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  • Mel Stride – 2025 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    Mel Stride – 2025 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Mel Stride, the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, in Manchester on 6 October 2025.

    Ladies and Gentlemen

    I’ve just come back from another world. Silicon Valley.

    It really is a different world over there. The innovation, the dynamism, the constant yearning for faster, better, stronger.

    I visited technology companies at the very forefront of the revolution in artificial intelligence.

    Venture Capitalists ploughing billions into bristling new things.

    Lower taxes, cheaper energy and a people plugged into making things happen.

    Right there, in that place, you could almost reach out and touch the future.

    I glimpsed everything from driverless cars to humanoid robots, to AI, to advanced reasoning, to Quantum Computing, to simulated brains to neuromorphic architectures.

    And no I didn’t know exactly what that means either.

    Now you might think that a trip like that would have depressed me when I look at our own economy – stagnating under the cold dead hand of a Labour government.

    But far from it. Far from it. It raised my spirits. Because it reinforced in me the sense of what is possible for OUR country.

    For ours is a great country of drive and ambition and creativity. Of decency, of tradition and heritage. We made the modern world and we can re-make ourselves.

    For there is a path, for us, to a more prosperous future.

    Where this country, our country, can get back to a sense of ‘we can’ and ‘we will’.

    A country in which it is instinctively understood that wealth creation should be fostered and cherished.

    A country that once again understands that wealth is created not by governments, striking unions and a bloated public sector but by entrepreneurs, businesses and the hardworking millions.

    That the makers matter.

    And to business today I say loud and clear, Labour may have given up on you but this Conservative Party never, ever will, we will always be there for business!

    And I know about the vital importance of business, I have lived it all my life.

    And our great country can bring that culture of enterprise but to do so the first thing we need is hope.

    In a world of great uncertainty, of a failing government and a populist alternative that is totally detached from reality, it is our party that has to provide it.

    Not in the way of glib words, but in that deep well of thought that will provide the solutions to our many problems.

    In short: hope can only come with a plan.

    A radical plan to re-build our economy.

    And today I want to tell you how we will do it, together.

    But first let me tell you why I am so passionate about this better vision for Britain.

    Why I feel that we can reach out and seize it. Why I know that we can and we will.

    Well, I look back at my own story.

    My mother and father left school at 15 and 14 years old.

    They had to make their own way in the world.

    But they had drive. They wanted to create a family. They wanted to provide.

    So, they started their own business. And I saw close up what that really matters and means.

    The long hours. The risks. The stress. The setbacks and the triumphs.

    And my parents gave me opportunities that were not there for them. I won a free place at a grammar school. I studied hard.

    I earned a place at university the first in my family to go to university.

    And you know that I seized that opportunity with both hands and I ran with it as far and as fast as I possibly could.

    I never looked back not once. And I had those age-old words ringing in my ears ‘if you have a good education then you have the whole world laid out before you.’

    And when I left university, I didn’t go into politics. I did what my mum and dad did.

    I BUILT something. Created businesses.

    Working from scratch from the kitchen table, bringing together teams of people with a common purpose.

    And I had Nigel Lawson cutting my taxes and removing the red tape. And the whole spirit of that time was one of enterprise and opportunity.

    And I have in my mind now that image of Margaret Thatcher and Richard Branson on that boat travelling down the Thames with the light playing on the water like an endless stream of opportunity.

    And later I had in my hand a key to the first home that I owned. The foundation for the rest of my life. For the wife that I had yet to meet. For the family that I was yet to create.

    That is a Conservative vision of opportunity, aspiration and achievement. And that is what we are going to bring back! We can and we will!

    But to do that we have to fully understand and address the failings of this Labour government. To show our country that there is another way.

    That the vicious cycle of more spending, more taxes, more borrowing, more debt can be broken.

    And to demonstrate that it is our values, Conservative values of sound money, low taxes, entrepreneurship and hard work that can make that happen.

