Conservative Party Conference Event 2005

CPON win in Blackpool

THEME: Winning Elections: The Conservative Way!

SPEAKERS: Peter Bone MP, Justine Greening MP, Ed Vaizey MP, Cllr. Barry Dare (Conservative Leader of Gloucestershire CC), Cllr. Alex Williams (Trafford MBC).

CHAIRMAN: Cllr. Merrick Cockell (Conservative Leader, RB Kensington & Chelsea; Deputy Chairman, CCA)

SPONSORS: Association of London Government & TB Marketing

DATE & TIME: Wednesday 5th October 2005 @ 12.30pm

VENUE: Baronial Hall, Winter Gardens, Blackpool

The aim of CPON’s 2005 Conference Fringe Event was to highlight how Conservatives were still able to achieve stunning election victories despite the General Election defeat earlier in the year.

Three newly-elected MPs passed on their knowledge of electioneering:

• Ed Vaizey, who increased the Conservative majority in Wantage;
• Justine Greening, who regained Putney for the Conservatives with a 6.5 per cent swing; and,
• Peter Bone, who won Wellingborough by just 687 votes. Peter’s election win was all the sweeter, as his campaign manager was CPON’s Leigh Hooker.

Ed Vaizey (above), Peter Bone (middle) & Justine Greening (bottom) 

From a local government perspective Cllr. Barry Dare, Leader of Gloucestershire County Council, explained how his Conservative Group were able to increase their numbers from just ten in 1993 to take control in May 2005. The final hurdle had been cleared with the help of his Political Assistant, and CPON’s Legal Lead, Richard Coates, whom Cllr. Dare described as a ‘star’.

  Gloucestershire’s Conservative Council Leader, Cllr. Barry Dare

Cllr. Alex Williams of Trafford MBC made up the panel of speakers, and was able to relay how the Conservatives were able to storm to control in 2004, regaining the Conservatives’ first Greater Manchester local authority in a decade.

Trafford’s Cllr. Alex Williams

Chairman of the debate was Cllr. Merrick Cockell, Conservative Leader of Kensington & Chelsea. Cllr. Cockell added his own opinions throughout the debate, and chaired the event with great aplomb.

Controversy raged afterwards when it transpired that the official Lib Dem observer had recorded the debate on his MP3. Kate Stinton, CPON’s Deputy Chairman (Finance), said, “It is more than flattering that not only was this [the event] received well by MPs, councillors, and party members, but that our political opponents felt it worthy enough to record for posterity.”

ABOVE: CPON members (l-r) Leigh Hooker, Morgan Einon (seated), Andy Wood, Chris Heaney, Richard Robeson (seated), Richard Ashton, Robert Booth & Kate Stinton