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The Conservative Party is Britain’s oldest political party and its most electorally successful organisation. Since its emergence in the 1830s, it has spent most of its time in government and has adapted to a range of social, economic and cultural shifts.
Yet, at last year’s general election, the Party suffered an electoral rout. A record 251 Conservative seats were lost, including seats where, a few years earlier, Tory defeat would have been unthinkable (Macclesfield and Congleton being examples from our own region). As a result, the Party won just 121 seats, its smallest total ever, and just 3 of the 73 seats here in the North-West. Nationally, it polled just 24% of votes cast – again, its worst ever performance at a general election.
Now in Opposition, Conservatives face some awkward questions. Why did they suffer such a cataclysmic defeat? Can they fully recover? Should they heed those who deserted them for Labour and the Lib Dems - or those now supporting Reform? What is the likely strategy of the Party’s new leader, Kemi Badenoch? And will she be allowed to pursue it?
To help with these questions, we have assembled a panel that is both expert and experienced. Our constituency MP and former minister, Esther McVey, will be joined by Lord Graham Brady, former chair of the Tories’ 1922 Committee (and ex-MP for Altrincham & Sale West), along with Jonathan Gullis, former Tory MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, and Liverpool University’s Dr David Jeffery, author of numerous publications concerning the Conservative Party.
Chaired by our resident Politics tutor, Richard Kelly (co-author of MUP’s British Political Parties Today), the event will combine panel analysis with questions and comments from the audience. As such, the event promises not just the views of Conservative politicians, but a chance to participate in one of the key debates surrounding modern British politics.
NB: A similar event, on the future of Britain’s centre-left, is planned later this year.
Book your place
Choose a time you'd like to attend:
| Time/Place | Price | Quantity | |
|---|---|---|---|
May 01, 2025 07:30pm - 9:00pm | £10 |
