Open Season 2013 The definitive guide to the key people and debates at party conference fringes Open Season 2013 The definitive guide to the key people and debates at party conference fringes

• Orange-bookers are more prominent at Lib Dominic Church, Dem conference than the left-wing of the party, Managing Director with David Laws, Danny Alexander and Jeremy Browne treading the floor. Lib Dem backbencher Julian Huppert wins an ‘all- rounder’ award, speaking on everything from With politicos up and down the country packing life sciences to justice. their bags for the Lib Dem, Labour and Conservative party conferences, we’ve put • Out of our top 10 fringe speakers at Labour together some light travel reading on the most conference, half are from the 2010 intake popular politicians and the biggest policy debates including rising stars Chuka Umunna, Rachel at conference fringe season. Reeves and Stella Creasy. Clearly Labour are working at presenting a fresh and strong In this report we give our analysis of each of the frontbench. three conference’s fringe programmes. We’ll tell you why certain politicians are more conspicuous • Women are poorly represented across all three than others on the fringe, and why some topics fringes. Just five of the top 30 speakers are are in vogue whilst others are off the agenda. women – three at Labour and one apiece for the Tories and LibDems. This shows politics Some of the most interesting insights are: remains dominated by men.

• The most popular speakers at each • Business and the economy are the most conference fringe are David Willetts at popular topics across all three party fringes. Conservatives, Vince Cable at the Lib Dems, and Jack Dromey at Labour. • Welfare reform may remain politically controversial – but there is little appetite to • The Conservative fringe has the most diverse discuss it on the fringe as the subject doesn’t range of speakers – with those tipped for figure in the top ten topics at any conference. leadership of the party curiously prominent: Andrea Leadsom is the fourth most popular at • Despite its disappearance from recent events. Adam Afriyie is also conspicuous. leadership speeches of late, the Big Society isn’t dead at Conservative fringe, with society • After a summer characterised by infighting and issues the third most popular topic for fringes. facing up to the unions, Labour is the most introverted of the three parties right now. With the most party political events reflecting on its We’ll be at all three party conferences, so please nature and future, Labour seems less at ease get in touch on 020 7227 1646 if you’d like to meet with itself than the Tories and LibDems. us there, if you’d like to find out more about this report and our findings, or to find out about the • The Conservatives prove to have the most great work we do for our clients. sociable fringe, with more purely social bashes than Labour and Lib Dems combined.

Get in touch: Dominic Church, 020 7227 1646, [email protected] Open Season 2013 Liberal Democrats, Glasgow 14 th – 18 th September

It’s perhaps no surprise that Vince tops the list of Lib Dem speakers – a reflection of his popularity amongst the party faithful and a focus on business and economic issues. Will he use conference to further differentiate himself? Clegg – and Osborne – will be watching closely. Vince Cable MP The top ten speaker list is largely dominated by Clegg loyalists, with David Laws, Danny Alexander, Norman and Jeremy Browne featuring strongly. Lamb MP But its not all Ministers - backbencher Julian David Laws Huppert is taking an enthusiastic approach to the MP fringe, speaking at six events in total. Best all-rounder: Julian Huppert MP, covering subjects from justice to life sciences.

Fringe event titles: top 100 words Unsurprisingly, energy and climate events feature more highly at Lib Dems than the other two fringes.

One reflection of changing times for the party is the lack of events on constitutional reform. After embarrassing failures on AV and Lords reform, there is little interest from the party or from outside interests to discuss the issue.

Fringe event topics: top 10

30

No of 15 fringes

0 Economy, Health and Education & Energy, Transport Crime & Foreign Party Housing Europe growth & social care training climate justice affairs political business change & environment

Get in touch with our lead contact at Liberal Democrat Party Conference (Glasgow, 14 th – 18 th Sept): Malcolm Sullivan, 020 3102 3623, [email protected] Open Season 2013 Labour, Brighton 22 nd – 25 th September

Jack Dromey, Shadow Housing Minister, is this year’s star fringe speaker, talking at more events than any other politician from any party. But the fringe will see many appearances by Labour’s rising stars from the 2010 intake, with potential future leadership candidates Chuka Umunna, Rachel Reeves and Stella Creasy all featuring highly. Jack Dromey MP

The road to 2015 is a clear preoccupation of this Chuka year's Conference. Key figures in the party's policy Umunna MP review process including Policy Review lead Jon Maria Eagle MP Cruddas, Chair of Labour's National Policy Forum and influential thinker Lord Glasman Best all-rounder: Stella Creasy MP, covering subjects will each be making several speaking appearances. from women in public life to internet and innovation

Fringe event titles: top 100 words Labour will try to make 2015 a ‘cost of living’ election, and events on the fringe reflect that – expect to hear more talk of predatory capitalism at the large number of fringes on housing, energy and transport.

