The Tories used to be the party of business. Now they’re a joke.

LONDON — Britain’s Tory faithful are getting ready to do their duty at the party’s annual conference this month. Corporate bigwigs can barely be bothered to show up.

Adjusting to life in opposition again after 14 years in power, the once-mighty Conservatives are struggling to drum up business interest for their fall get-together in Birmingham — while the newly elected Labour hoovers up interest and Britain’s Liberal Democrats finally get a lobbying look-in after years in the wilderness.

“The Conservatives clearly now face a long hard climb back to power,” said Paul Harrison, chair and executive director of Lexington Advisory and former No. 10 Downing Street press secretary.

“As a much smaller group of MPs adjusts to being in opposition, and in part because their new leader won’t actually have been chosen by the time of this year’s conference, Birmingham is likely to be less well-attended by corporates than in previous years.”

It’s a steep fall for a party that’s long flaunted its pro-business bona fides.

When David Cameron took power in 2010, he put in the hard graft to rejuvenate the Conservatives’ image as the natural home for business, describing himself as “bloody lively” about enterprise and seizing the mantle back from a tired Labour Party that went on to choose leaders who turned off big corporates.

Now the tables have turned. A combination of chaotic Tory leadership changes, Brexit disenchantment, yo-yo-ing economic policies and a zealous pro-business strategy from Labour has torpedoed that reputation.

It’s a humiliation which looks set to play out in real time at the party’s annual conference in late September, normally a hotbed of business schmoozing and sponsored panel events. Corporate attendance is predicted to fall to its lowest level in living memory.

The Tories’ decision to extend the timeframe in their contest to replace defeated leader Rishi Sunak beyond the party’s annual gathering has hardly helped.

It means much of their Birmingham get-together will be dominated by the leadership fight.

Even the traditional closing speech by the party leader has been ditched, with the four remaining contenders allowed to use the final moments of the conference to give a final pitch to members instead.

A senior public affairs professional granted anonymity to speak frankly about the topic, said that while “four days of Tory self-flagellation” could be amusing, it wouldn’t encourage their clients to open their wallets.

“[Our clients] can see for themselves that spending resources engaging with a shadow minister who might be out of a job the following month is barmy,” they added.

Under duress

While certain high-profile Conservative MPs may be an attraction, some in Westminster’s public affairs world are planning to avoid paying high fees for Tory tickets and are instead hoping to tempt their networking targets outside the conference’s secure zone.

And while some corporate turn-out is certain, at least an element of it is under duress.

“What I am finding is a lot of clients are locked into events they booked pre-election, which are now difficult to come out of,” said Mitchell Cohen, head of public affairs at consultancy Lansons. “So there will likely be some interesting fringes, but not a huge amount of people attending.”

The Conservative Party did not respond to a request for comment.

Lib Dems rub their hands

Giving they’re now running the government, Labour’s own jamboree is set to be the biggest attraction for lobbyists hoping to shape the agenda.

The party launched a charm offensive with businesses before the election, and has repeatedly talked up a dash for economic growth — even as some firms remain spooked by its plan to boost workers’ rights.

Public affairs professionals are meanwhile increasingly convinced corporate attendance at the Conservative conference could fall below that of the Liberal Democrats — Westminster’s third largest party following the July election.

“If your business can be impacted by what happens in parliament, which is all businesses, then it’s important you work to eliminate any blind spots,” said Matthew Sutton, director of public affairs agency Atticus Partners. “If you’re not engaging with the Lib Dems, you potentially have 72 blind spots,” he added, referring to the party’s new tally of parliamentary troops.

Interest is particularly high among those in the health and environment worlds where the Lib Dems have secured top scrutiny roles in parliament. “Our business day is on the Monday, and I think the venue has been rearranged three times now as it keeps growing and growing … People just want to hear what we’ve got to say,” said Chris Maines, a directly-elected member of the party’s conference committee.

The surge in interest, Maines said, has left the Lib Dems scrambling to find extra space in the Brighton venue for corporates opening their wallets for exhibition space and fringe events.

The big draw for the lobbying crowd, according to Maines, is the chance to “set out their stalls” to a diverse group of new MPs during a conference where the party’s policy agenda is set through a process of “genuine” debate.

The road back

As they lick their wounds, the key question for the Conservatives is how they rebuild those links themselves.

Craig Beaumont, chief of external affairs at the Federation of Small Businesses, said given there is no imminent prospect of the Tories presenting themselves as an “alternative government,” they should focus instead on where they can still have “meaningful impact.”

“This isn’t new flashy policy ideas; it’s good and proper scrutiny — anchored in parliament. It may not be sexy but it’s vital,” he said.

“Doing this thoughtfully rather than simply challenging everything, or jumping on bandwagons to try to get back into the media — that is surely the road back.”

While there’s a weary shrug from plenty of lobbyists as the Tory conference looms, some public affairs pros see an upside in putting in the face-time now.

“MPs always remember who pays attention to them in opposition,” said Elizabeth Ames, chief executive of communications agency Atalanta. “It can be a good investment in the future, even if that feels far off at the moment.”