    And millions are crying out for this.

    Just look at what this government is doing.

    Constantly pumping up the size of the state.

    Increasing spending by £100 billion a year that’s ten times what they said in their manifesto.

    And they said their plans involved hardly any tax increases.

    But what have they done?

    A £40 billion tax raid, most of it on jobs.

    And now that Rachel Reeves has blown a vast hole in the public finances, yet more tax rises await.

    In fact under Labour, nothing is safe from the taxman.

    Not your job, not your home, not your pension, not your farm, not your business, not even that which you simply wish to pass on to your own children. You name it, they’ll tax it. And we say enough is enough!

    And the real-world consequences of all of this?

    Unemployment is at its highest since the pandemic.

    In the hospitality sector alone, 89,000 jobs have been destroyed. Hitting our young people the hardest. Futures crushed.

    And the cost of living is soaring.

    WE left inflation bang on target. Under Labour its doubled.

    And growth has tanked.

    You remember how Labour claimed they were pro-business?  Well just last week, the Institute of Directors said that business confidence was at its lowest level EVER.

    The result?  Thousands of wealth creators have left the country.

    Labour have no clue about how to build the economy of the future.

    Although on driverless cars, to be fair, we do have at least one in operation. Yes, it’s called the Labour Government. Led by a Prime Minister who can only do U-turns; a Chancellor who only knows how to work the brakes; and a mob of backbenchers desperate to grab hold of the wheel.

    Now of course, thanks to Labour our national debt is getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger.

    Debt is set to rise every single year until it is the size of our entire economy.

    The interest bill this year alone amounts to £6,000 for every working household in the country.

    And Labour’s profligacy means our borrowing costs are now higher than Greece.

    Lower growth and higher debt sees us weaker and increasingly vulnerable.

    That is not just irresponsible, it is dangerous.

    And look at Reform they are just as bad.

    Reform’s manifesto promised tens of billions in unfunded commitments.

    They want to scrap the two-child benefit cap, spending billions more on welfare and they want you to pay for it. We say that if you want to fund a large family then that’s great but you should look to yourself to pay, not the state.

    And Reform want to get back to the days of nationalisation and state control.

    They are marching to the left.

    Be in no doubt, they are the party of more spending and more debt. And when it comes to Reform be assured of this, that when the glitter, the shimmy of the sequined dress, the razzamatazz, the spinning plates, the fireworks have faded you will be left with emptiness. The dull bell alone. The hollowed out promises that never were.

    But Reform are being found out and it is this Conservative Party that is holding them to account!

    Let’s face it, we’re the only party that gets it.

    The only party that will stand up for fiscal responsibility.

    And that means we have to face some hard truths to which other parties turn a blind eye.

    We must get on top of government spending.

    So where Labour have failed, we will bring down our spiralling welfare bill.

    Completely overhaul our benefits system and put an end once and for all to the human tragedy of millions being consigned to a life on benefits.

    This is not just a financial imperative, it is a moral duty.

    For we believe in the dignity and decency of work. That it is essential to the health of the individual and the stability of our country.

    But equally it is the purest belief of our party, that looking after the most vulnerable is the hallmark of a civilised society.

    But to do that, we need a system that is fair and commands the widespread support of those who pay for it.

    The current system does not.

    So we will ensure that benefits are properly targeted at those most in need, with people thriving in jobs where they can and should be working.

    That includes stopping claims for people with less severe mental health problems where what is needed is treatment and support, not simply cash.

    Because we know that the stability, pride and social interaction of work actually improves these conditions.

    So we say: ‘Labour want to park you on benefits, we want to help you to a better life’.

    And a fairer system also means ensuring that only British citizens can access welfare because citizenship should mean something.

    Our approach will get the welfare bill down by £23 billion.

    The culture of ‘something for nothing’ must end, now!

    Now the civil service is too large.

    In 2016 there were 384,000 civil servants, today there are 517,000.

