale has been in the doldrums for more than a year now, Kemi took over a very difficult job, and I respect her.”
He believes the Conservative Party is gathering its confidence, and claims in the months since losing power, it has finally worked out where its “battleground” will be in the future.
“We can't fight over immigration – that's owned by Reform – but the battleground we're going to fight on is going to be on the economy and on welfare,” Lord Spencer says.
He says he agrees with much of what Farage says – especially his stance on immigration – but admits this is the area which the Tories made its biggest missteps.
“Immigration, we screwed up – let's be absolutely blunt about this,” he says.
“In that period under Boris Johnson, I was appalled at the time, when we allowed in hundreds of thousands of immigrants.
“I’m in favour of immigration, most of us are, but we need to control our immigration, and that was out of control – so our credibility on immigration is fundamentally impaired by that.”
Despite the party still being the second biggest in the UK, he admits Reform UK and its rapid rise is one of the Tories’ biggest challenges moving forward.
“At the moment, we are arguably not particularly relevant. It seems to be a battle between Reform on the right, Labour on the left – but flailing badly,” Lord Spencer adds.
“I’m afraid to say, the chances of the economy recovering under the policies that they are implementing, their chances are nil.
“The situation economically is going to get worse, without doubt, and Reform on the other side, a populist right wing party, Farage, will be handing out happy-money.”
He says a focus on the economy is where the Conservative Party will find its “integrity” and its “traction”.
“I hope the Conservatives make a sufficient recovery, that we become the leading party on the centre right over the next two or three years.
“It's a tall ask, but I think it's achievable.”
‘Labour can’t be trusted with the economy’
This focus on the economy is shared by Hertsmere MP and former deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, who claims the Tories are now “building the blocks for the future of the party”.
“The Conservative Party always has been, and always will be, the party of the economy, and what I mean by that is about your family's finances, providing for yourself, your family and your community,” Dowden tells Emily.
“A year into office, Labour really are not trusted on the economy at all, and I think there are very serious concerns about what Reform can do on the economy.
“Reform is promising all things to all people. I think it's only the Conservative Party that, historically and now, can talk those truths to the British people.”