Norfolk MP organises ‘Tory Glastonbury’ to boost grassroots support

A Conservative MP is organising a one-day festival in response to the popularity of Jeremy Corbyn’s appearance at Glastonbury this year.

George Freeman, the MP for Mid Norfolk, came up with what is being dubbed the “Tory Glastonbury” as a way to boost the party’s dwindling grassroots support.

After Corbyn’s slot on the main stage at Glastonbury went down a storm, Freeman said: “Why is it just the left who have all the fun in politics? We need a cultural revival of grassroots Conservatism.”

He told the Financial Times he had raised £25,000 for a one-day “Conservative ideas festival”, which will be held in September.

Freeman hopes the event will help kickstart interest in Tory activism and says the idea seemed to have struck a chord. Conservative party membership has fallen below 150,000 – less than a third that of Labour’s and not far ahead of the Liberal Democrats.

The event, which Freeman envisages will be a “cross between Hay-on-Wye and the Latitude festival” will take place the weekend before the Tory party conference, which he says has become “increasingly corporate, expensive, exclusive” and no longer a forum for grassroots renewal.

On Twitter, he added that philosophy and culture would also form part of the discussions.

A team of more than 20 people, including 10 MPs, is working on the event, which will be invitation-only with between 150 and 200 attendees. The event’s rural location is to be kept secret for fear of Momentum or anti-Tory activists gatecrashing. Some of the attendees are expected to camp.

Matt Kilcoyne, head of communications at the Adam Smith Institute, said: “It’s a good thing the Conservatives are thinking about new ways to engage with people.

“But it’s not enough for Tories to just hold events, they have to inspire people to turn out and vote for them. And that starts with inspiring policies. They should look at building support among the young by liberalising planning so that a house building revolution can take hold.”