Conservative Party Conference 2015

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Should Conservatives still care about climate change?

Sunday 4th October 2015: 12:45-14:00
Fairclough Suite: Midland Hotel

Rebecca Pow MP, Member, Environmental Audit Committee
Laura Sandys, Former PPS to Minister for Energy and Climate Change
Michael Liebreich, Founder, Bloomberg New Energy
Ben Caldecott, Associate Fellow, Bright Blue
Paul Spence, Director of Strategy and Corporate Affairs, EDF Energy
Jane Merrick, Political Editor, The Independent on Sunday (Chair)

A nation of home owners? New ways to help first-time buyers

Sunday 4th October 2015: 17:45 – 19:00
Committee Room 1: Manchester Town Hall

The Rt Hon Lord David Willetts
Mark Prisk MP, Member, Communities and Local Government Select Committee
Sir Edward Lister, Deputy Mayor of London, Policy and Planning
Marc Vlessing, Chief Executive, Pocket
Ryan Shorthouse, Director, Bright Blue (Chair)

What should the Conservative Party stand for in 2020?

Sunday 4th October 2015: 17:45 – 19:00
Fairclough Suite: Midland Hotel

The Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP, Leader of the House of Commons
Suella Fernandes MP, Member, Education Select Committee
Professor Tim Bale, Chair of Politics, Queen Mary University
Charles Heslop OBE, Former President, Conservative National Convention
Nick Pearce, Director, IPPR
Alexandra Jezeph, Non-Executive Director, Bright Blue (Chair)

Putting nothing to waste: a cleaner, greener economy

Sunday 4th October 2015: 19:30 – 21:00
Committee Room 1: Manchester Town Hall

Rory Stewart MP, Minister for Environment and Rural Affairs
Matthew Pencharz, Deputy Mayor of London for the Environment and Energy
Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor, The Daily Telegraph
Charlotte Carroll, Director of Sustainable Business & Communications, Unilever UK
Dr Liz Goodwin, OBE Chief Executive, WRAP
Ryan Shorthouse, Director, Bright Blue (Chair)

Getting Generation Y: what sort of future for young people?

Sunday 4th October 2015: 19:30 – 21:00
Central 4: Manchester Central

Chloe Smith MP, Parliamentary Adviser to the Conservative Party Chairman
Owen Jones, Columnist, The Guardian
Cllr Oliver Cooper, Former Chairman, Conservative Future
Shiv Malik, Co-author, Jilted Generation
Michael Lynas, Chief Executive, National Citizens Service
Alexandra Jezeph, Non-Executive Director, Bright Blue (Chair)

What next for Conservative housing policy?

Sunday 4th October 2015: 21:00
This event is by invitation only

Kevin Hollinrake MP, Member, Communities and Local Government Select Committee
Kevin McCloud MBE, Presenter, Channel 4 Grand Designs
Chris Cook, Policy Editor, BBC Newsnight
Ruth Davison, Director of Policy and External Affairs, National Housing Federation
Ryan Shorthouse, Director, Bright Blue (Chair)

Free market Britain? Getting markets to work better

Monday 5th October 2015: 12:45 – 14:00
Wyvern Bar: Midland Hotel

Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Syed Kamall MEP, Chair, European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Will Hutton, Columnist, The Observer
Amanda Callaghan, Director of Corporate Affairs, British Retail Consortium
Lewis Shand-Smith, Chief Ombudsman, Ombudsman Services
Alexandra Jezeph, Non-Executive Director, Bright Blue (Chair)

Funding our future: caring for older people

Monday 5th October 2015: 12:45 – 14:00
Meeting Room 3: Central Library

The Rt Hon Alistair Burt MP, Minister for Community and Social Care
The Rt Hon Stephen Dorrell, Former Secretary of State for Health
Councillor Izzi Seccombe, Leader, Warwickshire County Council
Richard Humphries, Assistant Director of Policy, The King’s Fund
Tom Wright, Chief Executive, Age UK
Ryan Shorthouse, Director, Bright Blue (Chair)

What type of welfare system do we need?

Monday 5th October 2015: 15:00 – 16:30
The Green Room: The Bridgewater Hall

David Rutley MP, PPS to Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Janet Daley, Columnist, The Sunday Telegraph
Baroness Stedman-Scott
Ryan Shorthouse, Director, Bright Blue
Mike O’Connor, Chief Executive, StepChange Debt Charity
Matthew Parris, Columnist, The Times (Chair)

The future of nuclear

Monday 5th October 2015: 17:45 – 19:00
Committee Room 3: Manchester Town Hall

Lord Matthew Ridley
The Rt Hon Charles Hendry, Former Minister for Energy
Lord John Hutton, Former Secretary of State for Business and Enterprise
Peter Atherton, Managing Director, Jefferies International
Ryan Shorthouse, Director, Bright Blue (Chair)

University: is it worth it?

Monday 5th October 2015: 17:45 – 19:00
Meeting Room 3: Central Library

The Rt Hon Lord David Willetts
Katja Hall, Deputy Director-General, CBI
Megan Dunn, President, NUS
Professor Joy Carter, Vice-Chancellor, University of Winchester
Matthew d’Ancona, Chair, Bright Blue (Chair)

Making prison work

Monday 5th October 2015: 19:30 – 21:00
Committee Room 3: Manchester Town Hall

Andrew Selous MP, Minister for Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation
Trevor Kavanagh, Associate Editor, The Sun
Danny Kruger, Chief Executive, Only Connect
Frances Crook, OBE Chief Executive, Howard League for Penal Reform
David Kirkby, Senior Research Fellow, Bright Blue (Chair)

Preparing for an ageing Britain: Who should pay?

