In our first JBP Communications podcast, host Mark Hawthorne sits down with colleagues Kieran Bergholcs, Matthew Gilling and Matt Bacon to swap on-the-ground notes from Reform, Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative conferences. Across four very different gatherings, one constant emerged: Reform’s shadow framed almost every conversation on stage, in fringes and in the bars.
Reform felt less like a Westminster conference and more like a high-energy American-style rally. An impromptu Nigel Farage appearance – after news broke about Angela Rayner – captured the mood, while policy is still coalescing: a brownfield-first line, impatience with “red tape,” and a striking appetite to “build tall” in city cores. The operation looked professional, and confident it’s scaling.
Down in Bournemouth, the Lib Dems were upbeat but businesslike. Behind a brass-band opener through the gardens, the focus was practical: member training on countering Reform at the doorstep; meaty sessions on devolution and anxieties about district voices being lost in reorganisation; and housing framed as a national critical endeavour. Conference energy was real, but speakers wrestled with defining a sharper, positive national Liberal vision – beyond opposing populism – even as Ed Davey’s “don’t let Trump’s America become Farage’s Britain” line cut through.
Liverpool’s Labour conference was notably corporate “90% suits,” as Kieran put it, with policy work happening mostly in fringes. Standouts: the quiet but consequential re-wiring of Whitehall (tech/AI embedded across departments via DSIT); Lord Adebowale’s call to shift power back to place; and Tracy Brabin’s signal that metro mayors will act as a coordinated bloc for funding. Keir Starmer’s flag-strewn set-piece felt like a campaigning speech from a government intent on shaping the next four years, with apprenticeships flagged as long-term reform.
Manchester’s Conservatives were smaller in number but steadier in tone. The vibe: quiet conviction, clear emphasis on countryside, farmers and food security, and an economic pitch aimed at young buyers (James Cleverly trailed that sentiment before Kemi Badenoch’s stamp duty play). Claire Coutinho pressed Reform on energy arithmetic; Robert Jenrick packed his event; and Kemi’s closing volley gave activists something tangible to sell, without getting dragged into a mud-fight with Farage.
Our take for councils and partners: align pipelines to national missions, build unusual delivery coalitions (mayors, business, VCS), and keep engagement hyper-local and evidence-rich. Conference season says the centre is listening – places that are ready will move first.
