#conservative-party

#conservative-party

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

Pollster Luke Tryl, from More in Common, told a Tory conference fringe meeting: "At the last election the average age someone started voting Conservative was in their 60s. It's now even later. "The Conservatives are basically only being kept afloat in the polls at the moment by the over 75 age category. Obviously, for demographic reasons, that is not a sustainable place to be."

"Promising to look again at IR35 reform as part of a wider pledge to support those working for themselves makes nice headlines - but the devil would be in the detail. Given how damaging IR35 reform has been for some, this latest pledge will be music to the ears of many freelancers, contractors and consultants - not to mention businesses. Others, though, will need more convincing."

I went to Handsworth in Birmingham the other day to do a video on litter and it was absolutely appalling. It's as close as I've come to a slum in this country. But the other thing I noticed there was that it was one of the worst integrated places I've ever been to. In fact, in the hour and a half I was filming news there I didn't see another white face.

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.

Still only 34 and in parliament for little over a year, Lam is named almost ubiquitously by fellow Conservatives as a likely future leader even, some venture, a direct replacement for Kemi Badenoch. Lam does have the sort of CV almost designed to impress Tory constituency associations, with its route from state school to Cambridge, Goldman Sachs, then stints as an aide in Downing Street and the Home Office.

You could argue that prime minister's questions is no longer fit for purpose. Indeed, that it never really has been. Just a theatre showcase for some performance politics where few answers are ever extracted from the prime minister. To which you might now add that the Tories are not the real opposition. So Kemi Badenoch is essentially an impostor. Sometime over the summer the mantle of official opposition passed to Reform UK. So it really should be Nigel Farage, not Kemi, asking the questions.

Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke Badenoch stated, "I don't identify with it [Nigeria] any more. Most of my life has been in the UK... I'm Nigerian through ancestry, by birth, despite not being born there, but by identity, I'm not really."

Sir James Cleverly accused Sir Keir Starmer of fuelling public frustration over asylum seeker housing, stating the Prime Minister has amplified the situation by claiming lots of housing is available.

"The previous government learned of this in August 2023 when details were posted on Facebook. Sir Ben Wallace, who was defence secretary at the time, said the Conservative government had applied for a four-month injunction after in became aware of the breach, which a judge converted to a super-injunction, meaning even the existence of the court order could not be reported."

The Conservative backbenchers were unexpectedly absent during a crucial statement on small boat arrangements, with only five in attendance, raising questions about their commitment to the issue.