    We will bring the numbers back down, saving one pound in every four.

    And we simply cannot justify higher taxes at home to pay for more spending abroad.

    So we will significantly reduce the overseas aid budget.

    Now we will also take the decisive steps to deter people from coming here illegally and stop pouring billions into asylum hotels.

    That is an utter scandal. And we will put a stop to it! We can and we will.

    We will also stop spending billions on Ed Miliband’s vanity projects which are simply driving up bills.

    We will put an end to them once and for all!

    In total, the savings I am setting out today would reduce the size of government by almost £50 billion.

    Now I am a realist and we must recognise that this Labour government will be leaving huge debts behind.

    So I cannot simply say we will use all of those savings to spend more elsewhere, or to cut taxes.

    We will bring taxes down, we must, but we will only do so when that is affordable. Just as Nigel Lawson did.

    Because we know where the alternative path leads, we saw that with the mini budget in 2022.

    So let me be clear, the Conservative Party will never, ever make fiscal commitments without spelling out exactly how they will be paid for.

    We are and will always be the party of fiscal responsibility.

    Labour have trashed the finances and it is only the Conservative Party, our Conservative Party, that can be trusted to fix them! We can and we will.

    So I want to make a very clear statement to you today.

    Those savings will mean we can urgently bring down government borrowing.

    Because we cannot deliver stability unless we live within our means.

    No more pretending we can keep spending money we simply do not have.

    It falls to us, as today’s Conservatives, to do the responsible thing.

    That’s the right thing for our country. And it’s also the right thing for the next generation.

    So to younger people I say: ‘We will get debt off your back!’ We can and we will.

    And I want to go further.

    To send an unequivocal message to those young people starting out in life.

    If you work hard and do the right thing the Conservative Party is on your side.

    So as we reduce the benefits bill so we will fund tax cuts which are laser focused on aspiring young people.

    So we will introduce something called The First Job Bonus.

    When someone takes their first job, the first £5,000 they pay in National Insurance won’t go to the taxman, it will go towards  a deposit on their first home, or it will go towards their savings for later life.

    For a working couple that means £10,000.

    Helping them buy a home, build a family, save for the future.

    That is the Conservative dream!

    A dream that built my life. It is why I stand before you today.

    And I’ll fight every single day to make sure that that dream is burning bright for younger people and for the generations to come!

    But responsibility also means building a stronger society through a stronger economy.

    That is a Conservative value.

    It means understanding that it is small businesses, the collective efforts of millions, those who get up early and work all hours, who strive and serve, the little platoons that together form a mighty army. They are the force that binds communities together.

    At the heart of those communities stand our high streets. Where they thrive, we thrive. Where they fall into decay, the crime and fear seeps in. And so, I say, small businesses and our high streets are the unsung heroes, they employ, they create, they protect. They make us alive and whole.

    Yet for many businesses the burden of Labour’s tax rises is simply too much to bear.

    Pubs closing, shops sitting empty, high streets hollowed out.

    Under Labour, many have seen their business rates double. We need to get business rates down. In fact we need to go further. Much, much, further. So today I can announce that as a direct result of getting public spending under control, a future Conservative government will completely abolish business rates for shops and pubs on our high streets. End of.

    End of, finished, gone.

    For controlling spending is not an end in itself, it wills the means, it gets the taxman off your back – it sets some of the hardest working people in our country free! We can and we will!

    So let there be no doubts.

    We are the only party of fiscal responsibility.

    We are the only party that understands the deep challenges that our great country faces.

    And we are the only party that will meet those challenges head on.

    Where Labour choose debt, we choose discipline.

    Where they choose welfare, we choose work.

    Where they choose stagnation, we choose aspiration.

    All they have to offer is pessimism. Higher taxes, fewer jobs, lower growth, and a mountain of debt for the next generation.

    What we stand for is something far bigger and far greater than that.

    Conservative values.

    Opportunity, aspiration, optimism.

