At last, Conference is upon us. In just a few days, thousands will flock to Birmingham with the hope that they can blag their way into a think tank drinks reception, only to be turned away by a middle-aged bloke who is more than likely at his wits’ end. No, being a ‘political commentator’ doesn’t get you in. 

I, for one, am looking forward to the whole ordeal. Whilst I might not be able to strut my stuff at the (or dinner, or indeed anything pertaining to the YCs for that matter), the gathering is an opportunity for the Tories to add a little spring in their step. To get a bit of momentum in the run up to the dreaded Budget.

They’re already off to a fairly decent start. Speaking to , Kemi has vowed to crack down on the education to benefits pipeline, through shifting the responsibility of young people off of taxpayers and onto parents. In order to receive benefits, young people will be made to “attend a Job Centre, work placement or training everyday to learn: interview skills, team work” “communication.” 

It seems to be going swimmingly, then, and is only adding to people’s expectations. They want something big – something to write home about. Not some walled off collection of Mrs T’s dresses from decades ago. No! Give us something to properly sink our teeth into. Something that will energise the party faithful.

Part of the problem here is that every Conference is always seen as the ‘most important’ Conference. Each year, the fear of cock-up grows higher, as people expect the gathering to surpass those before. Such expectations often warp our understanding of what ‘important’ really means – but this years’ Conference is, perhaps, the most consequential in living political memory.

Because on our right, Reform look to be fractured. Weakened by repeated controversies and scandals, the party has seen a dip in its support in recent weeks – slipping into third place in some . As Farage attempts to regain momentum and march on, he has left a vacuum that is ripe for the political taking, and it is imperative that we claw back this space. We musn’t squander the opportunity. We must show a bit of oomph and flex our muscles in front of the nation’s cameras, showing people that there is only one party on the right that can take on Labour.

And to our left sits a Prime Minister who – despite his near infinite shortcomings – still remains remarkably popular. His Conference speech, whilst lambasted by those of us with the blessing of common sense, was seen by many as one of the most memorable speeches for a generation. He seemed impassioned, as though he really cared about what he was talking about. One might have watched on, having decided to throw a sock at him for once.

You could disagree with almost everything he said. About housing, water nationalisation – even the Original Sin that is the triple lock, but the man had cut through. And when one detaches themselves from the hyper-sensitive world that is Westminster politics, it is clear that this is a problem. We as a party still struggle to pin the chap down. He wriggles around, and it seems as though every punch we throw never connects. This years’ gathering is an opportunity to hone that strategy and prove that we don’t long for an easy target like Starmer.

Conference thus provides a chance not only to stick the boot into Reform, then, but to level the playing field with Burnham and Labour too. As Tim Stanley was quick to point out, Burnham’s offering earlier this week positioned him as one of the few politicians in Britain who are actually something. The sort of nice guy persona. But both Farage and Kemi, at least thus far, have grounded themselves more in what they are against. The miserable lot who whine at every Labour policy announcement.

Conference must also be an opportunity, therefore, to inject a sense of optimism back into the party. Kemi must take to the stage and show that the once-labelled ‘Nasty Party’ is no more, and that the Conservatives are still something. Anything, even. Pessimism is a bad look when the other team have big fat grins on their face as they parrot the words ‘Hope Again’ over and over.

So when one puts to one side the panelists manned by hungover speakers, and the warm white wine that was nabbed for £3 at Tesco, this years’ Conference is hugely important. When I first landed this job, one of the first conversations I had with someone was about Conference:

“It’s go big or go home” they told me. Indeed. This is an opportunity like no other. If we miss the target, then our opponents will find themselves both emboldened and strengthened. This is a year to show the British public that we have learned from our mistakes and that we are the serious party on the right.

Readers might sense a tone of passion from me here. I would never usually adopt such an angle, but I am pleading with those above to not make a hash of this. Please.