29 September 2023 , 11:54
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Deliveries of champagne and wine have arrived for Conservative party conference as Tories prepare to knock back posh bubbly while Brits grapple with the cost of living crisis.
Security staff were spotted checking over boxes of plonk outside the Midland Hotel in Manchester as Tory faithful, MPs and ministers were set to descend on the city for the party's annual gathering. Packs of Pommery Champagne, which starts at more than £40-a-bottle, and Edinburgh Gin were piled up on the pavement, along with Peroni beers, boxes of wine and posh Fevertree mixers, ready for the four-day conference.
Champagne was banned from Tory conference in 2009 to avoid displays of extravagance during the recession. But the party were back on the bubbly by 2011 - and show no sign of ditching the fizz despite the cost of living crisis.
Security staff examine the deliveries of booze outside the Midland Hotel in Manchester (CHRIS NEILL)Party faithful may wish to drown their sorrows as the Tories languish behind Labour in the polls, with dozens of gloomy MPs deciding to quit at the next election. The latest YouGov survey gave Keir Starmer's party a 21 point lead over the Conservatives, on 45% to 24%. Some 30% of voters said the Labour leader would make a better PM than Mr Sunak (22%).
The struggling PM faces an uphill battle to motivate his gloomy troops and win over the public after 13 years of Tory rule - and the havoc caused by Liz Truss and Boris Johnson. He is likely to face trouble from Ms Truss and her hard-line allies, who will hold a "pro-growth" rally on Monday, as well as restless backbenchers who want him to cut taxes.
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The PM is expected to tout a pro-motorist agenda at conference in an attempt to distract from his plans to ditch the northern leg of HS2 to Manchester, in a betrayal of northern voters. He is reportedly looking at curbing the powers of councils in England to impose 20mph speed limits, as well as restricting the number of hours a day cars are banned from bus lanes, and scaling back controversial low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs).
Treasury minister Andrew Griffith said the Prime Minister is "very focused on making sure that motorists get a fair deal". A Department for Transport source described the reports of new measures as "speculation".
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