    We are the Party of hope.

    We are the party of the future.

    We can and we will.

  • Claire Coutinho – 2025 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    Claire Coutinho – 2025 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Claire Coutinho, the Shadow Energy Secretary, in Manchester on 6 October 2025.

    In the last few decades, we’ve lost sight of a simple truth. Energy is a good thing

    Conservatives know that great eras of British growth and prosperity happen when we have an abundance of cheap, reliable energy.

    Pitt and Peel who helped to unleash the coal-powered Industrial Revolution.

    Stanley Baldwin spread electricity across the nation, after the First World War.

    Mrs Thatcher’s North Sea oil boom got the nation back on its feet after those terrible years of Labour decline.

    Today, there is not a single country on earth which has high growth, and low energy.

    That’s because energy is not just part of the economy. It is the economy. It feeds into the costs of every business, every journey, every loaf of bread.

    That’s why right now, the cost of energy is one of the biggest problems we have.

    It’s a stealth tax that is making us all poorer.

    And it’s killing our industry.

    Britain has the highest industrial electricity prices in the world.

    And that has consequences.

    British industries that use the most energy – like chemicals, glass, and metals – are shutting down week by week.

    The fibreglass factory in Wigan. The refinery at Grangemouth. Vauxhall in Luton. The North Sea. We’re losing thousands of jobs by the month.

    And we won’t need any less fibreglass, less gas, or fewer cars – we’ll just import more from abroad, often from countries still powered by coal.

    Fewer jobs in Britain. Unilateral economic disarmament. For more carbon in the atmosphere.

    And this isn’t just about the industries that we already have, the industries of the future need energy too – whether it’s advanced manufacturing or AI.

    Whether it’s a factory, or a data centre, or a super-lab they will need cheap, reliable energy.

    And they will go where they find it.

    It would be the first time in generations that we would no longer be at the forefront of a technological revolution, and we will be poorer because of it.

    Those businesses will be created, just not here in Britain.

    We won’t have saved the planet, we will have failed the next generation.

    And under Labour this is about to get worse.

    At the last election Ed Miliband promised to cut bills by £300. Keir Starmer promised it. Rachel Reeves promised it.

    Now last week Ed Miliband had some pretty choice words for Elon Musk about disinformation.

    So, conference, we’ve got a return message for Ed Miliband.

    If you want to talk about disinformation, where’s our flipping £300?

    Far from cutting bills, bills keep going up – and every choice Ed has made is making it worse.  

    Ed says that building more wind farms will cut bills. But he’s signing up to prices that are the highest in a decade, well above the market price of electricity.

    Look at this.

    When he made his promise to cut bills, the price of electricity was £72. That’s that second bar in black you see.

    Last year he bought offshore wind at £82, and this year he’s said he’s willing to pay up to £117.

    Now, that’s before you add in the extra costs for connections, the backup, and the £8 billion we’ll soon be paying wind farms, not to generate any energy, but to turn off when there’s too much wind.

    And what’s worse, is that he’s extended the wind developer’s contracts to twenty years, locking us into these higher prices for longer.

    You can think about it like this. He’s moving our energy onto a fixed-rate mortgage at 10%, because he doesn’t want to be on a 4% variable.

    Anyone with half a brain can see that won’t cut bills.

    Now , he says prices are going up because gas is expensive.

    But that blue bar on the left, £55, that’s gas without taxes. You tell me what’s higher or lower.

    It’s not hard is it?

    He also said that Great British Energy would lead to, and I quote, a “mind-blowing” reduction in bills.

    But it won’t generate any energy.

    Only Ed Miliband could launch an £8 billion energy company that won’t produce any energy.

    Let’s call it what it is. A vanity project that won’t cut bills. So we will scrap it.

    I will give Ed credit for one thing though.

    He’s managed to do something which is quite difficult, he’s managed to unite the Trade Unions, the Conservative Party, the voters, and Keir Starmer. How?

