Overview
- Delegates encounter Thatcher-themed merchandise, relic displays and a mosaic as the party marks her 100th birthday and 50 years since she became leader.
- An AI chatbot trained on Thatcher’s speeches tells The Times the Conservatives must “stop repeating my name and start reviving its purpose.”
- Reporters describe a quieter exhibition hall with some unfilled stalls and reduced corporate presence compared with previous years.
- Organisers lean on party heritage to define identity against Reform, prompting questions over whether nostalgia offers a route to renewal.
- Kemi Badenoch welcomes comparisons yet says she is being “written off” as Thatcher once was, even as attendees remark that Thatcher is more visible than the current leader.