Mel Stride has insisted the Conservative Party conference will be a “turning point” after Ellie Costello questioned whether the party is “dying” amid low attendance.

The Shadow Chancellor faced a grilling from the GB News host, as he spoke to The People’s Channel live from the conference.

Ellie said: “Our Deputy Political Editor, Tom Harwood, was speaking earlier about the atmosphere there.

“He admitted it’s the quietest he’s known it in the nine years he’s been attending conference.

“There have been posts all over X, both yesterday and this morning, showing that some events are poorly attended and suggesting the atmosphere is quite flat.

“You’ve also got polls putting you in third place, some even in fourth. Some would say that’s a reflection of your relevance now. Do you feel this is a sign that the party is dying?”

Mr Stride responded: “I think this conference will mark a turning point. We had a superb speech from Kemi yesterday the hall was packed, there were standing ovations, and a real buzz.

“What that shows is that for some time, people have been saying they don’t know what the Conservative Party stands for or that they haven’t heard enough about our policies.

“Well, this conference is the turning point, because we’re talking about how we will control our borders.

“Kemi made a major announcement about leaving the ECHR and changes relating to the Human Rights Act.

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“I’ll also be making big announcements about serious, grown-up spending cuts to the size of Government, so that we can live within our means, taking the mature economic decisions that need to be made.

“By the end of this conference, I think people will clearly understand where the Conservative Party is, what we stand for, and how we’re moving forward under this leadership.”

The Conservatives have been clearly in third place in voting intention polls for most of the year, with YouGov’s latest MRP model suggesting they would win just 45 seats if an election were held tomorrow, potentially reducing them to the fourth-largest party in Parliament.

At present, just 11 per cent of the public believe the Conservatives are ready to return to power, while 70 per cent say they are not.

Even among Tory voters, only a third (32 per cent) think the party is ready for Government, while nearly half (49 per cent) feel it is still unprepared.

Among supporters of other major parties, no more than 9 per cent view the Conservatives as fit for office.

Opinion polls suggest that Reform UK is leading Labour by around 10 points.

Labour cemented a distant second place on 18 per cent, leaving “don’t know” on 18 per cent and the Conservative Party on 17 per cent.

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