Opaque think tanks, landlords and the arms industry dominate Tory conference

Opaquely-funded think tanks, lobby groups, the arms and tobacco industries and fossil fuel firms were front and centre at this year’s Conservative Party Conference, hosting panel conversations and events with some of the most senior party figures.

Rishi Sunak and cabinet ministers set out their vision for the future in Manchester, at what was likely the last party conference before a general election.

But outside of the main hall, corporate sponsorship ran wild. Business leaders – including representatives from gambling and social media companies – paid up to £3,300 to dine with ministers in charge of key policy decisions, with no record of what was discussed.

Policy Exchange, a think tank that does not disclose its funders and has a track record of influencing government policy, hosted a range of events.

One session, ‘2030 & Beyond: Competing for Long Term Capital in the Climate Transition’, featured net zero minister Claire Coutinho and a director from Energy UK, a fossil fuel lobbying body, which also sponsored the event.

openDemocracy revealed last year that Policy Exchange had helped write the UK’s controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act after urging the government to pass legislation to target Extinction Rebellion (XR) in a 2019 report. It was given the lowest possible transparency rating in openDemocracy’s ‘Who Funds You?’ project earlier this year – but an investigation by this website in 2022 found the think tank had taken cash from US oil giant ExxonMobil.

openDemocracy also revealed last month that Coutinho had ties to the think tank.

Another of its panels, titled ‘Practical solutions to the housing crisis’, was chaired by a representative of Policy Exchange and featured housing minister Rachel Maclean and a director from Clarion, the UK’s largest housing association, which sponsored the event.

Clarion has been found guilty of “severe maladministration” on multiple occasions by the Housing Ombudsman, for mishandling of damp and mould and failures to repair properties, costing it thousands of pounds in fines.

At these events, it is common for sponsors to request certain questions be asked as part of the panel in order to shape the discussion.

Policy Exchange also hosted a panel on the war in Ukraine, featuring defence secretary Grant Shapps and sponsored by weapons manufacturer Boeing.

The Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA), known for being the architects of Liz Truss’s infamous mini-budget, also ran fringe events at the Conservative Party Conference alongside the Taxpayers’ Alliance.

Both think tanks were given the lowest possible transparency rating in openDemocracy’s ‘Who Funds You?’ project, and have received millions of pounds in donations from undisclosed American funders.

The think tanks hosted panel discussions on issues such as immigration, the civil service, and the NHS, and featured MPs including Jacob Rees-Mogg.

They also held private drinks events after hours, with free wine and beers and a selection of literature from the think tanks, such as one on vaping. Business and trade secretary Kemi Badenoch gave a speech at one of these events alluding to her positive relationship with the groups, saying she was happy she could “support two friends at the same time”. She also thanked the TPA for its work which she said she found “helpful”.

One talk, on the ‘Nanny State vs Consumer Choice’, had a panellist from Japan Tobacco International (JTI), which has reportedly worked with the IEA and has openly opposed government regulation on tobacco. The panel also featured MP Philip Davies, who, it was revealed earlier this year, had lobbied culture secretary Lucy Frazer over gambling laws on behalf of a casino.

Bright Blue, a think tank with partners such as the National Housing Federation and the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), hosted a panel discussion with housing minister Rachel Maclean, sponsored by the NRLA.

During it, the minister assured the audience – largely made up of landlords – that renters aren't all “weed-smoking bad people in gangs.”

In the next week, the Labour Party will hold its own conference in Manchester. Last month, openDemocracy revealed it would host fringe events sponsored by arms manufacturers, fossil fuel companies and a spy-tech firm.