A POLSIS student who attended Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham as a reporter, has released a podcast about the event, which is available to listen to now on Spotify.
Lloyd Bickham, a final-year undergraduate studying Political Science, was reporting on protests in the city on the first day of the conference when he persuaded conference registration staff to accredit him with a press pass.
He seized the opportunity to interview ministers, MPs, and party members during what turned out to be a party conference “unlike any other”. The resulting podcast features chats with journalists Jon Sopel and Rachel Johnson, cabinet minister Kit Malthouse (Education Secretary), influential Tory Lord Daniel Hannan, and former cabinet ministers Eric Pickles, Liam Fox, and Grant Shapps.
In the podcast, he describes having a “front row seat for the death of ‘Trussonomics’”, as the mood turned against the party leadership and rumours swirled that the Prime Minister would have to abandon core elements of her policy agenda only days after they were announced.
Interviewing for the podcast was fascinating,” Lloyd reflected afterwards. “I got to see the different warring factions emerge within the party – on all levels, from members to secretaries of state. It was an incredible experience.