    Because they all want the same thing.

    Turns out they all want him sacked.

    And here’s the problem with the Left – they’re infected with a poverty mindset.

    They believe that Britain has a duty to make itself poorer on the altar of Net Zero.

    And they think that ordinary people should be the servants of their climate targets.

    So, take air conditioning. In America, nearly every single home has air con. Here in Britain? Just 5%.

    But Sadiq Khan’s London Plan effectively bans air con in all new homes – why?

    Because it uses too much energy.

    Rather than people fitting into the Government’s policy on energy, I believe a Conservative energy policy should serve the needs of the people.

    Take the North Sea, Ed Miliband’s plans to ban new drilling would make us the only country in the world shutting down our own energy supplies.

    Up to 200,000 jobs and twelve billion pounds in tax revenue lost.

    Why? So that we can import more gas from Norway from the same fields we could drill ourselves.

    Our imports of liquified gas have soared by over 40 per cent in a single year.

    Conference, as long as we need gas, as much of it as possible should come from Britain.

    That’s why we will scrap Ed’s mad ban on new oil and gas licenses, we will reverse the energy profits levy, and we will back the North Sea.

    We will remember what has been forgotten for too long.

    Energy is prosperity.

    Now, we have to be honest. The poverty mindset has become inseparable from our climate legislation.

    We shouldn’t have let it sit on the statute book for so long.

    I wasn’t in Parliament in 2019 when the 2050 Net Zero target was set.

    But I’ll tell you who was – Kemi Badenoch.

    She was one of only two people in that entire debate who had the courage to speak up and ask about the costs.

    When I came in as Energy Secretary, I started a reset to unpick some of what we got wrong in the face of huge opposition.

    I started that reset because whilst we have halved our emissions, China has been doing this.

    Global emissions are rising much, much faster than we can cut them here.  

    When something clearly isn’t working, we Conservatives should have the courage to tell the truth and say so.

    Net Zero isn’t working for Britain, and it’s not working for the climate.

    The British people are no stranger to sacrifice for a just cause.

    But watching good jobs move abroad is not just.

    Piling more pain onto people’s bills is not just.

    And passing down a country that is less secure and less prosperous is not just.

    For too many people, Net Zero has become a religion, and for too long we were an unthinking part of the congregation.

    Here’s the problem with the legislation. We know it’s not working for climate change.

    But it’s also forcing Ministers to make decisions that make people poorer.

    Ed Miliband’s 2008 Climate Change Act sets legally-binding targets.

    Every five years, targets are drawn up that dictate what products people must buy, and when, and in what quantities, a decade into the future.

    Conference, we had a name for that back in the 70s, it’s central planning.

    If all of our industry shut tomorrow, and we replaced those goods with imports that would be a win for climate targets but a disaster for Britain.

    If people don’t want a heat pump, the Act requires you to tax or ban them into it.

    We are burning wood shipped here from America to produce electricity at three times the cost of gas, and four times the pollution levels of our last coal plant.

    Why? Because it doesn’t count towards our climate targets.

    Those ridiculous prices I just showed you for offshore wind, why would we have to buy any at those prices?

    You guessed it. Our climate targets.

    And here’s the truth, whether it was EU directives, or the Climate Change Committee, or the courts who rule on the activists’ cases, none of them are accountable to the people who will lose their jobs, or people who pay their energy bills, or who need to keep the lights on.

    We handed too much control to people who pay no price for being wrong.

    That was a profound mistake.

    So, we will set out a new way of doing things.

    Conference, I know many of you are proud lovers of the environment. I am too.

    We will not cede that ground.

    But we will set out new plans under Conservative principles.

    Our first principle will be to back British innovation.  

    For too long when we talked about innovation, what we meant is that we would force Britain to be the early adopters of technology made in other parts of the world.

    But look at these charts. Refrigerators, dishwashers, central heating. Here’s the thing, when new tech makes people’s lives better, people will buy it.

