Fringe events are an important part of political party conference activity and a chance for members to get involved. We are hosting fringe events at the Conservative and Labour party conferences, bringing together a range of speakers to discuss the parties鈥� visions for the future of domestic food production and the policies needed to support a thriving agricultural sector.
This year鈥檚 theme is 鈥楻eviving rural support: What is the Conservatives鈥� offer?鈥�. You can see what issues were addressed by the panel, which was chaired by Alice Thompson, at last year鈥檚 fringe event.
The event is free and NFU members can simply turn up. There鈥檚 no need to register beforehand.
Chair: Alice Thomson 鈥� columnist and interviewer for The Times
David Exwood 鈥� NFU Deputy President
Steve Barclay MP 鈥� Shadow Defra Secretary
Patrick English 鈥� Director of political analytics for YouGov
Meet the speakers:
Alice Thomson
Columnist and Interviewer, The Times
Alongside Rachel Sylvester, Alice is a presenter of the Times Radio podcast 'Past Imperfect'.
Thomson has written numerous features on farming and is a member of the Policy Committee of the Campaign to Protect Rural England.聽
David Exwood
NFU Deputy President
David farms south of Horsham in West Sussex with his wife and two sons over 1200 tenanted hectares in the heart of the Sussex Weald.
Starting in 1989 with 70ha the business now has arable, dairy beef, Sussex suckler herd and sheep enterprises. In 2003 the Farm Shop opened and sells a wide range of food from the Victorian stable yard at Westons.
He has served previously within the NFU as Branch Chair, West Sussex Council Delegate, South East Regional Chair as well as four years on Governance Board.
David was elected to the position of NFU Deputy President in February 2024.
Responsibilities
- EU and international relations
- Banking
- Biodiversity
- Food labelling
- Food safety
- Food service and hospitality
- Agricultural transition (productivity, ELMs, stability)
- Plant health
- Assurance schemes
- British Agriculture Bureau
- Health, safety and wellbeing
- Agricultural transport
- Uplands
- Tenants
Steve Barclay MP
Shadow Defra Secretary of State
Mr Barclay was elected as the MP for North East Cambridgeshire in 2010.
He was previously the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care between 25 October 2022 and 13 November 2023.
Prior to his election to Parliament, Mr Barclay was educated at King Edward VII School, Lytham, did a short-service commission with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, and read history at Peterhouse, Cambridge. He then qualified as a solicitor working in various roles for Axa Insurance, the Financial Services Authority, and Barclays Bank.
Patrick English
Associate Director, YouGov
Patrick specialises in running academic, experimental design, and election-focused projects and outputs. He holds a Doctorate from the University of Manchester and remains active in contributing to academic research and publications. His academic research focuses on diversity and representation among election candidates, public opinion, and British Elections.