John Belsey is President of the National Convention and Conference Chairman 2026

Tomorrow, Conservatives will start gathering in Birmingham ahead of the opening of Conservative Party Conference on Sunday. We have been working for months to make this the best conference possible, with our members right at its core. The security perimeter is in place, the marquees hosting many fringe events are ready, creative and interactive exhibits are arriving and the fresh CPC26 branding is being put up.

Although we go through these preparations every year, there is excitement tinged with a little apprehension as conference comes together. We want to ensure it runs like clockwork and that we don’t make headlines for the wrong reasons and have our conference messaging inadvertently overshadowed.

The accreditation desk is now set up and we will be ready to distribute passes from later today which, this year, is especially important. Even this week we are still getting significant numbers of members registering to be part of what I am confident will be one of the most memorable party conferences in recent times.

We already have hundreds more member registrations than last year, a huge increase in Young Conservatives joining us and we have had a waitlist for weeks for businesses wanting to join our sold out Your Voice for Small Business Day.

This means that today is the last day of the work behind the scenes, before the ICC Birmingham and Hyatt Regency Birmingham throng with members, exhibitors, media and invited guests. Huge thanks are due to our conference team and committee, as well as to the ICC and Hyatt teams who have been so helpful to facilitate a smooth run into conference.

And why is this preparation so important? It really matters to me and to the whole team that this conference works for our members who give so much of their time to the party. These few days will give our members increased knowledge on our policies, demonstrating that our party is ready to be in government again as well of course to make the member experience as enjoyable as possible.

There are more opportunities for members to contribute and actively participate in Conference than ever before. Our much-valued members’ debates return. This year, the subject matters of business and crime/ safe streets align with key areas of policy focus, so the best ideas really can help shape and feed into our policies.

We have been inundated with policy ideas for our backbench bill-off, which will be taking place in our members’ theatre on Tuesday afternoon. The quality of entries has been very high. The members’ theatre forms part of another new initiative this year: the members’ lounge!

The Castle Lane Conservative Club is an exclusive members area where we will be having our debates, training from the Campaign Academy and Leadership Institute, Shadow Cabinet drop-ins and where you can ask all your questions and share experiences with CCHQ staff. Add to that the lounge and bar area to network and socialise and everything is in place to ensure the members lounge becomes a conference tradition for years to come.

Members will have the opportunity to listen to our leading politicians across all of our stages and fringe events. And this year, alongside a fantastic range of indoor and outdoor exhibits, we have an incredibly special display in the exhibition hall. We are all familiar with the Bayeux Tapestry. Now we can get acquainted with its sister, the Birmingham Tapestry. It describes the tale of woe of the Labour Government and the burdens it has put on the British public. There are rather a lot of Labour disasters to fit in, and the tapestry is 27 metres long. It really is a must-see!

We have also increased networking and social opportunities with live music, more food stalls and bars and a Fanzone where you can take a selfie with our CPC26 signs – always great for social media! Add to that our regional and national receptions, the famous pub quiz, the silent disco and Tuesday’s street party. There are unrivalled opportunities to make new friends, catch up with old acquaintances and immerse yourself in all that is good about our great party.

Many of us spend our spare time working hard for this party, and we are determined that conference should be a great opportunity for us all to enjoy.  And that, at the end of the conference, we should all leave confident and determined to get back out on the doorstep and put the Conservative argument forward.

I regularly campaign across the country, and it is clear that doorstep conversations are changing for the positive. Since last year, our core vote has strengthened and the number of people who are disillusioned by other parties is significantly increasing. Many more people are keen to hear from us and are looking for some assurance that they can place their trust in us once again.

Our by-election victories just last week in Staffordshire, Berkshire and the Cotswolds give us further grounds for confidence. Behind those results are local teams putting in the work. Members giving up their evenings and weekends, having those doorstep conversations and making the case for our party. Much of that work happens quietly. It matters enormously, and we must never take our members for granted.

Conference is for those members – an opportunity to thank them for all they do, an opportunity for members to participate and contribute to policy, an opportunity to meet and hear from Kemi and our Shadow Cabinet, an opportunity to remind ourselves and our country what it means to be Conservatives and most of all it is our opportunity to fire us all up to return home energised and confident that we can deliver a Conservative victory at the next election.  I look forward to seeing many of you in Birmingham!