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Author: Jennifer Scott, political reporter at the Tory conference in Birmingham

On the train to the Conservative Party conference, I put on a veil and prepared for the wake.

It was the first annual gathering of out-of-power Tories in 15 years, following a total collapse at the ballot box – if they even bothered to show up, surely delegates would cry into their warm white wines?

Instead, the first few days of the party were the happiest – much happier than they had been in all the years I had covered their conferences and when they were in government.

However, as the conference drew to a close, I was rightly skeptical. Yes, there were smiles, but there was a murmur of dissatisfaction among the membership, directed definitely towards CCHQ.

Management rivals must not be fooled by positive sentiment

During accompanying events, associations condemn the date of early elections, candidates lament the lack of support for their campaigns, and councilors are angry about the losses incurred.

But most of all, citizens complain that the HQ is London-based and does not represent the issues in their constituencies, which they blame on their previously safe seats going to Labour, Lib Dems or Reform.

It reminded me of the general malaise around politics around the country and the anger that the Westminster bubble, offering helicopter flights and free glasses, does not understand the problems faced by normal people.

Some leadership candidates are jumping on this train, promising to shake up the way the party is run, make CCHQ more democratic and put its members in the spotlight.

But other senior figures say it’s simply an easy answer to a complex problem, and claiming you’ll change something is different from actually doing it.

The fact is that no matter how much uncomfortable merchandise is sold, no matter how many silent discos are organized, and no matter how much cheap crap is spewed at this conference, this is a gathering of people who have lost power – and they want someone blame.

The new party leader would be wise not to be fooled by the positive sentiment in the air and ground himself in the reality of the difficult task ahead of him – trying to get the Conservatives back into government and reclaiming those burned by July 4.