fringe

"The facts of life are Conservative" is a quote from former PM Margaret Thatcher which has been trotted out at fringe events.

At a fringe meeting on Monday, former Brexit minister Lord Frost gave a brutal assessment of the Conservatives' prospects under its current leader.

She said that many of the popular events took place not in the main hall but at fringe events, where people were having to queue to get in.

Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith told a fringe meeting the Conservatives needed "bold" policies that would take voters by surprise at the next election.

She told the fringe that in power, the Tories had got into the habit of "taking policies" from green energy lobby groups, without considering whether the "silent majority" out in the country would agree.