Over the course of the last few days, I was delighted to attend the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham. Hosted at the ICC at the heart of this wonderful city, I had the chance to speak at several important debates, attend meetings with other MPs and industry leaders, as well to hold a number of meetings on the fringes of the wider conference.
Party Conference is an important moment in the political calendar for all major parties. They allow elected representatives, party members and representatives from business and charity to coalesce. This allows for an intense but productive few days. Having partaken in the London Marathon on the Sunday, I arrived in Birmingham on the Monday afternoon to start my whirlwind visit.
To begin, I joined Localis for the first of their fringe events in Birmingham. Speaking on a panel debate on “The Connected Society” I was able to draw on my experience in local government to discuss the means by which we can improve community engagement by realising pride in place. Along with colleagues in local government and parliament, the conversation focused on how we can use opportunities presented by Brexit and the pandemic to transfer greater power to local people.
Following this fringe event, I travelled back into the main conference centre to talk on a panel on how we can fix social care. Chaired by the former Secretary of State for Health, Stephen Dorrell and attended by many expert sector, this was an interesting discussion on what we need to do as a country to support the most vulnerable elderly people in our country. As many will know, this is a topic of interest to me in my role as an MP. In parliament I have contributed to several debates in the past, and I lead the All Party Parliamentary Group on Social Work as Chair.
Moving on to another topic that I taken a keen interest on, I addressed a panel event on how we must build better locally and nationally. Hosted by several of the largest organisations within the construction sector, this event brought together industry leads along with politicians to discuss how the built environment helps communities thrive. I was delighted to build on my work while I sat on Hillingdon council as well as my work as Chair of the APPG for Housing and Planning to debate this important matter. What became clear during this event is that there is common consensus on this issue. Being Conservative, I know that home ownership is a vital part of our society, but this must be done with sensitivity and without arbitrary building targets.
Finally my last speaking engagement allowed me to discuss managerial skills in the UK alongside the former Secretary of State for Education and directors of at the CBI and Commission for Employment and Skills. I know that equipping staff with the skills needed to succeed is important especially in our current climate of high inflation and challenges in the labour market. Talking alongside representatives from the industry, I was delighted to find consensus around the importance of this topic especially against the backdrop of the Government’s levelling up agenda.
Away from the speaking engagements, I had the chance to meet with a selection of charity bosses and industry leaders alongside my other engagements. I met with a wide variety of interested partners that ranged from those with a direct local impact to those who work on a national and international scale. Indeed one of my first meetings at conference was with Enver Solomon, CEO of the charity Refugee Council. With an increase in the number of people fleeing warzones in the past decade and increasing number of asylum seekers attempting to cross the channel, this was a timely and productive meeting to discuss the UK’s response to global challenges. Later on at conference I had the chance to meet with representatives from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the charity, What Works for Children’s Social Care. On Tuesday I was glad to meet with Nigel Milton from Heathrow Airport to discuss challenges my constituents face and the concerns we have with operations at the airport. Focusing on access to the airport, Heathrow’s carbon footprint and the support for jobs, the meeting proved useful for all parties involved.
As always, I received many emails from constituents running up to conference asking me to meet with various charities and other organisations that are close to their heart. Over the course of my time in Birmingham I visited the stands organised by the BBC, National Farmers Union, Conservative Friends of India, Conservative Friends of Israel and the Alzheimer’s Society. These stands naturally cover a variety of topics, and I am thankful for the teams of each for taking the time to engage with politicians in such a constructive manner.
While I arrived fatigued from running the marathon only the day before, I left optimistic for the coming year. I am grateful for all those who invited me to speak and meet at this wonderful event and I am encouraged of what is still to come.
