Steerpike

Poor old Theresa May. The Prime Minister hasn't even got on stage to deliver her speech at Tory party conference and already things are not going quite to plan. Tory MP James Duddridge has announced this morning that he thinks it is time for Theresa May to step down – and that Boris's speech was a turning point in his decision. He said that he had sent his letter to the 1922 committee urging the PM to go: 'I felt the time has come for her to go. I don't think she has performed well, I don't think she is leading us into a strong Brexit and increasing number of colleagues are of that same view' Oh dear...

Boris Johnson’s speech attracted the largest crowd of any conference fringe event. But does Boris have the backing of party members? Mr Steerpike spoke to some activists to see what they made of the speech: Phoebe McCullough, 21, from Twickenham, a student at Sterling university, had this to say: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGmUZHsbnV0 John Bennet, 23, from Sterling, said he thought Boris's speech was the highlight of Tory party conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmVY7BifwgM Adrian Hutson, from Belfast, said he thought Boris had fluffed some of his lines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmp4sxFxOG8 But while many were supportive of Boris, not everyone was convinced by his calls to unite behind the Prime Minister.

It's safe to say that Jacob Rees-Mogg isn't keen on the Prime Minister's Chequers plan. But Rees-Mogg has still stopped short of calling for Theresa May to go.  Some other Brexit supporters don't agree and think it is time for Tory Brexiteers to call an end to May's time in office. One such activist made their feelings knows at a 'Leave means Leave' rally on the fringes of Tory conference this evening: Rees-Mogg: 'This is exactly what the Prime Minister said she would not do at Lancaster House.' Heckler: 'Sack the woman!' RM: 'No, no.' Heckler: 'Sack her now – get your letter in.' RM: 'Certainly not! But thank you – I always like a bit of robust heckling, it is very British.' Mr S is sure that the Prime Minister is grateful for Rees-Mogg's support...

It's day one of Tory conference and already the blue-on-blue warfare is rife. Aside from Boris-bashing in the main hall, the fringes have been witness to some choice comments. This afternoon's ‘How Can Conservatives Win Back Under 45s in 2022’ fringe event, saw a panel comprised of Justine Greening, Neil O’Brien, David Willets, George Freeman and the Times’ Rachel Sylvester gather to let off steam about Brexit and Theresa May. Freeman complained (again) that May’s Tories have ‘no vision’. However, the comment that got Mr S's attention was his claim that his party is starting to resemble the ‘armed wing of UKIP'.

Conservative conference weekend is here, prompting the usual effort by Labour to mis-cast the Tories as a party of rich toffs. However, this seems to have backfired for Angela Rayner. This morning she posted a widely shared image of the Conference website, which is selling last-minute tickets at inflated prices: https://twitter.com/AngelaRayner/status/1045790543786242056 However, Mr S is delighted to inform Ms Rayner that all is not as it seems. Tickets for the Conservative Party Conference have been on sale since January, at a much-reduced price of £50, and £20 for under 25s. In fact, many students and young professions are sent by their associations with free tickets. The price was doubled on May 1st and raised again close to conference.

At party conference last week, several Labour front benchers poured scorn on ‘fat cat bosses’ with excessive earnings. Jeremy Corbyn himself promised to end the country’s culture of ‘greed is good.’ It appears, though, that a bit of greed isn’t so bad when it comes to lining your own friends' coffers. The Evening Standard reports today that Corbyn, who earns around £140,000 a year, has given his closest aides whopping pay rises of up to 26 per cent. The average salary of his three best paid advisers is now £94,421, four times the salary of a London nurse. Corbyn’s closest ally, former Guardian hack and champagne socialist Seumas Milne is doing best out of the arrangement and now earns £101,855.