Sunday saw members of the Tory Party assemble in Birmingham for their yearly get-together, which was notably scaled down and took place a mere 12 weeks after a resounding defeat by Labour in the national elections. The number of expected attendees is estimated to be around 10,000, a stark contrast to Labour’s recent conference in Liverpool which was double in size. Unusually, the Tory conference will not culminate with the customary party leader’s speech on Wednesday morning.
The highlight of the event will be presentations from the remaining four candidates – Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat – each hoping to succeed Rishi Sunak as leader. Their pitches will take place on Wednesday within the main auditorium of the International Convention Centre (ICC) in the heart of the city.
The conference largely serves as a lavish pageantry to determine the leadership scuffle. Following the speeches, Tory MPs will narrow the candidates down to a pair through elimination voting on the 9th and 10th of October. The ultimate decision will then be taken by the approximately 70,000 party members in an online poll that will run during the latter part of October.
Whilst the Tories no longer hold the reigns of the government, the security measures at the ICC did not slacken, as incoming delegates observed stringent precautions including the presence of armed police throughout the venue on Sunday.
The four aspirants for leadership amused arriving members with an array of playful merchandise. Tom Tugendhat offered cans of spray tan at his stall, while James Cleverly’s booth boasted “no leaks” water bottles.
Speculation is rife that immigration will dominate discussions at the conference and leadership contest, echoing the Tories’ final years in power. In the race for the party’s leadership, Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch are perceived as prime contenders. However, Kemi Badenoch, ex-business secretary, courted controversy following an interview on Times Radio on Sunday, where she allegedly alluded to the UK’s maternity pay as “excessive”.
In reply to an inquiry about the state’s maternity pay, which is perceived as inadequate according to the OECD standards, she conveyed to a correspondent that the government was overbearing and shouldn’t be burdened with solving every societal problem.
“Each time a problem arises or a query is posed, the solution can’t always be ‘let us aid the government in helping people procreate, or facilitate the formation of a football regulatory body or prohibit people from smoking in gardens’,” she stated, referring to excessive governmental intervention.
Her fellow leadership contenders exploited these statements, painting her image as being uncompassionate. This criticism echoed the past remarks on parenthood by Andrea Leadsom in 2016, which were believed to have sabotaged her chances of leadership against Theresa May, who does not have children.
Ms Badenoch was later forced to reverse her comments, but the controversy had already put her at a disadvantage at the onset of the conference. She now has until Wednesday to remedy the situation.