Professor Rob Ford comments on the Conservative party conference

Professor Rob Ford

Rob Ford, Professor of Political Science, told the New York Times that the Conservative party conference was important for Rishi Sunak to define himself as a leader. 

Commenting on the presence of the previous leaders Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, Ford said that Sunak’s aim would be ‘to keep those two off the newspaper front pages and their allies quiet, and to project an image of a party that is united and ready for the fight, rather than divided and hoping for the sweet release of electoral death’.

Ford also joined a panel discussion at the BBC Westminster Hour. On the topic of the political impact of the HS2 controversy, Ford pointed out that politics isn’t just about technocratic judgments but also about ‘narratives and symbols’.