How did the shadow cabinet perform in Bournemouth?

Earlier this week we published the latest results from the ConservativeHome Members' Panel.  Findings included news that only 6% of Tory members think that the A-list includes the most talented candidates in the Conservative party.  Here are the Panel's September rankings of the shadow cabinet's top ten portfolio holders and my assessment of how each performed in Bournemouth...

David Davis (latest net rating +72, down 9 on July but only down 2 on January). The Shadow Home Secretary has impressed over the last year because of his public loyalty to the man who defeated him for the Tory crown.  For the fourth month in a row he remains the shadow cabinet minister with the highest satisfaction rating amongst grassroots Tories.  This week in Bournemouth Mr Davis delivered a workmanlike speech but his message on prisons will have most helped the Tory leader with the right of the party.

Liam Fox (+44, up 3 on July but down 11 on January).  Liam Fox's main platform speech was a little long but, by all accounts, he wowed a fringe event held by Conservative Friends of Israel with a passionate defence of Israel's right to defend itself from hostile neighbours.  He also gave one of the most substantial addresses of the Conference fringe.  As reported here by Simon Chapman, the Shadow Defence Secretary analysed how the money we are spending on importing energy from nations like Iran and Russia is being used to arm our enemies.

William Hague (+56, up 1 on July but down 27 on January).  The former Tory leader is still the best platform speaker in British politics and he did not fail to entertain his Bournemouth audience this week.  The Tory faithful did not seem to mind that there was little substance to Mr Hague's remarks.  They loved Mr Hague's humour and confidence and I expect the post-EPP-row dip in his approval ratings will be quickly reversed.   

Andrew Lansley (+28, up 9 on July but down 12 on January).  A very trim looking Mr Lansley enjoyed a good week.  The NHS (alongside a commitment to marriage) was the central theme of David Cameron's speech and that centrality was illustrated by the fact that the Shadow Health Secretary sat between Messrs Hague and Osborne during that speech.  Expect Mr Lansley to get more and more profile over the coming months and read Andrea Leadsom's interview with him here.

Oliver Letwin (+10, down 1 on July and down 26 on January).  Mr Letwin did not have a good start to the week with his dispute with The Sunday Times about reported remarks on 'no limits' to private sector involvement in the NHS.  I twice debated with Oliver on the fringe.  He is the most Cameroonian of the Cameroonians with a heartfelt commitment to the new agenda but a disappointing lack of confidence in the importance of our party's more recent policy positions on Europe, tax, immigration and crime.

Francis Maude (+2, down 3 on July and down 26 on January).  Many blame Francis Maude for the accreditation chaos.  I'm not sure that that's fair.  The Dorset police and CCO Conferences (a separate company whose contract is about to expire) probably share the real blame and I hope Francis will put some independent grassroots activists in charge of an enquiry into the accreditation problems.  Overall Francis and his CCHQ ran a successful conference.  Particularly worthy of highlight is head of presentation and events Nick Pisani.   Mr Pisani, formerly of BBC1's Question Time, orchestrated the look and feel of the conference, its interactive elements and the fact that the platform speeches from shadow cabinet ministers were generally shorter and punchier.

Theresa May (+3, down 1 on July and down 26 on January). Theresa wrote a blog for ConservativeHome during this week and chaired the 'challenge the candidate' sessions on the main stage.   She became a fan of activists last year when she became a fierce defender of the members' right to a vote in the leadership election but that status has faded as a result of her being an architect of the quota-based A-list.

George Osborne (+34, up 1 on July but down 34 on January). George Osborne had the best of the week because of his accomplished speech of Tuesday.  He was fully in command of his brief and will have reassured some Tories who worry that he appears a little too 'school-boyish' to be put in charge of the nation's finances.  His speech also appeared to give a little more hope to those Conservatives who want to see tax cuts in the next Tory manifesto.  It is vital that the party leaves itself room to be able to offer lower taxation.  Today's Telegraph front page and the agony caused by Gordon Brown's stamp duty will be one of an increasing number of taxes-are-too-high stories.  Just because tax was not decisive at the last three elections does not mean it won't matter at the next. 

Caroline Spelman (+16, down 5 on July and down 22 on January) and David Willetts (+33, up 9 on July but down 28 on January) both had quiet weeks.

Comments

[Daniel Vince-Archer]

"This week in Bournemouth Mr Davis delivered a workmanlike speech but his message on prisons will have most helped the Tory leader with the right of the party."

That's probably a fair description of his portfolio speech but I would say his earlier speech on party change on Sunday was probably the speech of the week.

[Chris Palmer]

Chairman Mao-ude is doing an excellent job in one respect. He is taking all the negative flak that might have been laid at David Cameron's door and providing dissatisfied party members with an effective scapegoat - especially those, like me, who stood for six hours plus in a queue waiting for our pass.

Therefore, a bad score for Mao-ude does not neccessarily reflect the job he is really doing.

[Andrea]

"Expect Mr Lansley to get more and more profile over the coming months"

I wondered where he has been in recent months...it's not that NHS problems all started last week...I thought he should have got a higher profile in the past months.

