The Tories’ annual conference kicks off in Manchester (aka the Northern Powerhouse) today and it’s going to be a busy one. As well as the usual speeches from most of the Cabinet, the Mayor of London, the Chancellor and the Prime Minister, there is a fringe programme packed out with rebellious MPs, wannabe leaders and enthusiastic backbenchers looking to make their views heard.
As ever, we’ll be providing you with our pick of the fringe events each day, so you can ignore the guide and head to the most interesting events. Let me know in the comments if we’ve missed anything out — or message me at @SebastianEPayne on Twitter.
| Title | Key speaker(s) | Time | Location |
| Is the state too big bossy and too bureaucratic? | Chris Grayling | 16:30 | Think Tent |
| What should the Conservative Party stand for in 2020? | Chris Grayling | 17:45 | Midland Hotel, Fairclough |
| The Big Transport Interview | Patrick McLoughlin (invited) | 17:45 | Manchester Central, Central 7 |
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Andrew Mitchell, Dominic Grieve, Baroness Warsi | 17:45 | Manchester Central, Charter 2 |
| Believing in Young People: social action and enterprise | Nicky Morgan | 18:00 | Manchester Central, Central 8 |
| Conservatives in Europe Group reception | Anna Soubry, Damian Green | 19:30 | Manchester Central, Exchange 4-5 |
| Tory Reform Group reception | Nicky Morgan | 21:30 | Midland Hotel, Fairclough |
| Ruth Davidson reception | Ruth Davidson | 21:30 | Midland Hotel, Trafford Room |
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