Party Conference Review – Health and Life Sciences

As the 2025 party conference season draws to a close, it’s clear that – in a climate of increasing geopolitical tensions and global economic constraints – major reforms for health and life sciences were not a dominant feature of this year’s agenda, especially with the publications of the 10 Year NHS Plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan already published. Rather, the tone was markedly different. The focus has shifted from grand pledges to questions of delivery, credibility and cost – but more so, the politics of health took centre stage.

The contest for public trust 

The resounding takeaway from this year was the political tone surrounding health.

For Labour, the health narrative was used to rally against populism. Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting repeatedly framed Reform UK as a threat to evidence-based policy, using the now-familiar line of “snake oil salesmen” to describe the party’s rhetoric. The focus on defending NHS values underscored Labour’s intent to reclaim ownership of the service, making it a battle ground against the populist agenda.

By contrast, Reform’s conference demonstrated the volatility of health messaging in this new era. The decision to give a keynote platform to Dr Aseem Malhotra, a prominent vaccine sceptic, ignited controversy and raised questions. While Reform subsequently attempted to distance itself from his comments, the episode demonstrated how health remains both politically and reputationally important. For Reform specifically, their position on the NHS will continue to be a challenge, as voters from across the political spectrum give weight to its free at the point of use ethos. Talks of a US private insurance model originally suggested by Farage himself have already faded into the background as the Party’s public profile has grown.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives used their time in Manchester to reassure voters that the NHS remains “safe in their hands”, while the Liberal Democrats positioned themselves as defenders of scientific integrity and international collaboration.

We will likely continue to see this play out in the public sphere for some time yet.

Digital first: From innovation to infrastructure

Although not new, one clear policy direction emerging from this year’s conferences was the growing consensus that the NHS must become “digital by default”. Labour’s announcement of NHS Online, a virtual ‘Trust’ designed to deliver millions of appointments remotely, signalled a decisive step in embedding digital provision into the core of health delivery. The initiative underscores the Government’s belief that technology is not simply a tool to help manage population health but a structural solution to capacity challenges. However, some critics might say that such initiatives are long overdue.

Other parties mirrored the sentiment, if with a slightly muted level of ambition. Liberal Democrat spokespeople emphasised the need for the NHS to modernise and go further on access, while Conservative contributors focused on reassuring voters about the NHS’s future and the need to restore public confidence.

The implication is clear: digital health is moving from pilots to platform policy. Companies providing interoperable technology, AI-driven diagnostics or scalable remote care solutions will find an increasingly receptive audience – but expectations of transparency, patient safety and data governance are rising in tandem.

Reasserting Britain’s innovative identity

The language of innovation remains central to political storytelling around health and life sciences. Yet discussions this year revealed a subtle but significant shift away from the ever-familiar headline of UK as a “science superpower” and towards the question of how innovation translates into patient and economic benefit.

The Liberal Democrats have leaned most explicitly into science policy as a moral and economic cause. Ed Davey’s pledge to establish a Cancer Research Institute, boost investment in mRNA vaccine technology, and welcome displaced US cancer researchers, positions the UK as a global safe haven for scientific excellence. The party’s framing of research as both a public good and a driver of growth, as well as their comments reflecting the recent investment loses as a ‘disaster for patients’, perhaps reflects the privilege of a party not in power.
Elsewhere, Labour’s narrative has evolved into one of measured ambition. Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasised the importance of “punching above our weight” in global health innovation, with a focus on medical technology and industrial resilience. However, concrete commitments remain vague and recent frictions have left questions about the balance between fiscal discipline and the necessity to retain and attract industry investment.

Across the political landscape, the underlying consensus is that science and industrial strategy are inseparable from the future of the NHS. For companies and investors, this creates a dual imperative: to demonstrate the health impact of innovation while evidencing its role in driving economic growth and national resilience.

Prevention and public health

If digital and innovation represent forward-looking confidence, prevention continues to be discussed with some degree of frustration. Despite repeated references to prevention, vaccine uptake and earlier mental health intervention, the conferences underscored how long-term public health strategies struggle to compete with short-term delivery pressures.

At Liberal Democrat events in Bournemouth, Health Spokesperson Helen Morgan called for more ambition in addressing the social determinants of poor health, while praising elements of the Government’s 10-Year Plan. Labour ministers, meanwhile, focused on access and delivery, with fewer references to concrete upstream interventions, despite agreement that a shift to prevention is needed – so much so that it’s a one of the three main pillars of the NHS 10 Year Plan.

Looking ahead

This year’s conference season reflected a political system recalibrating around delivery. Across parties, there is some alignment on three themes: digital transformation, science-led growth and credibility. Yet fiscal caution and political fatigue risk stalling momentum unless industry and government find new models of collaboration.

For health and life sciences leaders, the path forward lies in sensible partnership – working with policymakers to demonstrate how innovation can underpin a more sustainable NHS, create high-value jobs, and improve patient outcomes.