Speaking up for new directions – Cycling UK at the Conservative Party conference

For a party which suffered a heavy election defeat less than three months ago this year’s Conservative Party conference in Birmingham was surprisingly upbeat.

The energy of the delegates and the programme of events focused on the political beauty contest of a leadership election and hearing from the four remaining candidates who spent the three days making speeches, shaking countless hands and being interviewed by the media.

Looking to new leadership

I managed to grab 20 seconds (literally) of Tom Tugendhat’s time and asked him what he would do for cycling and sustainable travel if he became leader.

He very briefly said he was positive about e-bikes. He showed he understood the benefits of cycling for reducing road congestion because, as he said, half a dozen people on bikes take up the same amount of road space as cars.

I can’t report the opinions of the other candidates. Sadly, though, it seems that sustainable transport and environmental issues aren’t high on their agendas.

The Scottish Conservatives have also been on the quest to find a new leader and recently elected Russell Findlay MSP, who made a speech at a reception I attended in Birmingham. I previously met Mr Findlay in March when Cycling UK hosted a stand in the Scottish Parliament and we chatted then about cycling.

He regularly rides a bike so understands the benefits that cycling brings and it was good to meet him again in Birmingham and remind him we are keen to engage with him and his Conservative team at Holyrood.

Picking positive policies

Whoever becomes leader of the Conservatives and leader of the opposition in the Westminster Parliament will need to set a new direction for their party and attempt to regain the trust of the nation.

In the meantime, many of the discussions and fringe meetings I attended at the conference debated what direction the Conservatives should now take on key issues, such as house building, boosting the economy, transforming healthcare, urban transport and climate action.

At a health-focused fringe event one of the speakers suggested that the Conservatives should pick specific policies which have benefits across multiple sectors of the economy.

This point really struck home to me and the audience. In my question to the panel, I proposed investment in cycling and creating cycle routes as one such policy solution which has many positive benefits for the nation.

There is strong evidence for these benefits which include:

• Reducing the burden on the NHS by enabling people to travel actively and preventing ill health
• Reducing road congestion in our towns and cities by moving people efficiently in dense urban environments
• Boosting local economies by being a key part of town centre renewal and making our neighbourhoods better places to live
• Cutting damaging climate emissions by enabling people to switch car journeys to pleasant walking and cycling journeys

Value signalling

Several speakers at fringe events that I attended wanted to remind audiences that protecting nature and concern for the climate and environment are core conservative values and that the party must get back to explaining this to the electorate if they are to get back into government.

The feeling was that under Rishi Sunak the party had lost sight of this and taken the party in the wrong direction. The slashing of funding for active travel in 2023 and the pro-car culture war rhetoric in the run up to July’s election went against these values and what voters really wanted.

Being at the conference was a great way to be part of these debates and speak up for cycling as a strong policy solution the Conservatives should adopt at a time when they are rethinking their policies and approach.

The Conservatives may be defeated and out of power, but they still have the desire to win and push the new government for positive action.

We will continue to signal the value of investing in cycling to politicians of all parties as the political conference season ends and they get back to their day-to-day work in national and local governments, parliaments and town halls around the country this autumn.