MP calls on his party to bring conference back to Blackpool

Tuesday, 7 January 2025 16:14

By Shelagh Parkinson

Blackpool South MP Chris Webb has set his own party a challenge – declaring “It’s about time UK Labour came back to Blackpool’.

Mr Webb used social media channel X to put out the clarion call for Labour to bring its annual conference back to the resort in a move which would bring a £30m economic boost to the town.

While Labour has been bringing its North-West regional conference to Blackpool in recent years, it has not held its main autumn conference in the town since 2002.

Prior to that, Blackpool’s Winter Gardens was one of the most favoured venues for the party and in the last 50 years has hosted the conference 14 times.

However it now loses out to Liverpool which will welcome the Labour conference for the fourth year in a row in autumn 2025.

Mr Webb says investment in new conference facilities at the Winter Gardens, new hotels including the Holiday Inn, Hampton by Hilton and The Boulevard, plus plans for a further hotel next door to the Winter Gardens, mean Labour should consider a return.

He said: “I am actively lobbying the Labour Party and NEC members to bring the annual conference back to Blackpool and recently spoke to the deputy prime minister about it.

“The restoration of the Winter Gardens, with the addition of the conference centre, has given us a world-leading centre that will meet the needs of any political party who want to come to our town.

“The addition of a hotel to the conference centre will add to the venue’s suitability. This, along with the addition of the Holiday Inn – now best in UK and Ireland – the award-winning Boulevard Hotel, the extension of Hampton by Hilton, and others, means Blackpool now has the high-standard accommodation conferences require.

“A five day Labour conference has a £30m economic impact on its host town and would be game changing for Blackpool, which already has a long and proud history of hosting party conferences.”

The Conservatives last held their autumn conference in Blackpool in 2007, although the party returned to the Winter Gardens in March 2022 for their Spring Conference with then Prime Minister Boris Johnson among the speakers.

Conferences currently booked into the Winter Gardens are set to have an economic impact of at least £14m, according to figures recently revealed.