Kimberley Harmer: The Campaign Leadership Programme proves the party’s best days really are ahead

Kimberley Harmer is a Conservative activist and community Ambassador. She is a senior caseworker for Charlie Dewhirst MP and chairs a youth charity. 

I have just returned from the Campaign Leadership Programme delivered by Ron Nehring, and David Reede of the Leadership Institute through the Conservative Campaign Academy. Attending the course has left me more convinced than ever that the Conservative Party is far from finished. Over four intense days, I saw our energy, determination, and strength on full display.

We are not done. We are only getting started.

The programme is led by practitioners who understand that successful campaigning is built on realism rather than relying on reassurance. Training is delivered by experienced political operators from the UK and internationally, alongside senior Conservative professionals who have fought real campaigns under real pressure. Honesty is demanded and complacency not tolerated.

Uncomfortable truths are confronted directly, not to apportion blame or indulge pessimism, but to build a serious plan for recovery rooted in integrity and clarity of purpose. These principles, honesty, responsibility, and discipline are woven through the fabric of the course. Facing the truth is how we build the future.

Participants are challenged to assess who we are as a Party: our strengths, our weaknesses, and where we have lost focus. Just as importantly, we consider what we can grow from those lessons. This is not nostalgia or denial. It is about rebuilding, revitalising, and renewing.

Central to this process is understanding our Conservative values in their truest sense. Patriotism is not performative; it is practical. Conservatives are serious about the country we serve. We believe in responsibility, including fiscal responsibility; in strong institutions; in hard work; and in governing with both restraint and ambition. Our values are not relics; they remain a roadmap for the future.

Teamwork is at the heart of the programme. Group projects replicate the pressures of campaigning on the ground, requiring collaboration, challenge, and clear decision-making. Rebuilding the Party will not be achieved by individuals acting alone, but by disciplined teams committed to a shared purpose. Alone we can do little; together we can achieve everything.

Much has been made of those who have chosen to leave the Party. But renewal is not weakened by the departure of opportunists. It is strengthened by those prepared to stay, confront uncomfortable realities, and do the hard work required to win again.

I left the programme feeling reinvigorated, focused. Stronger, more determined, ready for the challenge ahead. It was a genuine game-changer. Not only has it helped me develop my own skills and understand the kind of leader I can be, but it has also strengthened my ability to support colleagues, helping them develop new skills, grow in confidence, and thrive as a team. Leadership is about lifting others as you rise and leading by positive example.

I’m not going to give away the detail of the programme itself, discovery is part of its incredible value, but it is demanding, intellectually serious, magically vitalising, and deeply motivating.

It exists to prepare people not just to campaign, but to lead responsibly.

For those who care about campaigning, leadership, and the future of the Conservative Party, I would encourage applying when the next cohort opens.

The Campaign Leadership Programme is a chance to develop your skills, challenge yourself, and support others to thrive. It reminded me that our Party is full of energy, determination, and talent. The Party is not dead. We are more alive than ever, ready to rebuild, renew, and win for the country we serve.