Conservative party conference 2024 was a bit different this year, with the now out-of-power Tories primarily using its annual gathering as a leadership beauty parade.

With Keir Starmer’s poll ratings declining, the conference had a slightly upbeat, arguably happy tone to it – with a surprising air of confidence for a party that was so clearly defeated in July’s general election.

All four leadership candidates – Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat – used the conference to outline their vision for the future of the party and country.

So what did they say about the big issues? And how are the Tories aiming to reconnect with voters they lost to Reform?

Kemi Badenoch MP, North West Essex

Badenoch’s time at conference was arguably the most ‘headline-grabbing’ of all the leadership hopefuls, but not necessarily for the right reasons.

She got off to a rocky start, with members and the media focusing on her comments around whether maternity pay was “excessive” – something she claimed she was misquoted over.

From a policy perspective, she re-asserted her position to leave the ECHR and argued that caps or targets concerning international aid or net zero were unhelpful.

Despite losing a chunk of its voters to Reform at the general election, Badenoch declared the party as not “real Conservatives,” and that the Tories would not welcome Nigel Farage into the party.

James Cleverly MP, Braintree

Cleverly pitched himself as the best candidate to reach beyond the Tory membership and win support of the wider electorate, citing his record in Government and as Party Chair as reasons to believe Labour would fear him most.

Admitting the Conservatives had overpromised in the 14 years in government, he vowed, if elected, to address the housing crisis, advocating for scrapping stamp duty on residential houses, and unlocking fluidity in the market.

Robert Jenrick MP, Newark

Jenrick’s keynote conference speech was all about his immigration policy – capping net migration, leaving the ECHR, scrapping the Human Rights Act, and deporting illegal immigrants “within days”.

He believed that the Tories should be proud of the past 14 years in power, arguing that the party has and would always stand up for British culture.

Tom Tugendhat MP, Tonbridge

Highlighting his professional experience in the British Army on several occasions during the conference, Tugendhat emphasised the need to end the cap on apprenticeships and upskill the existing workforce.

He also argued that the UK needs to build more nuclear power stations to be energy secure, and promised to bring a “conservative revolution” to Britain.

What’s next?

Now it is up to the Parliamentary Tory Party to cut the number of leadership candidates in half before membership decides who of the remaining two candidates will ultimately go on to face Keir Starmer at the dispatch box.