Though CCHQ insists that attending the annual Party conference in a big city, such as Birmingham or Manchester, is less expensive than some suggest, such venues are undoubtedly more expensive than the seaside ones that preceded them.
So there is an upside to yesterday’s inevitable announcement that this year’s event will follow Labour and Liberal Democrats in being held online.
Admittedly, watching Boris Johnson via Zoom or Microsoft Teams – or whatever portal CCHQ puts in place and charge members for entering – is no substitute for the live experience.
But seeing the Prime Minister’s closing speech in this way will come this year without travel costs, train bills, buying petrol, purchasing meals and standing people drinks. And the same goes for the rest of the event.
Many members go for the fringe events and not the platform ones, and this is therefore a good moment to confirm that ConservativeHome will be offering our usual fringe programme – by virtual means, of course. A tweet from Amanda Milling’s confirms that the conference itself will take place in October. More news when we have it.