The Spectator

Conference, I believe totally and utterly in our NHS. I want it to offer the safest, highest quality care of any country in the world for you and your family. When I took on this role four years ago I said it was the biggest privilege of my life. Some say it’s the hardest job in government. Others say it’s the safest – because there's not a long line of other ministers who want it. But for me it's the chance to serve our country by guiding our most precious public service through difficult times. And that's why I’m proud to be back in front of you wearing my NHS badge. And why today I want to talk to you frankly about the state of our National Health Service: its successes, its challenges and our plans for the future.

There was a time when the terms 'Britain' and 'trade' would have been almost synonymous. For over two centuries we were the trading nation. From the intellectual pioneers such as Adam Smith, whose book 'the Wealth of Nations' made the case for free trade, to the Royal Navy’s patrol of the world’s trade routes to the might and resilience of the British Merchant Navy, this country was at the forefront of a free and open trading world. And this party also played its part. When Sir Robert Peel fought against the vested interests of the day to repeal the corn laws and prevent the exploitation of the poor, he set the tone for a Conservative party that was to become the most successful that the democratic world had ever seen.

I was at the UN general assembly in NY the other day and talking to the foreign minister of another country. I won’t say which one, since I must preserve my reputation for diplomacy, but let’s just say they have an economy about the size of Australia (though getting smaller, alas). Plenty of snow, nuclear missiles, balalaikas, oligarchs, leader who strips to the waist you get the picture. After a few tense exchanges my counterpart gave a theatrical sigh and said that any difficulties we had in our relationship were all Britain’s fault: “It was you guys who imposed democracy on us in 1990”.

Thank you for that introduction. And how brilliant it is to see the hall here in Liverpool, absolutely packed for the Labour conference, well I say it’s packed but Virgin Trains assure me there are 800 empty seats. Either way Conference, it’s a huge pleasure to be holding our party’s annual gathering here in this fantastic city that has shaped our country, our economy, our culture and our music. Liverpool and its people have always been central to the Labour party and our movement. And I know some people say campaigns and protests don’t change things. But the Hillsborough families have shown just how wrong that is.

Hello, Conference. Thank you for being here in this great city, at this historic gathering of the greatest movement for social change our great country has ever known. It’s a privilege to address you. Thank you. I’d better get the difficult stuff out of the way: Saturday’s result, whatever you think of the man, whatever he’s done, how can Ed Balls be bottom of the leader board on Strictly Come Dancing? Strictly, of course, is a hot bed of media-obsessed prima donnas and harsh critics slating your every move. You’d think after a decade in Parliament Ed would have done better than that. Disappointing, Ed, to be honest.

Now the leadership election is over, I tell you, we have to become a government in waiting. An election could come at any time. Theresa May has said that she will not be calling an early election, but when could anyone trust a Tory leader? We have to prepare ourselves not just for fighting an election but for moving into Government. To do that successfully we have to have the policies and the plans for their detailed implementation on the shelf, in place for when we enter government whenever that election comes. Everybody in the Party, at every level and in every role, needs to appreciate the sense of urgency about this task, the mess we will inherit. So in this speech I want to address some of the key issues we will face and how we will face them.