This blog has been written by Mark Corbett, Head of Policy and Networks at London Higher.
After returning from Liverpool for Labour Party Conference, it wasn’t long before I was back on the train to Birmingham’s International Conference Centre for the Conservative’s Conference. Although the weather was equally as bad, it was a very different affair in both tone and scale. Whereas Labour MPs and ministers where tight lipped and largely toed the party line, the Conservative conference had a very different atmosphere with every idea and ideology on show from across the party’s political spectrum. This was a conference where the four leadership contenders dominated the proceedings and at times it felt like I could have been listening to two (or more) separate parties.
I arrived on the Sunday to attend the BusinessLDN reception where I met some London Councillors and the Mayor of Croydon, Jason Perry. Mayor Perry is taking an active role in the London Growth Plan so it’s reassuring to see this work is being taking forward cross-party. Following this, I was lucky to be invited to a dinner event with former 1922 Committee Chair, Graham Brady (Baron Brady of Altrincham). He was feeling positive that the Conservatives could be back after one term based on his view that the current Government has not made a particularly auspicious start. This thought was a common thread I heard several times throughout the conference proceedings.
The theme for this conference was review and rebuild and they were many events on this theme, as there were on the need for the party to attract younger people. I got the sense that rather than having true dialogue on the review bit, the diagnosis has already been made within the various factions, with each making claims such as, “Brexit wasn’t delivered properly” or “we failed on immigration” or “we needed to take the centre ground”.
A fringe event Taking Back Control with Neil O’Brien MP and Nick Timothy MP (Theresa May’s former special adviser in the Home Office and Chief of Staff in No.10) was advocating for a much harder line on immigration. Arguments for this stance ranged from the challenges of providing the adequate infrastructure, strains on public finances to the cultural impacts and low levels of integration. When the discussion turned to higher education and skills shortages, accusations of low-quality degrees and the “Deliveroo visa” were mentioned regularly and that “our immigration system must not be designed for sectoral interest”. If a hardline approach to immigration meant a university might go under, then they would need to consider factors such as course quality and student outcomes before making an intervention. It seems that, for some at least, the war on universities is not over.
The education and skills events felt more like we were on safe territory. Familiar faces such as David Willetts and Jo Johnson demonstrated their understanding of the sector’s value and its complex challenges. Jesse Norman MP, an experienced minister who served four of the last five Prime Minsters) was another bright voice. However, in spite of the quality of the events and the interesting discussions on areas such as student wellbeing, sector finance and opportunity – the lack of dissenting voices was very noticeable. I did get the sense it was like the sector was only talking to itself and I feel that we need to consider how can reach a wider audience at these events.
The Conservative Party leadership results are still a month away but it is clear that immigration, low tax and low public spending are the battleground areas. It is worth considering what this means for our sector, particularly when there seems to be a strong correlation within the party between the members who would like tough immigration policy and those who are critical of UK higher education. I did hear positive voices who are proud of our sector, but I suspect the wing of the party from where these came will not be successful in this leadership round.
