Conservative Party Conference: The cult of Boris looms large

When the sound gun blasted, marking the start of the Tory party conference on Sunday, it was to the backdrop of a national fuel crisis, shortage of Labour, questions around the national insurance hike and cut to universal credit. Yet despite all that, those at CCHQ will be pleased with how the events of the week unfolded.

Instead of the Prime Minister using the conference to provide concrete answers to questions that many voters across the UK would be expecting to see, he chose to stick to traditional conference structure and play to his internal audience. Perhaps this conference will be best remembered for the fact it actually happened rather than anything else.

Of the speeches delivered across the week, there were only a few snippets of policy to takeaway. Michael Gove stressed the desire to build on brownfield sites, a stark contrast in approach from his predecessor Robert Jenrick, a sentiment echoed in Boris Johnson’s leader’s speech. Whilst Priti Patel announced an inquiry into the Met following a series of high-profile mistakes, particularly concerning women’s safety.

And yet, while many attempts were made to define what ‘levelling up’ actually means, there was different messaging from different cabinet members. Michael Gove gave a four-point answer whilst Boris emphasised that levelling up meant spreading opportunity across the country. It’s worth noting that David Cameron once allegedly called himself the heir to  Blair, but the desire and narrative of equal opportunity are straight out of the New Labour playbook.

However, despite the fact speeches came and went without touching upon policy, none of this seemed to matter.

On the contrary, the conference seemed to be in a joyful mood. Basking in the success of recent years, this was the first time Boris has had the opportunity to address the party since his stomping election victory in 2019, a victory that the Conservatives haven’t seen since the days of Margaret Thatcher. This, coupled with a strong showing in the 2021 local elections and the fact the party remains firmly ahead in the polls, perhaps it was unsurprising that this conference was all about the cult of Boris, rather than the actual policies this government will seek to implement.

And that is the key thing to take away from this conference. It was all about the cult of Boris. The energetic and relentless optimism that defines the Prime Minster seemed to be enough for adoring members at the conference. The soundbites ‘level up’, ‘build back better’ and ‘get on with the job’ remain popular enough with party members, despite still being none the wiser to what this looks like in reality.

Perhaps the most telling aspect of the conference was that the largest stage at the Manchester Convention Centre was explicitly reserved for the Prime Minister. Fellow cabinet heavyweights delivered their speeches to halls across the venue that struggled to hold more than 400 people.

Overall, CCHQ and The PM will be happy with how the conference passed. Spirits remain high, and it seems that the nation and Tory party agree that this government still deserve more time in setting out their stool in the backdrop of being plunged into a global pandemic a little over a month in power.