Pragmatism is back in fashion- Conservative Party Conference 2025

Pragmatism is back in fashion 
 

 
This year’s Conservative Party Conference carried a notably different mood less noise, more reflection. Beneath the surface speeches and security lines, you could sense a party attempting to rebuild trust with its traditional allies: small businesses, women leaders, and the wider economy that drives them.
 

Women, ambition, and the honesty gap
 

In the Women in Business Empowerment session, Shadow Minister for Women and Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Mims Davies didn’t shy away from the real trade-offs women face from single parenting and career progression to the unspoken cost of networking and wellbeing. The message was refreshingly grounded: gender equality isn’t about token rooms; it’s about creating mixed rooms that matter.

She called for the Conservative Party to rediscover its voice on entrepreneurship, aspiration, and social mobility and to speak honestly about the energy and financial pressures that hold women and families back.
 

The economy: from corporatism to competitiveness
 

In the HR and Economic Policy discussion with the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Mel Stride, the theme was strikingly consistent, small and medium businesses have been forgotten.

Speakers from the floor called for less corporatism, less red tape, and more direct support for entrepreneurs navigating compliance, regulation, and taxation. The tone was frank: the UK must rediscover its appetite for risk and reward. The Shadow Chancellor was clear that there is no silver bullet, and we are in a whirlwind of challenges which need to be navigated with a steady hand. Are we ready to pivot - I ask? We are not there yet.  
 

Defence and direction
 

With the Shadow Secretary of State for Defence James Cartlidge, conversation turned to security and spending but the undertone was strategic: how can Britain remain globally credible while investing in innovation and industrial resilience?

Many in the room argued that our greatest strength lies in supporting the industries that underpin national capability from advanced manufacturing to emerging defence tech.
 

Energy and the politics of realism
 

By the time the Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and Minister for Equalities Claire Coutinho took the stage in the Energy Strategy session, the day’s themes had converged: practicality, affordability, and growth.

Her approach to Net Zero was notably pragmatic less ideology, more implementation.

She stressed that decarbonisation should not come at the expense of competitiveness or consumer choice. Electricity costs, over-regulation, and misplaced subsidies were highlighted as barriers not just to innovation, but to public trust.

When asked about EV infrastructure and investor confidence, the response was telling government should focus on enabling infrastructure not mandating behaviour.
 

A lunch with Lord Sharpe: candour over ceremony
 

Over lunch, the Shadow Minister for Business and Trade Lord Sharpe spoke with unfiltered honesty about bureaucracy, regulation, and political inertia. 
 
The most quoted moment of the day came from the leader’s speech later on:
 
"Any self-respecting sovereign nation should be able to answer these five questions with a clear yes:
·  Can we deport foreign criminals?
·  Can we protect our veterans?
·  Can we put British citizens first for housing and public services?
·  Can we stop protests from intimidating the public?
·  Can we end the red tape choking growth?”
 

Takeaway: pragmatism is back in fashion
 

The mood across sessions was sober but not defeated. What emerged was a cross-sector recognition that business, government, and policy need to work with each other not in isolation.
 
For Larkspur, that’s precisely where we operate: between purpose and practicality.

• Connecting ambition to policy.
• Translating political moments into business strategy.
• And turning conference conversations into measurable outcomes.
   
  If this conference was about anything, it was about remembering that growth doesn’t come from headlines, it comes from people willing to do the work.