A Brief History of British Party Conferences
| DOI | 10.1177/2041905820933372 |
| Author | Paula Keaveney |
| Date | 01 June 2020 |
| Published date | 01 June 2020 |
26 POLITICAL INSIGHT • JUNE 2020
Party conferences are part of the
lifeblood of British politics. Every
year, usually, thousands of political
activists, journalists, lobbyists,
campaigners and Parliamentarians travel
to the seaside, or to a major city to
meet, talk and (often) argue. So vital are
conferences that Parliament organises a
special recess so that Parliamentarians,
from backbenchers to the Prime Minister
are able to be there.
The tradition of British party conferences
is a long one. Party members have been
getting together and making decisions,
whether binding on the leadership or
not, since at least the Victorian times. The
National Liberal Federation organised
Assemblies before 1900. The bulk of the
Liberal Party became part of the Liberal
Democrats in 1988, but because a group
decided to retain the Liberal name and
to organise as a continuing Liberal Party,
we know that there have been more than
130 such events, a figure which does not
include Special Assemblies.
The Labour Party has held regular
conferences since 1907. These early events
focused on policy topics such as old age
pensions, as Labour found itself with a
parliamentary party able to advance its
ideas. The tradition of disagreeing with the
Labour leader established itself early too,
with votes against the leadership in 1912
and 1913. Future Prime Minister Ramsay
MacDonald was even criticised by one
speaker for his ‘flippant speech’.
Conservative archives have notes from
party conferences from as long ago as
1867. It seems that the powers of the
grassroots were greater in the past than
they are today. The 1950 conference for
example, which took place when the
A Brief History of British
Party Conferences
They make the news, make government policy and even make careers
and reputations. Paula Keaveney takes a look at the changing role of
party conferences in British politics.
party was in opposition and still led by
Winston Churchill, saw rebellions from the
floor making a difference to party policy –
something that has been less a feature of
modern Tory party conferences.
What is it all for?
Party conferences serve many functions.
Over time they have grown and changed –
and, generally, become more open. Power,
where there is power to wield, has moved
from platform to conference floor. In some
cases, this means votes. In others, it means
the power to embarrass; Conservative
Home Secretaries for example, rarely got
an easy ride at their party’s get togethers.
This means that leaderships have evolved
different ways of attempting to keep the
floor ‘on side’. This includes timing – a 9am
debate is less likely to be difficult – and
taking care to find persuasive speakers to
argue the leadership’s case.
Conferences are not just an optional
extra. Holding a conference is written into
both the Liberal Democrat Constitution
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