Doctors and medical staff from the British Medical Association (BMA) stage a protest outside the Mancheser Library during the Conservative Party annual conference in Manchester, October 3, 2023
THE Tory gathering in Manchester is the conference of a party preparing for opposition — or, more exactly, for its next turn in government.
That is not to say that Rishi Sunak has given up, of course. Labour’s poll lead remains formidable, but it has narrowed somewhat since Sunak started to ditch his bland techno-management style for that of an aggressive culture warrior, championing the supposedly beleaguered motorist in particular.
Nevertheless, it remains odds-on that the end is in sight for this miserable period of Conservative government. It has been uninspiring even for diehard Tories, raised on the battle stories of Thatcher, who find little to cheer in the record of 13 years in office.
Once derided by Farage as a ‘fraud,’ Jenrick has defected to Reform, bringing experience and political ruthlessness to the populist right — and raising the unsettling prospect of a Farage-led movement with a seasoned operative pulling the strings, says ANDREW MURRAY
The Tory conference was a pseudo-sacred affair, with devotees paying homage in front of Thatcher’s old shrouds — and your reporter, initially barred, only need mention he’d once met her to gain access. But would she consider what was on offer a worthy legacy, asks ANDREW MURRAY
Every Starmer boast about removing asylum-seekers probably wins Reform another seat while Labour loses more voters to Lib Dems, Greens and nationalists than to the far right — the disaster facing Labour is the leadership’s fault, writes DIANE ABBOTT MP
The Tories’ trouble is rooted in the British capitalist Establishment now being more disoriented and uncertain of its social mission than before, argues ANDREW MURRAY