Birmingham is set to become a permanent fixture on the party conference circuit, according to Conservative Party chairman Sayeeda Warsi.
But the high-flying minister already feels at home in the city – where she made regular visits to see her aunt as a child.
Baroness Warsi will welcome delegates to the Conservative Party conference – which starts on Sunday – at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham city centre
There was a time when the annual conferences of the major parties rotated between seaside towns such as Blackpool, Brighton and Bournemouth, but this will be the second time the Tories have brought their big event to the city.
She said: “The facilities in Birmingham are fantastic and the city is such a great place.
“I think Birmingham will always be on the agenda when we are planning conferences in the future.”
But for Baroness Warsi, it’s almost like coming home – even though she grew up in Yorkshire.
“My maternal aunt used to live off the Stratford Road in Sparkbrook. We used to come to see her and I would play with my cousins. We’d go to Alum Rock to shop.”
As Britain’s first Muslim Cabinet Minister, who became a Tory after seeing her immigrant father build a successful manufacturing business, Baroness Warsi is a high-profile figure within the party.
She said that she was enjoying being in Government – and even though it faced a difficult period, with major spending cuts expected in October’s comprehensive spending review.
“I have just finished a tour of the country speaking to constituency associations on the ground.
“There is a sense that we are heading into some very difficult times over the next 12 to 18 months.”
But the Coalition had to make cuts for the good of the country, she said.
“It would have been great to walked in to the type of economy we inherited in 1997, but we didn’t.
“We have inherited the mess Labour left behind, and we have having to make difficult decisions.”
She highlighted a report by the International Monetary Fund, the world’s leading economic watchdog, which described the spending cuts as “strong, credible and essential”.
And she enjoyed being part of a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, she said.
“There is a feeling among staunch Conservative activists that two parties coming together and acting in the national interest is a good thing.
“We have a great relationship. I sit next to [Treasury Minister] Danny Alexander on one side with [Scottish Secretary] Michael Moore on the other around the Cabinet table.
“There is a very clear vision and commitment to working together in the interests of the country.”
Meanwhile, Birmingham City Council leader Mike Whitby has issued a warm welcome to delegates in advance of the conference and spoken of £30 million worth of benefits the event will bring to the city.
And he added: “It is also fitting that the party is holding its first annual conference of the coalition era in a city which has operated so successfully under a ‘Progressive Partnership’ of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats since 2004.”
