Party conference season
In the United Kingdom the party conference season is the period of three weeks in September and October of each year, whilst the House of Commons is in recess, in which the annual political party conferences are held.
The Conservative Party Conference, Labour Party Conference and Liberal Democrat Federal Conference, representing the three largest UK-wide political parties, in terms of votes cast, hold their main annual conferences in Autumn.
UK-wide political party conferences have traditionally taken place in seaside resorts such as Blackpool, Brighton and Bournemouth, largely due to there being plenty of cheap accommodation available in such towns at the end of the summer holiday season. However, they are increasingly taking place in major cities with modern, purpose-built conference centres such as Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester.[1]
Conferences for the devolved Scottish and Welsh parties of the UK-wide Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties are held in March, while the Scottish Green Party holds two conferences each year – a one day policy event alongside the devolved conferences in March and a two or three day main conference during the main conference season.
There is an unofficial agreement between the parties that they will stagger the timing of their conferences such that media attention be undivided, though smaller parties do not always abide by this rule firmly. In 2012 for example, there was an overlap between the Liberal Democrat and United Kingdom Independence Party annual conferences, with the latter concluding on the opening day of the former, and in 2013 the Liberal Democrat and Green Party of England and Wales conferences overlapped by three days.
2020 conference season
The dates and locations of the 2020 conferences are as follows:
- Labour – Saturday 19 September to Wednesday 23 September at the ACC Liverpool [2]
- Liberal Democrats – Saturday 26 September to Tuesday 29 September at the Brighton Centre [3]
- Conservatives – Sunday 4 October to Wednesday 7 October at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham [4]
2019 conference season
The dates and locations of the Autumn 2019 conferences were as follows:
| Party | Start date | End date | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trades Union Congress | Sunday 8 September 2019 | Wednesday 11 September 2019 | The Brighton Centre | [5] |
| Liberal Democrats | Saturday 14 September 2019 | Tuesday 17 September 2019 | Bournemouth International Centre | |
| Labour | Saturday 21 September 2019 | Wednesday 25 September 2019 | The Brighton Centre | |
| Conservatives | Sunday 29 September 2019 | Wednesday 2 October 2019 | Manchester Central Convention Complex | |
| Green Party of England and Wales | Friday 4 October 2019 | Sunday 6 October 2019 | International Convention Centre Wales | [6] |
| Plaid Cymru | Friday 4 October 2019 | Sunday 6 October 2019 | Swansea Grand Theatre | |
| Scottish National Party | Sunday 13 October 2019 | Tuesday 15 October 2019 | The Event Complex Aberdeen | [7] |
| Scottish Green Party | Saturday 12 October 2019 | Sunday 13 October 2019 | Eden Court Inverness | [8] |
As a result of the defeat for the Government in Miller/Cherry, the September prorogation of Parliament was declared void, and Parliament sat from 25 September. This meant that the Labour conference was cut short and – after failing to win a vote for a recess – that the Conservative conference clashed with the sitting of Parliament for the first time.[9][10]
The dates and locations of other 2019 conferences are as follows:
| Party | Start date | End date | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scottish Liberal Democrats | Friday 22 February | Saturday 23 February | The Hamilton Townhouse | [11] |
| Scottish Labour | Friday 8 March | Sunday 10 March | Caird Hall, Dundee | [12] |
| Liberal Democrats | Friday 15 March | Sunday 17 March | Barbican Centre, York | [13] |
| Plaid Cymru | Friday 22 March | Saturday 23 March | Pontio Centre, Bangor | [14] |
| Welsh Liberal Democrats | Saturday 6 April | Sunday 7 April | Marriott Hotel, Cardiff | [15] |
| Scottish National Party | Saturday 27 April | Sunday 28 April | Edinburgh International Conference Centre | [16] |
| Scottish Conservatives | Friday 3 May | Saturday 4 May | Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre | [17] |
| Green Party of England and Wales | Friday 7 June | Monday 10 June | The Spa, Scarborough | [18] |
2018 conference season
The dates and locations of the 2018 conferences were as follows:
- Trades Union Congress – Sunday 9 September to Wednesday 12 September at Manchester Central[19]
- Liberal Democrats – Saturday 15 September - Tuesday 18 September 2018 at the Brighton Centre
- Labour – Sunday 23 September to Wednesday 26 September 2018 at the ACC Liverpool
- Conservatives – Sunday 30 September to Wednesday 3 October 2018 at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham
- Scottish Conservatives – Friday 2 March to Saturday 3 March 2018 at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (cancelled due to the "Beast from the East" storm)
- Scottish National Party – Spring Conference - Friday 8 June to Saturday 9 June 2018 at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.
