The Spectator is delighted to be at Conservative party conference in Manchester this year. Join us in Exchange 11, MCCC. Our schedule is below:
Sunday 5 October
Coffee House Shots Live – welcome reception
3.30-4.30pm
Join The Spectator’s team to kick off party conference with a glass of wine. Meet Michael Gove, Tim Shipman, James Heale and subscribers from across the country to toast the start of three days of stimulating discussion and debate.
Private drinks reception: The Spectator in association with Santander
5.30-7pm
The Tories have traditionally prided themselves on being the party of small business. But is that still the case? Ahead of Rachel Reeves’s second Budget, Sir Mel Stride will argue that it is. Join the shadow chancellor for a drink at The Spectator and Santander’s reception.
By invitation only – e-mail spectatorevents@spectator.co.uk to request an invitation.
Monday 6 October
Quite Right! Live
10.30-11.30am
Join The Spectator’s Quite Right! team for their first ever live podcast recording. Michael Gove and Madeline Grant will entertain, amuse and inform in an hour-long chat on day two of conference. Attendees can listen while enjoying a complimentary drink too.
This isn’t working: curing the unemployment disease – The Spectator in association with the IPPR
12-1pm
The UK increasingly looks like the sick man of Europe. Our national bill for sickness benefits is heading towards £100 billion a year. How can we get those locked out of work back into the employment market? See online listings for speaker updates.
The Spectator in conversation with the Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP
1.30-2.30pm
Join The Spectator’s political editor Tim Shipman and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice Robert Jenrick MP for an in-conversation event at Conservative party conference. Free drinks will be served.
Are you thinking what they’re thinking? Public attitudes on everything – The Spectator in association with Ipsos
3-4pm
Is Britain really broken – or just convinced it is? In partnership with Ipsos, The Spectator will unveil exclusive polling on the public’s perception of crime, immigration, housing, the NHS and more – alongside the reality behind the headlines. We’ll explore the roots of the growing perception gap and what it means for the Tory party’s messaging, policy and strategy. See online listings for speaker updates.
Britain’s greatest Conservative: who deserves the crown?
4.30-5.30pm
From wartime leadership to economic revolutions, Conservative figures have shaped Britain’s past and present. But who stands out as the greatest of them all? Join The Spectator as they debate who is the greatest Conservative in UK history. See online listings for speaker updates.
Event
Coffee House Shots Live: Can the Tories turn it around? – Manchester Special
Tuesday 7 October
Coffee House Shots Live
10.30-11.30am
Join Tim Shipman, James Heale and Lucy Dunn and a special guest for a live recording of The Spectator’s flagship politics podcast. Who are the standout stars of conference? Which blue-chip names are losing value? And how is Kemi faring? See online listings for speaker updates.
Big Bang 2.0: making Britain boom again – The Spectator in association with Revolut
12-1pm
Finance is the engine which powers our national economy. But in a rapidly changing world, how can Britain retain its crown as the services hub of Europe? This discussion will explore how new technology, careful innovation and better regulation can give this country the growth that it so desperately needs. See online listings for speaker updates.
The Spectator in conversation with the Rt Hon Laura Trott MP
2-3pm
Join The Spectator’s editor Michael Gove and Shadow Secretary of State for Education Laura Trott MP for an in-conversation event at Conservative party conference. Free drinks will be served.
Industry taxes: do they drive or hinder economic growth?
3.30-4.30pm
With the Treasury desperate for every penny, is the Chancellor squandering pounds through industry specific taxes and symbolic ‘sin’ taxation? Join us to discuss how to balance the trade-offs between costs, harms and lifestyle freedoms. See online listings for speaker updates.
Scotland 2026: can the Tories turn back the teal tide?
5-6pm
Join The Spectator for a look ahead to the Holyrood 2026 elections – pipped to be the most consequential north of the border for decades. The Reform party could take up to 20 seats in the Scottish Parliament and stake its claim as the leading party on the right – even without a leader or party apparatus. Is there enough time for the Tories to win back Scotland and can they stop an exodus from their left flank to the Lib Dems? See online listings for speaker updates.
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