Mrs May must offer a vision beyond Brexit

Boris Johnson barrelled into Birmingham yesterday bringing much-needed vigour to what has been a somewhat lacklustre party occasion, in the main hall at least. Addressing an audience of more than 1,000, he reprised his opposition to the Prime Minister’s approach to Brexit, calling her Chequers plan a “cheat” and urging her to change tack even at this late stage. But with the arguments over Brexit still unresolved, Mr Johnson was at his most persuasive when setting out a domestic agenda for the party to follow once the country has left the EU.

An uplifting speech from the former foreign secretary has become a conference fixture over the years, but this time he was denied an official platform, following his resignation from the Cabinet. But leaving aside whether Mr Johnson is preparing a leadership bid or has passed his political sell-by date, as some of his erstwhile colleagues suggest, his speech showed why his party needs him in a front-line role.

No one else comes close to articulating the essence of conservatism in a way that reaches beyond the party’s traditional heartlands. Moreover, for someone often accused of lacking detailed proposals, he reminded his audience of his successes as London mayor and put forward a number of radical ideas of the sort that have been absent from ministerial contributions. Mr Johnson was also unapologetic in his defence of wealth creators and the market economy, urging the Chancellor to cut taxes post-brexit.

Theresa May has been accused of lacking a similarly compelling vision, and the Prime Minister is now facing pressure from her Cabinet to detail a timetable for her departure, at least in private. Mrs May does not possess Mr Johnson’s oratorical panache, but she does need to set out a similarly optimistic programme when she delivers her set-piece address to the conference today. After last year’s mishaps, party managers are earnestly hoping nothing goes wrong. But her address needs to offer something positive beyond simply getting through to the end unscathed.

Moreover, even if there have been precious few big announcements, with ministerial speeches sometimes given in a half-empty hall, the fringe meetings and think-tank gatherings have fizzed with ideas that should shape a confident and forward-looking policy agenda that is able to counter the challenge from Labour.