Most in the Labour Party agree on the need to show a unified face in the run up to European elections and then 2015. But few can agree what that face should be – hence the large number of events debating the future of the party. Fringe event topics: top 10 60

45

No of fringes 30

15

0 Economy, Party Health & Crime & Energy, Transport Education & Employment Community Housing growth & political social care justice climate training & local business change & government environment

Get in touch with our lead contact at Labour Party Conference (Brighton, 22 nd – 25 th September): Dominic Church, 020 7227 1646, [email protected] Open Season 2013 Conservatives, Manchester 29 th Sept – 2nd Oct

David Willetts has featured prominently in reports of likely losers in any reshuffle, so it may be no surprise he is getting out there – speaking at eleven fringes. Meanwhile Patrick McLoughlin will be gamely making the case for HS2 at a range of events – expect stand offs between infrastructure lobbyists and angry grassroots Tories. David Willetts MP There are no shortage of ambitious 2010 intake Tories, and two are particularly prominent on the Jeremy Hunt fringe. Adam Afriyie – the most open about his MP ambitions – talks at four events, while the quieter but Patrick McLoughlin MP widely respected Andrea Leadsom is on the list for no less than nine. One to watch. Best all-rounder: Andrea Leadsom MP, covering subjects from childcare to EU renegotiation

Fringe event titles: top 100 words While business and the economy unsurprisingly dominates, its notable that the Tory fringe is more interested in society questions than the other parties.

With fringes on faith groups, equality, people power and the voluntary sector – the slogan may be out of fashion but there is still a willingness to talk about the Big Society.

Fringe event topics: top 10 75

60

No of 45 fringes 30

15

0 Economy, Health & Society Party Transport Education & Crime & Social Europe Energy, growth & social care political training justice events climate business change & environment

Get in touch with our lead contact at Conservative Party Conference (Manchester, 29 th Sept – 2nd Oct) Charlotte Taylor, 020 7227 1648, [email protected] Open Season 2013 Appendix: key figures

Liberal Democrats Labour Conservative

Speaker No. of events Speaker No. of events Speaker No. of events Vince Cable 15 Jack Dromey 18 David Willets 11 Norman Lamb 10 Chuka Umunna 13 Jeremy Hunt 9 David Laws 7 Maria Eagle 12 Patrick McLoughlin 9 Simon Hughes 7 Lord Adonis 11 Andrea Leadsom 7 Don Foster 7 Andy Burnham 10 Lord Freud 7 Jeremy Browne 7 Chris Leslie 9 Nick Hurd MP 7 Danny Alexander 6 Rachel Reeves 9 Owen Paterson 7 Ed Davey 6 Sadiq Khan 9 Francis Maude 5 Jo Swinson 6 Stella Creasy 9 Greg Clarke 5 Julian Huppert 6 Ed Miliband 8 Adam Afriyie 4

Topic No. of events Topic No. of events Topic No. of events Economy, growth Economy, growth Economy, growth and business 27 and business 54 and business 66 Health and social Party political 34 Health and social care 19 Health and social care 35 Education and care 28 Society 23 training 19 Crime and justice 26 Party political 22 Energy, climate and Energy, climate and environment 17 environment 21 Transport 20 Education and Transport 15 Transport 21 training 22 Crime and justice 15 Education and training 21 Crime and Justice 18 Foreign Affairs 13 Employment 20 Social events 18 Party political 12 Community and local Energy, climate and Housing 10 government 18 environment 17 Europe 9 Housing 17 Europe 17

Our methodology  We recorded national politicians’ speaking engagements at each conference fringe programme.  We produced a ranking of the most popular political speakers at fringe events by recording the number of fringe events they’re expected to speak at.  We also looked at the spread of topics each politician is covering.  We reviewed each conference’s fringe programme and categorised each and every fringe event per topic.  We produced a ranking of the most popular topics by recording the number of fringe events held per topic.

Get in touch: Dominic Church, 020 7227 1646, [email protected]