Conservative Party Conference

At this year's Conservative Party Conference we are pleased to host three events.

Sunday 29 September 18:00-19.30 (Exchange 4 & 5, Manchester Central) CRF Joint Reception

Reception: Re-engaging rural voters

Location: Manchester

Venue: Exchange 4 & 5 Manchester Central (inside the secure zone)

Date: Sunday 29 September Time: 18.00 – 19.30

Refreshment: Drinks and canapes

Join the Countryside Alliance and the Conservative Rural Forum for a reception on "re-engaging rural voters". The rural vote cannot be taken for granted. Young people in the countryside are more likely to vote Labour as Conservative, according to recent polling. Now more than ever, politicians need to address the challenges of modern rural life. Please note that this event is being recorded and live streamed on social media.

Download a PDF of the event details here.

Monday 30 September, 08.00-09.30 (Exchange 2 & 3, Manchester Central)

Our first fringe event will 'unpack environmentalism'. The environment remains at the forefront of political debate and yet it seems to encompass anything and everything. This event looks to provide context to the debate and establish what voters mean when they talk about the environment.

Location: Manchester

Venue: Exchange 2 & 3 Combined, Manchester Central (inside the secure zone)

Date: Monday 30 September

Time: 08.15 – 09.30am

Refreshment: Breakfast provided

Polling has shown that the environment is one of the issues that voters care about most, particularly younger voters. What is less well understood is what people think about when talking about the environment. A wide range of issues from deforestation and soil erosion to meat consumption and animal rights have all been described as environmental issues. In order to address environmental concerns, we must provide some context to the debate. What do most people believe should be the priority for government action on the environment, and how should the Conservatives address these challenges over the rest of this Parliament?

CHAIR: Abi Kay @FGAbiKay

Abi took up the post of Chief Reporter at Farmers Guardian in 2016 after a stint working for the NFU as part of its government affairs team. Prior to that, she spent five years in Parliament as an assistant to a rural MP.

SPEAKER 1: George Eustice MP

George is the Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He was elected as the Conservative MP for Camborne and Redruth in 2010. George comes from a farming background, his family still run a fruit farm, restaurant and farm shop in Cornwall where they also have a herd of South Devon cattle and the country's oldest herd of the rare breed of pig, the British Lop.

SPEAKER 2: Neil Parish MP @neil_parish

Neil is the MP for Tiverton and Honiton and is Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. Neil has set-up three farming APPGs – Lamb APPG, Eggs Pigs and Poultry APPG and the Dairy APPG. He has managed the family farm since he was 16.

SPEAKER 3: Tim Bonner @CA_TimB

Tim is Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance. He used to farm in the West Country and joined the Countryside Alliance as a press officer in 2002 at the time of the Liberty and Livelihood March which brought 400,000 people to London to protest against the hunting ban.

SPEAKER 4: Johnny Heald @ORB_Johnny

Johnny is the Managing Director at ORB International. He has more than 15 years experience in Countering Violence Extremism research. Johnny has also provided private polling to the Conservative Party during the 2005 and 2010 UK general elections.

SPEAKER 5: Guy Miscampbell @guymiscampbell

Guy is a Senior Research Fellow with Onward. He is also a senior consultant at WPI. He has previously worked for the Ontario Public Service, Policy Exchange, the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance, and in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Take part in the debate on Slido – visit the website https://www.sli.do and enter the event code: #CAFringe1 to ask questions and take part in live polls.

Please note that this event is being recorded and live streamed on social media

Download a PDF of the event details here.

Monday 30 September, 16.00-17.30 (Rolls Suite, Midland Hotel)

Our second fringe event will focus on how best the Government can invest in rural Britain, from broadband to tourism projects, we aim to outline the investment priorities to make sure rural communities get the funding they need and what the Government should prioritise spending on.

Location: Manchester

Venue: Rolls Suite, Midland Hotel (inside the secure zone)

Date: Monday 30 September

Time: 16.00 – 17.30

Refreshment: Tea and coffee

Every pound that goes into rural development outside the EU will be in competition with the NHS, Defence and all other budgets, and will need to demonstrate value for money. The Government is committed to establishing a new system of regional and rural support as part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, with a budget to be agreed in the Spending Review. This will replace the EU development schemes which supported broadband infrastructure, tourism projects, and business productivity. What should be the spending priorities for rural areas outside the EU, and how should a new system of support be structured?

CHAIR: Abi Kay @FGAbiKay

Abi took up the post of Chief Reporter at Farmers Guardian in 2016 after a stint working for the NFU as part of its government affairs team. Prior to that, she spent five years in Parliament as an assistant to a rural MP.

SPEAKER 1: Philip Dunne MP @Dunne4Ludlow

Philip is the MP for South Shropshire. First elected in 2005 and served as a Defence Minister and Health Minister respectfully before returning to the back benchers in 2018. Philip was brought up on a family farm in which he has been responsible for since 1987. Further to his farming experience, Philip has worked in investment banks in London, New York and Hong Kong and also helped set-up the bookshop Ottakar's. Currently Philip is the Chair of APPG for Rural Services and sits on the Privy Council.

SPEAKER 2: Caroline Squire @SquireCaroline

Caroline sits on the Countryside Alliance Board and Advisory Board of the Conservative Friends of International Development (CFID). Caroline is also a public affairs and communications consultant and previously worked for the Conservatives in the House of Lords.

SPEAKER 3: Mayor James Palmer @MayorJPalmer

James was elected as the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough in May 2017. Formerly James was the leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council between May 2013 and 2017. Before serving as Mayor and Councillor James ran the family dairy business.

SPEAKER 4: Cllr Daniel Humpreys @Dan_Humphreys

Daniel is Leader of Worthing Borough Council and ward councillor for Offington & Findon Valley. Daniel is also a school governor and a father to three daughters.

Take part in the debate on Slido – visit the website https://www.sli.do and enter the event code: #CAFringe2 to ask questions and take part in live polls.

Please note that this event is being recorded and live streamed on social media.

Download a PDF of the event details here.