Monday 5th October 2015: 19:30 – 21:00
Chester Suite: Midland Hotel

George Freeman MP, Minister for Life Sciences
Rafael Behr, Columnist, The Guardian
Ben Southwood, Head of Policy, Adam Smith Institute
Janet Morrison, Chief Executive, Independent Age
Fazilet Hadi, Managing Director, RNIB
Ryan Shorthouse, Director, Bright Blue (Chair)

Drink Tank

Monday 5th October 2015: 21:30 – 23:00
Lancaster Suite: Midland Hotel

The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Matthew d’Ancona, Chair, Bright Blue (Chair)

Tackling working poverty: the Conservative way

Tuesday 6th October 2015: 12:45 – 14:00
Cobden 1: Manchester Central

John Glen MP, Member, Work and Pensions Select Committee
Jenni Russell, Columnist, The Times
Matthew Oakley, Author, Independent Review of JSA Sacntions
Julia Unwin, Chief Executive, Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust
David Kirkby, Senior Research Fellow, Bright Blue
Tim Stanley, Columnist, The Daily Telegraph (Chair)

Skills to pay the bills

Tuesday 6th October 2015: 12:45 – 14:00
Wyvern Bar: Midland Hotel, Manchester

Lucy Allan MP, Member, Education Select Committee
Lord James O’Shaughnessy, Former Director of Policy, Number 10 Downing Street
Alice Thomson, Columnist, The Times
Mark Anderson, Managing Director, Pearson UK
Ryan Shorthouse, Director, Bright Blue
Rachel Johnson, Non-Executive Director, Bright Blue (Chair)

Going it alone: supporting self-employed Britain

Tuesday 6th October 2015: 17:45 – 19:00
Cobden 1: Manchester Central

Stephen Hammond MP, Member, Treasury Select Committee
Tom Clark, Leader Writer, The Guardian
Professor Mark Hart, Deputy Director, Enterprise Research Centre
Chris Bryce, Chief Executive, IPSE
David Kirkby, Senior Research Fellow, Bright Blue
Isabel Oakeshott, Biographer of the Prime Minister (Chair)

How can social housing help create the Big Society?

Tuesday 6th October 2015: 17:45 – 19:00
Conference Hall: Manchester Town Hall

Lord Gary Porter, Leader, LGA Conservative Group
Alok Sharma MP, PPS to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Jonn Elledge, Editor, CityMetric
Dame Clare Tickell DBE, Chief Executive, Hanover Housing Association
Ryan Shorthouse, Director, Bright Blue (Chair)

What is blue-collar conservatism?

Tuesday 6th October 2015: 19:30 – 21:00
Conference Hall: Manchester Town Hall

The Rt Hon Stephen Crabb MP, Secretary of State for Wales
James Cleverly MP
John Harris, Columnist, The Guardian
Paul Abbott, Chief Executive, Conservative Way Forward
Alison Garnham, Chief Executive, Child Poverty Action Group
Rachel Johnson, Non-Executive Director, Bright Blue (Chair)

The future of work for those on low incomes

Tuesday 6th October 2015: 21:00
This event is invitation only

Peter Aldous MP, Member, Environmental Audit Committee
Gaby Hinsliff, Columnist, The Guardian
Ryan Shorthouse, Director, Bright Blue (Chair)

Seeking refuge: a fair and effective asylum system

Tuesday 6th October 2015: 21:00
This event is invitation only

Tobias Ellwood MP, Minister, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Andrew Gimson, Columnist, ConservativeHome
Michael Adamson, Chief Executive, British Red Cross
David Kirkby, Senior Research Fellow, Bright Blue (Chair)

Labour Conference 2015

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The future of work for those on low incomes

Monday 28th September 2015: 12:30-14:00
Coast View 1: The Mercure Brighton Seafront Hotel

Gavin Kelly, Chief Executive, Resolution Foundation
Cllr Roxanne Mashari, Member, Brent Council Employment and Skills Board
Stephen Bush, Editor, The Staggers, The New Statesman
Kay Carberry, Assistant General Secretary, TUC
Joanna Elson, OBE Chief Executive, Money Advice Trust
Ryan Shorthouse, Director, Bright Blue (Chair)

A blank cheque? What can austerity Britain afford for older people?

Monday 28th September 2015: 19:45-21:00
Glyndebourne 2

Debbie Abrahams, MP Member, Work and Pensions Select Committee
Dawn Foster, Journalist, The Guardian
Janet Morrison, Chief Executive, Independent Age
Eleanor Southwood, Vice-President, RNIB
Andrew Harrop, General Secretary, Fabian Society (Chair)

Is the party over: what can Labour do to rebuild and renew itself?

Tuesday 29th September 2015: 17:30-19:00
Stanmer Room: Hilton Brighton Metropole Hotel

The Rt Hon Caroline Flint MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
Keir Starmer MP
The Rt Hon John Denham, Director, Southern Policy Centre
John Curtice, Professor of Politics, University of Strathclyde
Mary Riddell, Columnist, The Daily Telegraph
Ryan Shorthouse, Director, Bright Blue
Nick Pearce, Director, IPPR (Chair)

Liberal Democrats 2015

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A blank cheque? What can austerity Britain afford for older people?

Monday 21st September 2015: 13:00-14:00
Hardy Suite: Hermitage Hotel

Dr John Pugh MP, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson
Baroness Walmsley
Simon Bottery, Head of Research and Policy, Independent Age
Steve Winyard, Head of Membership and Campaigns, RNIB
Anthony Rowlands, Executive Director, CentreForum (Chair)