All the latest analysis of the day's news and stories
Boris Johnson has arrived at Tory party conference and excitement among activists is building ahead of his big speech at 1pm. Already a queue of party members is snaking through the conference centre – nearly three hours before Boris is due to take to the stage. Here’s Mr Steerpike’s video of those waiting in line
As Boris Johnson and the accompanying media circus descend on conference today, pundits have been asking – is he the Heineken statesman of old, or more of a Marmite politician? Judging by his popularity among his Scottish colleagues in parliament, Mr S can confidently say he’s not an Irn Bru political figure. The deep loathing
Most politicians can only dream of having the cult following that Jacob Rees-Mogg is enjoying at Conservative party conference. His events are packed out an hour before they are due to start. Cries of ‘Mogg for PM’ have been heard. And when Rees-Mogg walked into the room at a Leave means Leave rally last night,
There was a time, back in the day, when cabinet ministers were the star attraction of the Conservative conference show. Attendees would queue round the block to hear from famous faces in the party and hear how they were going to tackle the biggest issues of the day. But those days are no more. Instead,
All eyes will be on Boris Johnson when he addresses the Tory fringes this afternoon. Expect the former foreign secretary to offer plenty of advice for the Prime Minister as she prepares for her keynote speech tomorrow. And on the main stage, Sajid Javid is the pick of the speakers: Conference listings: 10.00 – 12.30
Friends, it’s great to be back here in Birmingham. Seven years ago, I came to conference looking to lead the party north of the border. I promised you I would grow the Conservative family in Scotland. Well, never let it be said, I’m not a woman of my word. Conference, there are plenty of things I could
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
‘The morning had been golden; the noontide was bronze; and the evening lead.’ So said Churchill about the career of Lord Curzon. But these words could also summarise the leadership of Plaid Cymru by Leanne Wood – a leadership that came to an abrupt and rather humiliating end on Friday. Most observers of politics outside
I watched the Tory party conference on television this morning for as long as I could take it. Obviously I wouldn’t under normal circumstances – nobody sane would – but I’d been left in sole charge of a six-month old child (my son) and I wanted him to understand that life is very often pain.
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
Boris Johnson continues to be the target of attacks from fellow Tory MPs at the party’s conference in Birmingham, even though he’s not yet even arrived in town. Yesterday, it was Digby Jones and Philip Hammond who took a swipe at him. Today, it’s former deputy PM Damian Green. At a Spectator fringe event, Green
The great Quentin Blake, who illustrated the Roald Dahl books, has come up with some charming new illustrations for Matilda, the child prodigy who was so brainy she could make things move by sheer mind-power. For the 30th anniversary of the book, he speculates on what she might have become: there’s Matilda, world traveller, chief
For a certain wing of the Tory party, Ruth Davidson is their Queen over the water. Their fondness for her was only increased by her saying that she won’t run for leader because she cares too much for her mental health and relationship. So it was striking that the Tories decided that the best use
We may have just witnessed the first outbreak of genuine interest from the Conservative conference floor. Michael Gove was speaking to the not-full room, and bookended his speech with praise for the history of the Tory party. He started by telling the hall that ‘As we know all too well from our history, if you
Our island nation has been defined by its relationship with the sea. It has been our doorway to global trade, a treasure house of oil and gas, and the home to teeming stocks of fish. But now our oceans are in danger. Danger from climate change, from chemical residues, from exploitation and indeed from plastic. The equivalent of a
The news that the US, Canada and Mexico have agreed a new trade deal, USMCA, may have caused a little surprise this morning among Trump critics. Isn’t the US President supposed to be leading the world into a new dark age of protectionism, sparking a 1930s-style depression as he puts the interests of a few
The star of Conservative party conference so far can’t be found in the main hall. Instead, they are best spotted at fringe events – each of which ends up being an oversubscribed event that involves a massive queue. Step forward Jacob Rees-Mogg. The arch-Brexiteer has been causing a scene wherever he goes with activists stopping
Philip Hammond’s speech showed quite how insecure the Conservatives are feeling about themselves at the moment. The Chancellor was trying to defend the Tories on their more traditional ground, giving a hug-a-business speech designed to counter both Boris Johnson’s ‘f*** business’ line and the fears expressed by ministers and donors that the party has forgotten
