Uk politics

Wednesday

Steerpike

Watch: Amber Rudd tells Boris to get on his feet for May

From our UK edition

It's safe to say that Theresa May's conference speech has not gone to plan after the Prime Minister came down with a bad cough – and a heckler presented her with a P45. Happily she has her Cabinet on her side. Or one Cabinet minister at least. Amber Rudd was caught on camera jumping to her feet to give May a standing ovation to help her during an awkward moment in the speech. The Home Secretary then appeared to order Boris Johnson to do the same: https://twitter.com/hansmollman/status/915536471418900480 1-0 to Rudd...

Steerpike

Watch: Theresa May presented with a P45 during conference speech

From our UK edition

Oh dear. Theresa May's leader's speech at conference has descended into farce. As the Prime Minister tried to unify her party, one attendee had other ideas. Simon Brodkin interrupted May's speech mid-flow and presented her with a P45. Security had to escort him out  with the 'comedian' heckled by attendees. That's the picture of conference sorted then...

Alex Massie

Can Ruth Davidson save the Tory brand?

From our UK edition

When a bird as sagacious as Danny Finkelstein writes a column in The Times headlined 'If the Tories want to win, they’ll send for Ruth Davidson' you know something is in the water. Ruthmania is getting out of hand. The Fink accepts that his plan for how Ruth can be brought south from Scotland to save the Tory brand - and idea - in England is under-cooked but, when every other plan is impossible, whatever’s left is the best cake available.  Davidson, however, has evidently been the star of this year’s conference. That’s what will happen when you’re the only leading Conservative who could be happy with the general election result. And when you look at the cabinet Ruth’s appeal becomes really quite easy to understand.

Steerpike

Alan Duncan’s Brexit tantrum

From our UK edition

Alan Duncan caused a stir on Tuesday when he claimed that one of the reasons for the Brexit vote was working class voters throwing 'a bit of a tantrum' over immigration. It's fair to say that the government minister's comments have gone down like a cup of cold sick with Brexiteers. But is Duncan really one to lecture on Brexit tantrums? Mr S recalls that Duncan was accused of throwing a tantrum of his own during the EU referendum. After Duncan declared himself a Remain-er, Vote Leave’s Matthew Elliott said the Conservative MP had planned to back Brexit but switched to the other side at the last minute after his request for a position on their board was refused.

Stephen Daisley

Boris is the first minister to capture the Tories’ problem so vividly

From our UK edition

Boris Johnson came to Tory conference to do two things. First, he had to win back the Tory grassroots from the floccinaucinihilipilificating ways of Jacob Rees-Mogg. Moggmentum rises and falls with the willingness of the faithful to indulge blithe theatrical Toryism at the expense of sense and good judgement. Second, he had to address his own reputation for flippancy and remind the party that he can do serious when he wants to.  Whether he succeeded in achieving the former, we will see but he made a good effort on the latter point. It fell to Boris to remind Conservatives of their own fatal conceit — that of assuming the arguments against socialism had been won.

Tuesday

Amber Rudd

Amber Rudd’s Conservative conference speech, full text

From our UK edition

Conference, Standing here in Manchester it is impossible to forget the sight of this proud city, shrouded in grief, after a pop concert in May. It is impossible to forget the images of the terrified concert-goers … the images of the injured and the dead - some so very young. The toll of those who have been the victims of such violence this year is grim.  It includes those targeted outside Finsbury Park Mosque, and in London Bridge.  It includes the innocent people mown down on Westminster Bridge. It includes Police Constable Keith Palmer who paid with his life in the line of duty, trying to stop that attack. His death is a reminder of the daily danger in which our police force and intelligence agencies put themselves, to keep the rest of us safe.

Isabel Hardman

Boris Johnson shows what it means to be an upbeat Conservative

From our UK edition

Boris Johnson's speech to Conservative Party conference was disloyal to the Prime Minister in the sense that unlike Theresa May, the Foreign Secretary finds it easy to be upbeat and persuasive about the benefits of Conservatism. As this morning's round of interviews showed, the Prime Minister's definition of ‘upbeat’ is talking faster. Johnson, meanwhile, uses his command of the English language and confidence in public speaking to cheer up party members who were so desperate for something to take their minds off their current general misery that they were queuing in long lines to get into the conference hall. But members already love Johnson.

