The Barndoor Strategy team attended the 2023 Conservative Party Conference in Manchester this week.

As well as private meetings with MPs and Peers, our team also participated in a variety of fringe events on topics as diverse as housing, financial services, foreign affairs, education, and more.

The mood at the Conference was surprisingly upbeat, given recent polling numbers and many defiant delegates remain convinced that the party can buck the trend and win the next General Election.

But attendance was noticeably down on last year, and while party members were out in force, there were definitely fewer business delegates than you would normally see. That is a clear indicator of where the mood is outside the party. But with an election not expected until September/October 2024, there is a lot that can happen.