Philip Hammond

Liz, thank you for that introduction……and for tearing yourself away from your beloved Instagram account for a few minutes. And thank you too for being such a great Chief Secretary and stalwart defender of the public purse. My kids think I’m tight with money…but they haven’t met Liz Truss. And in a world obsessed with stories of division and rift in Whitehall… I want to hold up my fantastic team at the Treasury as an example of how we can - and do – work together and support each other. So a big “thank you” to all of them.

What a privilege to be introduced by the Conservative Mayor of a north-east city region. Ben Houchen, Ladies and Gentlemen, the living proof that our party is working for people in every part of Britain! And what a privilege to be here: In Manchester City, but 100 percent United! And we have all been with Manchester in spirit as it has stood united in the face of adversity this year. Conference, 40 years ago this week here in the North West a 16 year old speaker from Yorkshire warned his fellow Conservative delegates about Labour’s plans for an irreversible shift of power allegedly to the people but in reality to the State. He urged them to reject the socialist argument that the government knows what is good for us better than we do ourselves.