Take-aways from party conferences 2022

Political party conferences aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I confess I quite enjoy them – the buzz, the vast array of debates and brilliant speakers at fringe events, the gossip – and this year’s did not disappoint.

By Jane Cox, Director

Political party conferences aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I confess I quite enjoy them – the buzz, the vast array of debates and brilliant speakers at fringe events, the gossip – and this year’s did not disappoint. 

I’ve never known such a backdrop of political and economic turbulence during the actual conference days themselves. This played out at both conferences, with the Labour Party in Liverpool seeming increasingly confident – although never complacent – as their conference progressed. It also meant that there were fewer high-profile MPs, particularly ministers, giving time to the fringe meetings at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.

I was there with a social care charity, so focused on health and care meetings. I only saw a fraction of what was going on, but my main take-aways are:

1. Conference engagement is important on big-ticket policy issues. It’s useful for significant campaign or policy issues to be on the agenda, with events bringing together fantastic speakers with political leaders. There’s no substitute for meeting people in person and showing the strength of feeling on an issue to a party’s leadership with a packed-out room of party members. However, generally for small charities or for niche (although important) issues, MP engagement can be more easily, and cost effectively, done in Westminster.
2. Collaboration is key and saves money. Running events at party conferences is expensive – it’s useful to work with a leading think tank (which is pricey) and the passes, travel and accommodation all add up. Working in partnership with other charities means you’ll have a stronger voice, are more likely to get your target minister/shadow minister on the panel, and will save you money.  For example, several care charities worked with the National Care Forum and Conservative Home to run an excellent panel event at both conferences.  Dods organised a series of brilliant Health and Care Forum meetings at both, sponsored by Roche and with 16 charity partners. These were incredibly useful and without this partnership there would have been a shortage of discussion on critical health issues at both conferences.
3. The Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, is working up detailed health and care policy plans. He said that he’s keen to work up as many policy plans as possible before the general election, so wants to engage with the sector – charities should take him up on this!
4. The new health ministerial team are starting to emerge and sort through their priorities. Some of the health ministerial portfolios, although not on the DHSC website yet, became clearer at conference with Neil O’Brien in charge of care and Will Quince for cancer. The new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Thérèse Coffey, spoke at a health reception, highlighting that she wants a partnership approach to health and social care and saying that ‘ABCD’ (ambulances, backlogs, care and doctors / dentists) are her focus, but not exclusively.  She is considering what happens with the health inequalities white paper, amongst many other issues. ‘Delivery’ and ‘growing the economy’ are clearly still the key messages for any engagement with the current Government.

And now, it’s all eyes to the next General Election.  This won’t surprise anyone, but from now on both parties will clearly be increasingly obsessed with the next General Election and will try to ensure their parties are unified behind a clear vision and message that will appeal to the electorate. They will have to reassure people that they can support the country through the cost-of-living crisis and deepening NHS and social care winter pressures – no easy task. The 2023 party conference season will be interesting indeed.