Notes from the North – Conference season hits Liverpool and Manchester

Labour and Conservatives rally in response to Reform

For those of a political disposition, autumn in the UK means only one thing: party conference season. This year the country’s two major political parties, major at least in terms of parliamentary representation if not in popularity, find themselves in the north of England. Labour have just wrapped up their show in Liverpool and the Tories will next week find themselves setting up shop a few miles down the Ship Canal in Manchester. Both find themselves in a desperate fight for political survival.

Unlike previous conferences – which combine a mix of self-adulation, grandstanding, gossiping, occasional backstabbing, and lots of alcohol – there is now a spectre casting a long shadow over all proceedings. That spectre is Reform UK which, based on recent polling, is set to take power at the next general election, simultaneously smashing the UK’s traditional two-party system. 

The Labour Party in Liverpool have been keen to recognise this threat, and the new enemy has dominated much of the discussion this week. Starmer’s keynote address spoke of “national renewal” yet was peppered with tub thumping lines about the decline, ruin and chaos that would result from a Farage government. This was all heartily received by the crowd, this year enthusiastically waving the flags of St George, Wales, Scotland and the United Kingdom – a very visual impact of Reform UK’s influence and a rebuttal to Britain’s summer flag obsession. 

Our team on the ground reported the mood among Labour members was upbeat, with many encouraged by a clear shift from abstract missions to a focus on delivery. But beneath the optimism lurked concern: the common refrain that “Starmer has plenty of time to turn it around” risked brushing aside more pragmatic warnings from Welsh and Scottish members, who fear the party could sleepwalk into a poor result next year – particularly with Reform sensing blood in Wales. Andy Burnham’s premature leadership manoeuvring only reinforced the sense of a party closing ranks around Keir, keeping the focus firmly on a national message while sidelining devolved realities.

Reform aside, one of the most notable things from Liverpool was the absence of Labour’s traditional enemy of the past hundred or so years. Over a year since their large election defeat, the Tories seem to have quietly slipped from mainstream political discourse. As they meet in Manchester next week, the most successful political party in the democratic world not only faces a battle for survival but also a battle to remain relevant. 

With a usurper on the right, never before has the Conservative Party been at such a crossroads. Its conference is likely to be a subdued affair compared to past gatherings, though don’t rule out a few surprises, and (for once) the media may actually be listening to them. Manchester could also give an opportunity for their somewhat invisible leader, Kemi Badenoch, to find her voice, stake a claim for government and draw a clear line in the sand for her leadership. Though it wouldn’t surprise me if she too is sucked into the Reform vortex.

In a past political life, I was always taught not to draw too much attention to your opponents as it fuelled their fire and gave validity to their arguments. Maybe this is something that all the UK’s political parties could do with noting in the months ahead, because this conference season has been the opposite. A fact that was summed up eloquently this week in a Matt Cartoon, captioned, “Next year I’m going to the Reform conference. They don’t spend the whole time talking about Nigel Farage”.