Five key takeaways from the Conservative Party conference

Divisive speeches on immigration and gender issues have prompted consternation among the party's centrists

Conservative Party conference
Rishi Sunak attempted to reset his premiership by focusing on issues that divide his party as well as the country
(Image credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Rishi Sunak may have hoped that this year's Conservative Party conference would focus on his new policies on net zero and motorists, but it was the future of HS2 that dominated the agenda in Manchester.

It is likely that "there wasn't a grand plan in Downing Street" for the conference to be "overwhelmed" by the controversial high-speed rail link, said the BBC's chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman, "but make no mistake: that is what's happened".

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Arion McNicoll is a freelance writer at The Week Digital and was previously the UK website’s editor. He has also held senior editorial roles at CNN, The Times and The Sunday Times. Along with his writing work, he co-hosts “Today in History with The Retrospectors”, Rethink Audio’s flagship daily podcast, and is a regular panellist (and occasional stand-in host) on “The Week Unwrapped”. He is also a judge for The Publisher Podcast Awards.