THE Conservative Party’s annual conference could be returning to Bournemouth, David Cameron has revealed.

The Prime Minister discussed his plans for the conference with Daily Echo editor Toby Granville and Mid Dorset and North Poole prospective Tory MP Michael Tomlinson at a meeting at 10 Downing Street.

Mr Cameron said he was extremely fond of Bournemouth, but that the Conservative Party was currently tied in to holding the conference at Birmingham.

He added: “However, we could potentially look at using Bournemouth as a dual venue for conferences – alternating with Birmingham and other cities.”

The last Conservative Party conference held at Bournemouth was in 2006 and Birmingham is already the chosen venue for 2015.

But Mr Cameron added: “I very much like the ambience and acoustics of the Bournemouth International Centre and it would be great to move the conference back there in the next couple of years.”

Mr Granville said after the meeting, which was followed by a reception for the regional press: “The Conservative Party moving its conference back to Bournemouth would be a huge boost for the town and local economy – and I’m delighted to hear from the Prime Minister himself that it is still on his agenda.”

Mr Tomlinson added: “It would be excellent news; it would be really good for Bournemouth and have a knock-on effect across the county and its economy.”

The Lib Dems have already confirmed that they will return to the BIC in 2015, the first of the three main Parliamentary parties to do so since they held their autumn conference there in 2009. The resort’s last visit from a governing party was in 2007, when Gordon Brown seemed poised to announce an early general election but backed off from the idea.