The Conservative party conference in Manchester is something of a political version of the Edinburgh festival: you go for the fringes, not the main events, and there’s no end of variety. The Spectator is hosting a packed and entertaining schedule of fringe events – and a famously un-crashable party. All our events are free but require access to the secure zone. G&T will be served at every event, even the morning ones. Be sure to arrive early to get a seat!
Our full programme and details are available below:
Tuesday 3 October
Will the public ever get on board with net zero?
2pm – 3pm
Why did Rishi Sunak U-turn on the 2030 petrol car-sale ban? In her interview with The Spectator, the new Energy Secretary said the decision is driven by public opinion. ‘What you see in Europe is that lots of people are losing faith,’ she said. ‘They see it as something that politicians are doing to them. Clobbering them in their personal finances for a cause that they don’t completely understand because they see their emissions as much lower than other countries.’
But where will this lead? Net zero is by some margin the most ambitious government policy, but as it runs into opposition across Europe a rethink is now underway. So: which way now? How can the UK strike a realistic – and deliverable – way forward to a greener nation?
Chair: Katy Balls, political editor, The Spectator
Speakers: Andrew Bowie MP, minister for Nuclear and Networks; Jacob Rees-Mogg MP; Sherelle Jacobs, columnist, the Telegraph; Dr Tony Ballance, chief strategy and regulation officer, Cadent Gas. This event is in association with Cadent Gas.
Location: MCCC – Exchange 11
Could AI and innovation save the NHS?
3.30pm – 4.30pm
Rather than fret over regulation or dystopian outcomes related to AI, should we instead ask how these developments can be applied to modernise a health service that is absorbing almost half of day-to-day government spending? Join The Spectator and special guests as they discuss the future of AI in the NHS.
Chair: James Heale, political correspondent, The Spectator
Speakers: Steve Barclay MP, Health Secretary; Dr Sandesh Gulhane MSP, shadow Scottish cabinet secretary for health and social care; Simon Denegri, executive director, Academy of Medical Sciences; Katherine Holden, head of AI, TechUK; Richard Torbett, CEO, ABPI. This event is in association with ABPI.
Location: MCCC – Exchange 11 (secure zone)
Why can’t Britain build?
5pm – 6pm
‘The obvious answer is to build more houses’ is one of the most-repeated conclusions in Westminster. But why doesn’t it happen? Why do so many politicians miss their targets for housebuilding? Is ‘building up Britain’ doomed to be the promise that politicians always make but never keep? What are other countries doing right? What obstacles prevent these projects from getting off the ground? Join us for debate – and a free G&T.
Chair: Kate Andrews, economics editor, The Spectator
Speakers: Huw Merriman MP, minister for rail and HS2; Lee Rowley MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Local Government and Building Safety; Andy Street, West Midlands Mayor; Kate Willard OBE, chair, Thames Estuary Growth; Madeleine Grant, columnist, the Daily Telegraph. This event is in association with Arup.
Location: MCCC – Exchange 11 (secure zone)
Fraser Nelson in conversation with Kemi Badenoch
6.30pm – 7.15pm
Speakers: Fraser Nelson, editor, The Spectator – The Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP, Secretary of State for Business and Trade.
Location: MCCC – Exchange 11 (secure zone)
The Spectator’s Pol Roger drinks reception
From 10pm. Strictly by invitation only. We’re already oversubscribed, so additions to the list not possible at this stage. Not a good idea to try and crash this one.
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