Deputy Gavin St Pier attended the conference in Birmingham.
‘The decision to attend was made after considering recent polling,' he said. 'Reform members point to those numbers as evidence of their increasing relevance in UK politics, and Guernsey needs to continue to develop relationships with UK politicians across the political spectrum.’
Last week an Ipsos poll had Reform leading Labour by 12 points, with a third of all voters saying they would back the UK’s newest political party.
P&R president Lindsay de Sausmarez attended the Labour conference with new external relations lead Steve Falla, while Deputy Falla also went to the Liberal Democrats conference and Deputy Charles Parkinson will head to the Conservative conference this week.
‘As my recent meetings have reinforced, we have strong intergovernmental relationships with the UK and with French regions,’ said Deputy de Sausmarez.
‘There is much we want to work on together, including economic growth, fighting financial crime, the resilience of our economy and our connectivity. Our discussions with various UK ministers, some of whom have only been in post for a few weeks, provide a promising basis for furthering these priorities during this new States term.’
Deputy Parkinson will head to Manchester with the Conservatives languishing in the polls, trailing a struggling Labour by eight points.
‘It will be interesting to find out the direction that the Conservative Party is likely to take as they seek to reassert their position as the official political opposition in the UK,’ he said.
The States has attended party conferences for more than a decade, looking for recognition and building on established relationships with MPs and Lords.
Deputy Falla, who took on the external relations portfolio following the arrest and charging of Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq and his subsequent resignation from the committee, said it had been a busy few weeks, meeting politicians from the UK, France, Jersey and the Isle of Man.
‘I have been deeply impressed at the breadth and depth of the relationships that Guernsey already has and the warmth that has been shown for the island. Both the Liberal Democrats and the Labour conferences had a sense of purpose and determination. It is an honour to represent the island and its interests and to discuss the priorities of this Policy & Resources Committee with external partners.’
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