Katy Balls

Priti Patel proves she’s a canny operator

From our UK edition

Boris Johnson was the star of the conference today after he gave a morale-boosting speech to a packed out hall. But if there had to be a runner-up, Priti Patel came a close second. The International Development secretary pulled out all the stops as she put in some not so subtle groundwork for the leadership. Making the most of the audience provided by Johnson, Patel proceeded to use the word 'leader' numerous times. At one point even going so far as to joke that 'some of our most successful leaders have of course been the smallest' – in reference to her height.

The Spectator

Liam Fox’s Conservative conference speech, full text

From our UK edition

OK. It’s time for some optimism. It doesn’t seem like a year since we last met together in Birmingham. When we did so, my Department had been in existence for little over two months. We had the challenge, but more importantly the wonderful opportunity, to build a new department designed for the trade challenges of the 21st century. It has been a huge honour to be at the centre of such a historic project and to work alongside some of the most talented and energetic people in our country. In a short time, we have achieved so much. We have attracted the brightest and best talent from across Whitehall, the private sector and abroad in order to make sure that we have the skills we need to help British business succeed.

Isabel Hardman

Forget the Nasty Party. This is the Knackered Party.

From our UK edition

Tory conference is yawning on with neither furious fights nor much evidence that anyone knows how to fix the party's problems. The most energetic bit of it so far has been Theresa May's round of media interviews this morning, in which the Prime Minister appeared to have been turned on to 1.5x speed as she nervously gabbled her answers and tried to sound happy. Other spots of colour come from non-MPs, such as Ruth Davidson. The hall isn't packed, the atmosphere flat, and members and MPs look bewildered and miserable. The Tories are starting to resemble Labour at the end of its last spell in government. The party was exhausted.

The Spectator

David Lidington’s Conservative conference speech, full text

From our UK edition

“Yesterday morning, as Lord Chancellor, I joined our country’s senior judges and lawyers in Westminster Abbey to mark the opening of the new legal year. Then we processed together across Parliament Square to Westminster Hall – the heart of our democracy. It was a great occasion, a celebration of the long history and ancient traditions of our legal system. But at heart, what was being honoured was not wigs and robes, nor ritual and protocol, but the living constitutional principles which that ceremony affirmed. The rule of law and the independence of the judiciary underpin our democracy and lie at the heart of our way of life. They are the very cornerstone of our freedoms. No individual, no organization, no government is above the law.

The Spectator

Jeremy Hunt’s Conservative conference speech, full text

From our UK edition

“We have a great team at the Department of Health so let me start by thanking them: the wise Philip Dunne, the savvy Steve Brine, the smart James O’Shaughnessy, the street-smart Jackie Doyle-Price and our perfect PPS’s Jo Churchill and James Cartlidge. Sometimes something happens that reminds you how lucky we are to have an NHS. That happened right here in Manchester in May. When that bomb went off at the Arena, we saw paramedics running into danger, doctors racing to work in the middle of the night, nurses putting their arms round families who couldn’t even recognise the disfigured bodies of their loved ones. One doctor was actually on the scene picking up his own daughter when the bomb went off.

Steerpike

Grant Shapps ruffles feathers at the Chairman’s reception

From our UK edition

Although Conservative MPs have managed to keep a lot of their anger under wraps at this year's conference, others have chosen to be less subtle when it comes to airing annoyance at losing the Tory majority in the snap election. Over the weekend, Grant Shapps wrote a blistering editorial for the Mail on Sunday where he suggested Patrick McLoughlin should be axed as party chairman over the election debacle: 'Patrick is well liked by colleagues but, unfortunately, he was officially the head of a campaign which lost our majority in June. Theresa May’s decision to put him back in the same role signals to many a lack of understanding about the scale of the challenge we face. Although Patrick will doubtless turn in a faultless performance, he shows every sign of hating the job.

Monday

John Longworth

If the Tories won’t champion business and enterprise, who will?

