Although there is a serious shortage of MPs, more party members than usual have made the journey and are packed into meeting rooms This year’s Conservative party conference in Birmingham was always going to be an unusual affair. Out of Government, with only an interim Shadow Cabinet with a leader who has already gone home.

Like everything else at the conference, the policy debate is a bit odd – several of the shadow cabinet are dutifully doing the rounds even while they know it’s likely they will be replaced by whoever is elected leader on November 2, while others are invisible. Some of the debate is focused directly on defending the record: shadow chancellor Jeremy Hunt will tell anyone who listens he handed over inflation back at 2% and an economy which created 800 jobs for every single day of the 14-year Tory era.

Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho is championing the Conservative record on driving down carbon emissions, while arguing GB Energy both lacks direction and is hopelessly underfunded to achieve any of its stated goals. At a Conservative Home fringe she asked the room to raise their hands if they worked in energy. Many did. Asked to keep their hands in the air if they knew what GB Energy was actually going to do, few were left. Andrew Bowie, the former energy minister, is stumping hard for the nuclear renaissance he claims the government belatedly oversaw with its programme of SMRs and new large scale nuclear for Sizewell and Wylfa. Both ex-ministers were warned not to throw out the valuable political consensus on delivering net zero even while warning of weaknesses in the Labour plans.

The housing debate is more complicated. Many Conservatives are fully aware part of the reason they lost in July was a younger generation of voters who rejected their NIMBY stance on development. There is a new generation of younger Conservative MPs are more pro-housing but while the party hunts for a way forward there is an uneasy discussion about whether to concede Labour is right about the “grey belt”. The fringes do have some consensus on the need to improve the incentives that accompany development such as new roads, GPs, and schools rather than small community funds or no incentive at all.

Rail discussion has been as vibrant as ever, with Lord Moylan arguably more visible than the shadow ministerial team as he reminds delegates creating Great British Railways was a Tory policy. HS2 has also sparked debate once again, with many demanding the line extend from Old Oak Common to Euston. Northern transport links remain in focus despite the losses in the so-called Red Wall. Rail fringes showed a perhaps surprising optimism for the rail industry – even under a Labour Government committed to nationalisation.

For now, the Conservative policy debate is wide open on many fronts. They are selectively defending the record of the past 14 years while learning the gears of opposition. As with everything else in Birmingham, much depends on who the party selects to take on the leadership.

(Photo provided by the Mirror)