Past and future infrastructure decisions in focus at 2024 Conservative Party Conference

Taking place just three months after the general election, this year’s Conservative Party Conference had a very different feel.

And not just because they’re out of government for the first time in 14 years.

The party is in the middle of a leadership election, which won’t conclude for another month.

For a party in transition, however, the atmosphere was surprisingly upbeat.

Rather than set out policy positions, shadow ministers used the conference to reflect on their changing fortunes and what they’ve seen so far from Labour.

For policy debate, the ICE turned to the various fringe events taking place around the conference zone.

Missed opportunities in transport

Speaking to a packed room at The Rail Interview, shadow minster and transport spokesperson Lord Moylan said that the previous government should have done more on transport, especially rail.

He echoed the ICE’s view that cancelling the second phase of HS2 and leaving questions unanswered about the future of Euston left the UK with the worst of all worlds.

He also argued that the government should’ve focused more on maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure to get the most out of what we have.

Moylan praised the National Infrastructure Commission and its assessment of infrastructure needs across the country.

But he also suggested it should be allowed to go further and tell the government how it should prioritise projects.

Learning lessons on planning, investment, and communication

The ICE attended several private roundtables with think tanks and policymakers, including the Institute for Government.

At one discussion, attendees considered how the public and private sectors can work together to deliver the infrastructure the UK needs.

With the Labour government intending to fund more infrastructure from private sources, it needs to ensure that key bodies can oversee this effectively.

The government and the civil service need the right skills to manage major projects. They should also do more to assess and plan projects before committing work.

Long-term certainty at the national level can aid decision-making at the local level.

Attendees also recognised that the government must better explain the benefits of infrastructure investment if it wants the public to support it.

YouGov polling for the ICE shows that 68% of the public believe politicians should focus on the benefits of major infrastructure rather than the costs.

What next for net zero?

One of the most popular topics at the fringe events was the Conservatives' direction on net zero and the UK’s future energy needs.

At one event hosted by Nesta, panellists discussed how to accelerate public uptake of heat pumps.

One panellist noted that housebuilders in other countries are already installing the technology as standard, removing the need for future retrofits.

Octopus Energy explained its decision to manufacture their own units with a focus on driving down the cost for consumers.

Answering a question posed by the ICE, Octopus observed that the market can play a role in supporting with upfront finance, as it already does with conventional boilers.

However, financial incentives shouldn’t take away from the need to drive down the costs and make the technology more affordable to everybody.

Should ‘cheap’ come before ‘clean’?

At an Institute for Government Panel, Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho emphasised that cheap energy should come before clean energy.

She advocated for a free-market approach that uses private sector finance to support the net zero transition.

Coutinho said the UK must be a world leader in the transition. The more expensive our energy gets, she observed, the more challenging climate leadership will be.

The ICE has highlighted that the net zero transition must be just and fair if the public is to change its behaviour.

What next for the Conservatives?

The next month will see one of the four candidates (Tom Tugendhat, Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, or Robert Jenrick) emerge as the new Conservative leader and appoint their first shadow cabinet.

As the new opposition, this role will be key.

The Labour government has quickly set out the reforms it intends to make over the coming years.

It will be important for parliament to scrutinise the detail to ensure that the government delivers for the public.

The ICE will continue to engage with all parties to ensure our members’ expertise informs key areas of built environment policy.

To stay up to date with our policy work, sign up to ICE Informs.