From our UK edition

The well-known saying goes, ‘there is nothing to fear but fear itself’. This certainly should be the mantra of Brexit. Disruptive as it might be, Brexit should be the reset button for an enterprise economy, a bright new future of growth and entrepreneurialism, open and free markets – in effect a ‘New Model Economy’ – but few are making the case for this. Certainly, the government isn't. When I became director general of the British Chambers of Commerce over six years ago, one of my first media interviews led me to say that I thought there was no political party in the UK that truly represented business. By that I meant enterprise and entrepreneurialism.

Susan Emmett

Why we need more than Help to Buy to fix the housing market

From our UK edition

The Conservative Party conference kicked off with news that the government plans to earmark an additional £10 billion for the Help to Buy scheme to support 135,000 home buyers. Theresa May’s extension to David Cameron’s flagship housing policy, which has helped over 320,000 buyers since its launch in 2013, is part of a raft of eye-catching measures to win over voters under 45 who deserted the Conservatives in the last election. With house prices now almost eight times the average income and many struggling to afford a home, housing has become a critical political issue. The increase in cash is a clear attempt to appeal to the young hoping to get on the housing ladder. But is this short-term measure enough to fix the broken housing market?

Steerpike

Brexit minister tells Tories to behave

From our UK edition

Is the prospect of Prime Minister Jeremy Corbyn galvanising Tory ministers into rallying around Theresa May? Steve Baker MP, a lead Brexiteer – and one of the key junior ministers in the Department for Exiting the EU – today told an audience that he is 'enthusiastic' about Theresa May's approach to Brexit. Speaking at a European Conservatives and Reformists event, Baker explained that he was happy with the PM's position and that there is now 'no going back'. Theresa May's Florence speech 'doesn’t mean she’s backed away from the red lines she previously set out,' he explained. But despite saying that his own department never feels nervous, he seemed slightly more concerned about the prospect of Corbyn coming to power.

Isabel Hardman

Ruth Davidson: Tory party needs to man up

From our UK edition

Where can Conservatives go if they're looking to cheer themselves up at their rather nervous, doleful conference? A fringe with Ruth Davidson seems to be the answer. The Scottish Tory leader gave an interview to the Times in a totally packed room at the Midland Hotel this lunchtime, and it was clear that Tory members were there hoping to hear from a Conservative who is doing well and in good cheer. There's something about Davidson's blunt approach to politics that Tory members seem to like. She tells them they're in a miserable state and need to pull themselves together, and gives the impression that she's already got it together - rather like the sports teacher who shouted at them a lot at school, or the army officer who turned up to take cadets.

Katy Balls

Conservatives scratch their heads over how to appeal to the young

From our UK edition

An insight into the problem the Conservatives face winning over younger voters can be found in this year's party conference guide. In the listing advert for an event on young people and future jobs,  a speaker is denoted as a 'young person' by way of proof that the Tories have actually managed to locate one. https://twitter.com/JohnRentoul/status/913846592658182145 Given that Labour leads by 35 points in the 18-24 bracket, it's not a laughing matter for the Tories. Theresa May's attempt to kick off conference with a bold pitch to these young voters has failed to take off.

Steerpike

For sale: tribal masks for Tories

From our UK edition

Conservative party conference offers many things to many people – as well as a selection of souvenirs to take home afterwards, so as to remember the good times. So what to choose? Perhaps a lanyard or a tote bag? A mug? A pashmina for your better half? Mr S was intrigued to discover an alternative on offer: tribal masks. Amongst the various stands, the above artefacts are on sale in the main exhibition room. A fitting souvenir to the tribal state of British politics?

Steerpike

Minister: David Cameron could have only dreamed of getting as good an election result as May

From our UK edition

This year's Tory conference is a sedate affair compared to last year. With no Tory majority, the fringe events are filled with soul-searching on what went wrong for the Conservatives in the snap election. However, some members of government are managing to find the positives to the situation the party is in. Speaking at an SMF panel on how the Conservatives can win over young voters, Phillip Lee acknowledged the shortcomings of the campaign – but said there were still some positives. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice said that the vote share – 43pc – the Tories won is something David Cameron could only have dreamed of back in 2010. And what kind of dream would that have been?