'Conservatives.com' to ditch torch logo in favour of minimalist conference set
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Your support makes all the difference.The Tory torch is to be snuffed out and Iain Duncan Smith's image beamed in by video link at the new-look Conservative Party conference next month.
A "minimalist" stage set was unveiled yesterday by party bosses with no place for the Tory front bench to survey the party faithful. The MPs will have to sit with the rank and file to reflect the party's new egalitarian image.
Nor will there be space for former prime ministers such as Lady Thatcher to make their traditional guest appearances from the conference podium.
The torch, introduced 20 years ago by Baroness Thatcher, will be replaced by a squiggly line and the modern slogan Conservatives.com.
The traditional conference stage which allowed the leader and his colleagues to survey the membership has also been abandoned. Only three chairs will be allowed on a stark new set which will change every day to reflect the theme of the day.
A "videobox"will allow representatives' views on the future of the party to be broadcast around the conference centre. Conservatives bosses said yesterday that there would be no restrictions on the messages, and people could even contribute after the bars had closed.
Some fear that the videos may present an opportunity to revive old rivalries and provoke a debate about Mr Duncan Smith's leadership style.
But yesterday Theresa May, the party chairman, said the leadership had "taken a fresh look" at the conference and was not afraid of change.
"We have recognised that people are tired of yah-boo politics," she said. "There will not be lots of people sitting up on the stage. Former Tory prime ministers won't be on the platform."
The conference will begin later in the day to allow senior figures to visit hospitals and schools in the morning. Ordinary people such as doctors and nurses will also be invited to speak. But activists will not have a chance to vote on policies, the leadership admitted last night.
"Policy development is at an early stage," said one senior figure. "This conference isn't about policies, it's about projecting a fresh image."
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