Conservative Party Conference 2025: The top environmental events to catch in Manchester
In the third and final Seahorse guide to party conference season, we’ve selected a line-up of green events at the Conservative Party Conference, taking place in Manchester between Sunday 5th October and Wednesday 8th October.
The Conservative Party Conference is usually the final get-together of the three major parties, however Reform UK’s performance in the polls has put a fourth conference on the map this year. Delegates will have nervously digested the latest YouGov MRP polling which suggests the Conservatives could lose two-thirds of their 121 seats won last year - which was already their worst result in their 190-year modern history - reducing their tally to 45 seats.
The impact of the Reform surge on Conservative policy can’t be underestimated, and debates are raging over how best to respond. While leader Kemi Badenoch has disavowed the UK’s 2050 net zero target and pledged to repeal the Climate Change Act, others, including former Environment Secretary Michael Gove argue that a true Conservative approach balances economic demands with a commitment to protecting nature. The Conservative Environment Network (CEN) continue to advocate for environmentalism within the party, as is clear from their numerous events in Manchester this year and their recent essay collection - Paradise Regained: The conservative case for restoring English nature.
As CEN write in their essay collection “nature is something that, as conservatives, we are philosophically predisposed to care about.” During this important, and some argue existential, period for the party, it will be fascinating to see in Manchester how the party further develops its approach to the climate and nature in opposition.
The full agenda for the conference can be found here.
Monday 6th October
ENERGY
Event: 10.00-11:00, Powering the Future: The importance of energy abundance in the UK’s net zero ambitions - Onward & Uniper, along with Shadow Energy Minister Andrew Bowie MP, Public First Head of Energy and Environment Daisy Powell-Chandler and others will explore how diversified sources, domestic generation, and infrastructure investment can strengthen resilience, reduce vulnerabilities, and support a stable, low-carbon energy system.
Venue: Manchester Central, Central 5
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Event: 10.30-11:30, From waste to watts: Turning rubbish into reliable energy. Hosted by CEN and Green Gas Taskforce, and chaired by Sam Hall (CEN Director), this panel will examine what role green gas could play in protecting the UK from volatile global energy markets, supporting rural economies, and delivering a cleaner, more secure future.
Venue: Manchester Central, Exhibition 80, Conservative Environment Network
ENERGY
Event: 13.00-14:00, Growth v Net Zero - do we have to choose? The Local Authority Pension Fund Forum are hosting an event to discuss whether the government’s policies for achieving Net Zero by 2050 are realistic, and how business and society can best afford the costs of the transition. The discussion will include Shadow Energy Minister Andrew Bowie MP and Lord Callanan – Vice Chair of the Net Zero APPG.
Venue: The Midland Hotel, Rolls Suite
NATURE
Event: 13.30 – 14:30, Can Brexit help to restore British nature? CEN and the National Trust, along with the Rt Hon. Lord Michael Gove PC will discuss whether the opportunity to make the environment one of the greatest potential beneficiaries of Brexit was seized. They will ask whether DEFRA lost sight of the original vision, and what steps the UK should now take, outside of the EU, to deliver better outcomes for the environment and the economy.
Venue: Manchester Central, Exhibition 80, Conservative Environment Network
Tuesday 17th October
AIR POLLUTION
Event: 09.00-10:00, Air pollution and transport freedom: CEN councillor breakfast - What could an approach to improving air quality through conservative policies look like? Especially given that much of the debate around improving air quality is dominated by messages of bans, fines, and restrictions, running counter to conservative principles. This event will include CEN’s Tom Turrell, Cllr John Cope, David Simmonds MP (Shadow Minister for Levelling Up).
Venue: Manchester Central, Exhibition 80, Conservative Environment Network
ENERGY
Event: 12.00-13:00, Power struggles: How can the Conservatives beat Reform on energy policy? Renewable UK and CEN will ask whether the party should copy Reform on ripping up renewable energy contracts, banning pylons and batteries, and restarting fracking, or whether there is a political advantage from championing a distinct alternative, Conservative path.
Venue: Manchester Central, Exhibition 80, Conservative Environment Network
NATURE
Event: 13.30-14:30, The nature of opposition: In conversation with Victoria Atkins –Rt Hon Victoria Atkins MP – the Shadow Secretary of State for DEFRA and CEN will discuss this Labour government’s nature policies, what she has been working on in Parliament, how she is approaching the party’s policy review process, and her ambition to retain the Conservative’s title as the party of the natural environment.
Venue: Manchester Central, Exhibition 80, Conservative Environment Network
POLITICS
Event: 15.00-16:00, Returning to our roots: Should environmentalism be a conservative agenda? CEN, Tara Singh, Managing Director of Public Policy at Burson, and Isabel Goodwin (CEN Head of Outreach) explore how the Conservatives can chart a route back to government and what role the environment will play in this.
Venue: Manchester Central, Exhibition 80, Conservative Environment Network
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