No marks for Alan Duncan?

[Monday Clubber]

To the man in the street most of these people, apart from Hague and possibly Davis, are entirely invisible and unknown.

Sadly, the kind of Tory who still bothers to attend conference is so wrapped up in esoteric party matters that this sad truth is unlikely to penetrate.

[Cardinal Pirelli]

Monday Clubber -

Very true, the general public are more likely to be following the escapades of Boris Johnson and Ann Widdecombe.

I do wonder at the continued high ratings for Davis, his speeches were poor (not his strong point in any case) but there has been so much to attack labour over with the fiascos over imigration and so on that his lack of visibility has been puzzling.

[Sally Roberts]

Davis is not a good speechmaker! For me the Conference highlights came in the Defence and Foreign Affairs debates. Liam Fox and William Hague shone but I think Timothy Kirkhope is underestimated as a speaker. He has a great sense of humour. The contribution from the lady from Burma was incredibly moving and drew attention admirably to the plight of her country.
Liam Fox also spoke brilliantly in the Conservative Friends of Israel fringe meeting.

[John Hustings]

So everybodys' ratings are down since January. Does that mean that no-one's been shining particularly?

[Fred Baker]

The shadow cabinet needs a shake up. Out with Howard's men and in with some fresh faces.

[Matt Wright]

Not convinced the shadow cabinet should be changed as posts above also saying the public don't know most of them. It would be best to let them work hard to establish that higher profile. I did like the way Cameron referred to each member of his team in his speech on Wednesday. It is important to look like a Govt in waiting,

Matt

[Yet Another Anon]

Liam Fox and William Hague shone but I think Timothy Kirkhope is underestimated as a speaker.
William Hague seems to have had the highest profile for some time, he was on the radio a number of times - I expect now he is probably the best known person in the Shadow Cabinet.

[Praguetory]

I think Osbourne had a poor week. It is correct to say he gave some hope to those who want tax cuts eventually (isn't that everyone?), but he only found himself under the spotlight because of his inflammatory remarks just before Conference. About his role as Chancellor all he appears to have to say is that keeping expenses under control is a difficult task. Sorry, but that's not good enough.

[James Maskell]

Osborne has an uneviable task. The running of the economy has been Labours trump card. I do worry though about how Osborne will be able to balance all these pressures, without dropping all the balls. Out of the entire Shadow Cabinet, Osborne is the one with the most to prove.

[Sally Roberts]

I agree with you James! What we've got to keep pointing out though is that Labour were gifted with a healthy economy when they came to power. I agree that Osborne has the most to prove but I am sure he is capable.

I was only at the Conference on Tuesday and Wednesday but have been catching up with some of the bits I didn't see on BBC Parliament over the last couple of days. Adding to what I said earlier on this thread, I think William Hague is probably one of the few (if not the only) real orator we have in the Party at the moment - his first speech was absolutely superb and to my mind even better than the one he made on Foreign Affairs.

[David Belchamber]

James @ 13.15:
"Osborne has an uneviable task. The running of the economy has been Labours trump card".

True but Brown was dealt a very good hand by Ken Clarke, he did a sensible thing in giving the Bank control base rate and he followed prudent conservative spending plans for a year or two.
After that, he reverted to type. Surely Osborne has sufficient ammunition (much of it listed by ConHome) to show up the chancellor as Gordon Waste-a-Lot, lacking in financial judgment (the sale of much of our gold reserves), a typical tax and spend Labour chancellor, lacking in managerial competence (tax credits etc), lacking transparency (the introduction of many of his taxes by stealth) and a major contributor to the collapse of many pension funds.
What more does Osborne need?

[Yet Another Anon]

I think Osbourne had a poor week.
I rather think he has been improving steadily from a position in which he had been very much out of his depth to being not so much out of his depth, by the time of the next General Election he might even seem almost plausible as Chancellor of the Exchequer - I'm sure he was probably as surpised as most other people when Michael Howard promoted him to the position, he'll probably find it easier against Alastair Darling or Ed Balls than against Gordon Brown and who knows? in about 20 years time he might even be Prime Minister.

[gareth carver]

Isn't it about time you addded in some of the new people to the shadow cabinet? What about Alan Duncan for instance, surely he deserves some consideration? then there is Hugo Swire, who not only had Prescott on the ropes over the ranch visit and has kept up the pressure on casinos, but also landed some punches on the BBC.

[Richard Carey]

I did like the way Cameron referred to each member of his team in his speech on Wednesday. It is important to look like a Govt in waiting

Agreed, Matt - those little name-checks to the members of the Shadow Cabinet was nice, and was woven in to the speech well, so as to occur quite naturally.

It's good to see DC show off the way he's building a team ("I want to be the PM of this country, not the president"). Not least, it contrasts favourably with Brown's alleged inability to be a team player.

[Richard Carey]

Apologies - muddled tenses in the above post. Gah! I'm sure you got the gist of it...