The Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham has seen the party make a push to attract younger members, with promises on stamp duty and a new defence plan, yet the party remains in third place and faces scepticism from within.
Young Conservatives in the spotlight
At a party for Young Conservatives (YC) at Barbara's Bier Haus, leader Kemi Badenoch tried her hand at DJing. She has claimed the YC has seen a 50 per cent increase in its membership in a year. Young Conservatives were seen lining up to take photos with grandee Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Gen Z are being lured with the promise to abolish stamp duty when the party is in power. "Someone told me that Labour is the party of 'hope in our hearts' – but their hand's in your pockets," said Benjamin Goodrick, from north west London.
Despite the smiles, life is tough for young people today. Unaffordable housing, a precarious job market, and mental health pressures are cited as some of the main concerns.
Addressing NEETs and education
At the conference, there were countless fringe events dedicated to the subject of how to deal with the one million young NEETs – not in education, employment or training. "I think Labour made it worse," said 23-year-old Will Lawrence from Cheshire. "They need to make it easier for businesses to employ young people." Andy Burnham's policies are all 'vibes-based, and how to make people feel better,' he added.
During a discussion on tertiary education, former Ofsted chief Amanda Spielman said there was a sense of 'bewilderment' in international education circles on why the current Labour government is 'absolutely committed' to 'dismantling' the successes under previous Conservative governments. When he was education secretary, Michael Gove made sweeping reforms to GCSEs, leading to English teens ranking high in the global top 10 for science, reading, and mathematics in the PISA league tables in 2025. Critics like Spielman believe this work could be undone by Labour's changes to education.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced this summer that his government would introduce technical pathways in schools from age 14. Gove said it amounted to 'bringing back stupid', an assessment rejected by education secretary Lucy Powell. Labour, said Spielman, is 'systematically disparaging what's been achieved', and described it as a 'national suicide note'.
Defence plans and diplomatic rows
On Tuesday, Ms Badenoch announced plans for a £10bn national missile and drone defence modelled on Israel's Iron Dome, which she claims will protect the UK. While shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said he was 'absolutely confident', an army veteran told the MEN he was sceptical of the actual benefits. "It can't defend against hypersonic missiles. But it might be good for companies who want multibillion contracts."
Ms Badenoch later drew back from the comparison in interviews, struggling to answer basic questions from radio's Nick Ferrari on how exactly it would protect the UK. "I'm not - you've got to speak to the defence secretary," she said.
Shadow foreign secretary Tom Tugendhat pledged his party would reintroduce 'common sense' to foreign policy, slamming Mr Burnham: "The only thing he talks about is buses. Well, I've got news for you – that ain't a bus." He gestured towards an Iranian Shahed-136 drone suspended from the ceiling, saying: "Russia is using weapons like that to murder our friends." A school choir of Ukrainian children performed at the conference singing 'peace is what we need'.
An almighty diplomatic row erupted after Britain announced sanctions on illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israel retaliated by threatening to close the British consulate in East Jerusalem, which led to further tit-for-tat from Britain, which announced this week that it would consider expelling all Israeli diplomats as a result. Relations between the UK and Israel are at an all-time low.
Speaking at a seminar on British-Israel relations, Andrew Mitchell expressed his anger and disbelief at the Green Party's 'grotesque' decision to pass a motion declaring 'Zionism is racism'. The Royal Sutton Coldfield MP also took a swipe at Labour's approach to an ally: "We should be in no doubt whatsoever that Labour is not pursuing the UK national interest. It is pursuing the Labour Party interest."
Challenges remain
Some have observed that conference feels a bit flat this year, with empty seats in the main hall during speeches. It's hardly surprising given that the party is in opposition. While Ms Badenoch is fairly popular, the party is still trailing in third place. "We're not doing anything wrong," said Benjamin.
One young delegate who remains optimistic is James McAlpine. At 7ft 2in, the 22-year-old literally towered over every delegate. At last year's conference, James confessed to harbouring ambitions of becoming a Conservative MP and possibly a leader in the future. This week, James revealed he is job hunting. Given his stature, perhaps Britain can use him as a literal human shield to boost our defences, it might work better than the proposed 'Britannia Shield'.
Ms Badenoch said delegates were feeling 'chipper' because the party was returning to its core principles, but admitted: "We're not out of the woods yet." They really are not. As one sardonic visitor told the MEN: "They had 14 years to unf**k the country and yet, somehow, they made things worse."