- UKIP – Friday 21 September to Saturday 22 September 2018 at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham
- Plaid Cymru – 5 October and 6 October at Theatr Mwldan, Cardigan
- Green Party of England and Wales – Friday 5 October to Sunday 7 October at the City Hall, Bristol
- Libertarian Party UK - Saturday 6 October at MK Conferencing, Milton Keynes [20]
- Scottish National Party – Annual Conference – Sunday 7 October to Tuesday 9 October 2018 at The SEC Centre, Glasgow[21]
- Cooperative Party – Annual Conference – Friday 12 October to Sunday 14 October 2018 at Mecure Grand Hotel, Bristol[22]
- Scottish Green Party – 20 and 21 October at University of Strathclyde Technology and Innovation Centre, Glasgow
- Women's Equality Party - Friday 7 September - Sunday 9 September - Kettering Conference Centre
2017 conference season
The dates and locations of the 2017 conferences were as follows:
- Liberal Democrats – Saturday 16 September - Tuesday 19 September 2017 at the Bournemouth International Centre[23]
- Labour – Sunday 24 September to Wednesday 27 September 2017 at the Brighton Centre[24]
- UKIP – Friday 29 September to Saturday 30 September at the Riviera International Conference Centre in Torquay.[25]
- Conservatives – Sunday 1 October to Wednesday 4 October at the Manchester Central Convention Complex[26]
- Green Party of England and Wales – Saturday 7 October to Tuesday 10 October 2017 at the Harrogate International Centre[27]
- Scottish National Party – Sunday 8 October to Tuesday 10 October at The SEC Centre, Glasgow[28]
- Plaid Cymru – Friday 20 October 2017 and Saturday 21 October at the Galeri, Caernarfon[29]
- Scottish Green Party – Saturday 21 October and Sunday 22 October at the Edinburgh Napier University Sighthill Campus, Edinburgh[30]
2016 conference season
Labour Conference at ACC Liverpool
The dates and locations of the 2016 conferences were as follows:
- Green Party of England and Wales – Friday 2 September to Sunday 4 September 2016 at the University of Birmingham[31]
- UKIP – Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 September at the Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth[32]
- Liberal Democrats – Saturday 17 September to Tuesday 20 September at the Brighton Centre, Brighton[33]
- Labour – Sunday 25 September to Wednesday 28 September 2016 at the ACC Liverpool, Liverpool[34]
- Conservatives – Sunday 2 to Wednesday 5 October at International Convention Centre, Birmingham[35]
- Scottish National Party – Thursday 13 to Saturday 15 October at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Glasgow[36]
- Plaid Cymru – Friday 21 to Saturday 22 October at the Pavilion, Llangollen[37]
- Scottish Green Party – Friday 21 to Sunday 23 October at Perth Concert Hall and the Royal George Hotel, Perth[38]
2015 conference season
Temporary fences in Manchester during the Conservatives conference
The dates and locations of the 2015 conferences were as follows:
- Liberal Democrats – Saturday 19 to Wednesday 23 September at the Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth[39]
- UKIP – Thursday 24 to Saturday 26 September at Doncaster Racecourse, Doncaster[40]
- Green Party – Friday 25 to Monday 28 September at the Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth[41]
- Labour – Sunday 27 to Wednesday 30 September at the Brighton Centre, Brighton[42]
- Conservatives – Sunday 4 to Wednesday 7 October at Manchester Central, Manchester[43]
- Scottish Green Party - Saturday 10 to Sunday 11 October at the Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow.[44] It was the party's most well attended conference so far.
- Scottish National Party – Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 October at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, Aberdeen[45]
- Plaid Cymru – Friday 23 – Saturday 24 October at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth[46]
2014 conference season
The dates of the 2014 conferences were as follows:
- Green Party of England and Wales – 5 to 8 September, at Aston University, Birmingham[47]
- Trades Union Congress – 7 to 10 September, in Liverpool[48]
- Labour – 21 to 24 September, in Manchester[49]
- UKIP – 26 to 27 September, in Doncaster[50]
- Official Monster Raving Loony Party – 26th, 27th & 28th Sept, in Llandrindod Wells, Powys
- Conservatives – 28 September to 1 October, in Birmingham[51]
- Liberal Democrats – 4 to 8 October, in Glasgow[52]
- Scottish Green Party – 11 to 12 October, in Edinburgh[53]
- Plaid Cymru – 24 to 25 October, in Aberystwyth[54]
- Scottish National Party – 13 to 15 November, in Perth[55]
At their annual conference, the Scottish National Party held a leadership election following Alex Salmond's announcement of resignation. Nicola Sturgeon, formerly Salmond's deputy, was elected as their new leader.
2013 conference season
The dates of the 2013 conferences were as follows:
- Trades Union Congress – 8 to 11 September, in Bournemouth
- Green Party of England and Wales – 13 to 16 September, in Brighton
- Liberal Democrats – 14 to 18 September, in Glasgow
- UKIP – 20 to 21 September, in London
- Labour- 22 to 25 September, in Brighton
- Conservatives – 29 September to 2 October, in Manchester[56]
- Plaid Cymru – 11 to 12 October, in Aberystwyth
- Scottish National Party – 17 to 20 October, in Perth
2012 conference season
The dates of the 2012 conferences were as follows:
- Green Party of England and Wales – 7 to 10 September, in Bristol
- Trades Union Congress – 9 to 12 September, in Brighton
- Plaid Cymru – 13 to 15 September, in Brecon
- UKIP – 21 to 22 September, in Birmingham
- Liberal Democrats – 22 to 26 September, in Brighton
- Labour- 30 September to 4 October, in Manchester
- Conservatives – 8 to 11 October, in Birmingham
- Scottish National Party – 18 to 21 October, in Perth
See also
- Conservative Party Conference
- Labour Party Conference
- Liberal Democrat Federal Conference
References
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