Tories used to laugh at Jeremy Corbyn. But today, Philip Hammond said that the questions Labour are asking ‘deserve a response.’ He acknowledged that people feel that ‘they are working for the system but the system isn’t working for them.’ Hammond tried to deliver a response based on Tory pragmatism, making the case for evolution
A week after the Labour party conference made the best available case for Theresa May’s government, it is the Conservative’s turn to persuade the country that a Labour government, compared to the alternatives available, might not be such a complete disaster after all. Such is the way of party conferences these days. And it cannot
Liam Fox was once a minister in a Tory-Lib Dem government. But seven years is a long time in politics. Now, Fox has changed his mind about his former coalition partners, branding the Lib Dems ‘crazy’: ‘When we leave the European Union, people will no longer regard themselves as leavers or remainers, a few, mostly
Mr S was intrigued by reports that the former foreign secretary had been photographed running through a field of wheat this morning. Was it trolling Theresa May for her infamous “fields of wheat” comments during the snap election? But on closer inspection, Boris isn’t running through a field of wheat. Indeed, the harvest has been
Chris Grayling opened his conference speech by talking about a 50 year delay. Initially he could have been mistaken for describing a standard train journey in the north of England, but he was actually congratulating the government on reaching a decision on aviation capacity. Given the number of delays, cancellations and mistakes in his portfolio,
Dominic Raab has just given an impressive, grown-up speech to Tory conference that will see his stock rise still further. The Brexit Secretary began his speech by appealing for tolerance, pointing out that there were good arguments—and good people—on both sides of the referendum campaign. He even acknowledged that some Brexiteers had been too quick
I want to start with an appeal for tolerance. We all know that Brexit is a controversial subject. It excites strong passions. But as a Party and as a country, we also need to keep a sense of proportion. Everybody had a vote. And most people have an opinion. But only a small minority think
There’s been no short of soul-searching in Birmingham this week, as Conservatives wonder how they can challenge an increasingly threatening looking Labour party. In a speech at an Institute for Economic Affairs bash last night, Treasury minister Liz Truss thought she was able to identify the problem: ‘There are some people in Britain who say
It’s day two of Conservative party conference and the Tory wars are in full swing. This morning it’s the turn of Philip Hammond to cause trouble. In an interview with the Daily Mail, the Chancellor repeatedly mocked Boris Johnson, saying that his former cabinet colleague is incapable of grown-up politics. But while Hammond was happy
Brexit secretary Dominic Raab and the Chancellor Philip Hammond are the big draws on day two of the Conservative conference, but there is plenty of action on the fringes too. Here are the highlights to watch out for: Conference listings: 10.00 – 12.30 Symphony Hall AN ECONOMY THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE Secretary of State for
Andrew Marr: Let me ask you about another burning injustice which you didn’t mention but I think a lot of people would regard as a burning injustice: the treatment of all of those West Indian people who came here in the 1950s and 1960s – asked here to work, people from the Caribbean and elsewhere.
The Tory conference hall is, so far, struggling to replicate the size and excitement of Labour’s gathering last week. This isn’t entirely the party’s fault: the venue itself might be great for listening to an orchestra, but it tends to dampen what atmosphere there is. But the decline in audience enthusiasm has been taking place
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
The most notable thing about this year’s Conservative conference is the disconnect between the leadership and the members. This afternoon the fringes have been ram–packed – particularly those with Brexiteers. Meanwhile, the hall and its ministers has at points seemed rather empty. So, perhaps it makes sense then that rumoured leadership hopeful Jeremy Hunt used
What’s the antidote to Corbyn? Thatcher, according to Priti Patel. Britain’s former PM might be public enemy number one in the eyes of the Corbynistas, but it’s vital the Tories return to Thatcher’s ideas and her way of doing things. That, at least, is the verdict of Patel, the Brexit-backing former international development secretary. Patel
Oh dear. Ahead of Tory conference there had been talk among the European Research Group of plans to ’empty-hall’ Theresa May’s leader’s speech in protest of her Brexit plan. That plot has since been abandoned. But it turns out that some Cabinet ministers are still being ’empty-halled’ all on their own accord. This afternoon party