Unlike Labour, we Conservatives are actually talking about Brexit at our conference

I can understand why Labour doesn’t want to talk about membership or otherwise of the single market and customs union. They don’t know where they stand. We do

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The Labour Party claims to stand ready to be the party of government – don’t make me laugh.

Their party conference last week was an impressive event; it would be dishonest to claim otherwise. Large numbers of enthusiastic delegates is something that any conference organiser would want. The speeches from the main stage were professionally delivered and warmly received – Jeremy Corbyn’s speech was probably the best that he’s delivered. I take my hat off to them.

But there was something missing. There was a gaping hole in their event: a void so significant that it silently overshadowed everything else. Brexit.

While there are many issues that governments (and aspiring governments) need to think about and discuss, it is incredible to do so while ignoring the issue which underpins most of them.

Talk about economic strategy is meaningless if in isolation to discussion about our relationship to the single market and customs union. Home affairs policy is empty rhetoric without reference to immigration control and free movement.

I can understand why Labour don’t want to talk about membership or otherwise of the single market and customs union. They don’t know where they stand. Talking about immigration and freedom of movement isn’t a good idea when half of the party is at odds with the other half.

As a short-term tactical move, it makes complete sense. As a demonstration of the power of Momentum to dictate the actions of the party, it’s impressive. As an action of a government-in-waiting, it is unforgivable.

Within the Conservative party there are a range of options about Brexit – everybody knows that – but the policy is clear and unambiguous. We are going to leave the single market, leave the customs union, take back full control of our borders, and step out of the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.

The timing and process for delivering these things is the subject of negotiation with the EU27 and topic of debate internally. The end point is not in question.

Having set our Brexit course, the Conservative conference has been able to turn its mind to the big issue that was highlighted by the general election result: the stark divide between the voting habits of younger and older voters.

Part of this division is driven by Brexit. As the party that has committed to delivering the referendum result, it was inevitable that younger, more Remain-oriented voters would be less inclined to vote for us – but that isn’t the whole picture.

Tuition fees and housing costs are also policy areas that motivated young voters, but it is clear that there is a deeper issue that we need to address. Younger voters are turning away from the free market philosophy that underpins our party.

We thought that the arguments in favour of liberal free markets and against centralised state control had been had, and won, in the 1980s. Clearly not.

It isn’t enough to simply say that voters under the age of 40 should Google “winter of discontent”, and then sit back and wait for them to vote for us. We need to remake the case all over again. This is our challenge and we are embracing it.

At the last election Labour promised half of its voter base that it would deliver Brexit, and promised the other half it would stop it. Being honest about their plans would be electorally toxic.

It is clear that Corbyn and the wider Labour Party enjoy the superficial trappings of success, but to be taken seriously as a potential party of government they have to deal with the elephant in the conference hall.

Bridging the gap between the Leave and Remain voters is the Labour party’s challenge and they ducked it. A party serious about government wouldn’t do that.

James Cleverly is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Braintree