Conservative party conference moves online for 2020
The October Conservative party conference has been officially cancelled, with a virtual event to go ahead instead.
The party sent an email to members today to inform them that the showpiece event, planned for Birmingham, would not take place this year.
The announcement comes after Labour and the Liberal Democrats already cancelled their events months ago due to the coronavirus crisis.
The Tories had held off from also cancelling, while reportedly trying to make the format work as the UK eased social distancing restrictions.
Co-chairs Amanda Milling and Ben Elliot said they hoped for most planned events to still go ahead online.
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“The virtual conference will provide a fantastic opportunity for members to share ideas and hear from voices across the party,” they said.
“Whilst we hope we will be able to host some aspects in the physical format, we would only do so if allowed by government guidelines and following the strictest safety guidelines.”
The setpiece event is an annual opportunity for parties to rally their respective bases, while also using extensive media coverage to reach out to the wider public.
The events attract thousands of people each year and are important revenue raisers for political parties.