"Before us, there is a battalion of unemployed chairs. For the Conservatives right now, the fight even to be listened to is not easy. The speech by the shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride is one of the big set-piece moments of this conference. And yet there were countless empty seats in a modestly sized hall. Next door, in the exhibition centre, there are swathes of empty blue carpet."
"A year and a bit on from a cataclysmic election defeat, the Tories have become more unpopular. It is Reform UK that have momentum, a sustained lead in the opinion polls and a recent track record of election victories, albeit a very long way away from a general election. In the weeks prior to the Conservatives gathering in Manchester, there has been a steady drip drip of former Tories joining Nigel Farage, some with the parting rhetorical gift of claiming their old party is finished."
Many conference rooms showed empty seats and unfilled chairs during key set-piece events, including the shadow chancellor's speech. Fringe events attracted standing-room-only crowds while the main hall remained thinly attended and exhibition spaces had swathes of empty carpet. The Conservative Party appears diminished compared with its historical dominance and has not experienced a conference of this scale for over a quarter-century. A year after a heavy election defeat the party's popularity has declined, while Reform UK holds sustained polling leads and recent by-election successes. Several former Conservatives have defected to Nigel Farage. Attendance suggests a core of committed activists remains prepared for future battles.
Read at www.bbc.com
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