    What we are doing is insisting everyone buys these products before they want to, just to meet a government target.

    Rather than force our people to be the early adopters, I want us to be the early creators.

    The early creators of technology we can export around the world.

    We’re only 1% of emissions. 99% are happening elsewhere and they’re rising.

    We clearly have not got this right yet. We have not created all of products we need.

    But if we can create technologies that others can’t, that will be by far Britain’s biggest contribution to tackling climate change.

    Our second principle will be to protect nature.

    For centuries, environmentalism was the domain of ordinary people – people who were rooted in a sense of place and a love of home.

    They wanted to protect and cherish the world they loved around them. Roger Scruton called this the “small-scale wisdom of the human heart”.

    But nature is not Net Zero, in fact some of the time it pulls in the opposite direction.

    I can think of no better image than this – the Amazon Rainforest being carved up to build a motorway to the latest Climate conference in Brazil.

    But what’s worrying is that’s not so dissimilar to what we’re pursuing here.

    On the left, that tiny dot is the land needed for a nuclear power plant, underneath is what’s needed to get the same amount of energy from wind and solar. Because wind and solar use up to 3,000 times more land.

    To generate the same amount of power as a nuclear power station, you would need a wind farm the size of the New Forest, or a solar farm the size of the Isle of Wight.

    On a small island like ours where every inch of countryside is precious, that matters.

    So instead of carpeting the countryside in wind and solar farms, we will make it easier and cheaper to build dense, reliable, secure, clean nuclear energy.

    Our third and most important principle. Will be to prioritise cheap, abundant energy. And we will do that unashamedly.

    That’s why the next Conservative Government will repeal the Climate Change Act.

    If a law is not working in the national interest, it is not just possible for us to change it – it’s our duty to do so.

    All it takes is courage.

    Increasing the cost of electricity is the worst possible climate policy too.

    If you want people to use electric cars, here’s a revolutionary idea. Make electricity cheap.

    If you want people to use electric heating. Make electricity cheap.

    If you want to build data centres, to cut bills, to reduce poverty and drive growth.

    Make electricity cheap.

    At the moment Labour’s giving handouts to people to buy electric cars and electric heating at the very same time they’re making electricity unbearably expensive. That’s back to front and we will reverse it.

    Our priorities will be the priorities of the British people, a strong economy, protecting nature, and cutting bills.

    So, conference, today I can announce the first policies from our Cheap Power Plan.

    First up, the next Conservative Government will axe the Carbon Tax on electricity generation.

    When Ed Miliband blames gas for high energy bills, what he doesn’t tell you is that over 30% of what we pay for gas power is not to pay for fuel, but to pay for a Carbon Tax that the government chooses to impose.

    Now, we know we will need gas to keep the lights on for decades – so it just adds extra costs to our bills for no reason.

    But here’s the rub – the Carbon Tax inflates the cost of almost all other types of electricity too.

    So, all the wind and solar farm owners pocket those higher prices as higher profits.

    And since the start of the year, guess what Ed has done to Carbon Taxes?

    That.

    We warned Ed about doing this. He didn’t listen.

    Labour’s EU deal increased the Carbon Tax by 70 per cent in the space of 9 months.

    They did not have to do this. It was a political choice. A political choice that we Conservatives fought against.

    Axing the Carbon Tax would cut bills instantly by almost £8 billion a year.

    Next. We’ll scrap Ed Miliband’s old rip-off wind farm subsidies.

    Back in 2008, Ed Miliband, in his infinite wisdom, chose to double the subsidies on offer for wind farms.

    That means when the wind blows, there are wind farms getting up to three times the market price of electricity – and you’re paying for that through your bills.

    It’s the biggest racket going.

    We closed the scheme when we were in office, but we’ll go further and say we must scrap those subsidies for good.

    Our energy system is not here to prop up the profits of multi-million-pound wind developers at billpayers’ expense. It’s here to deliver cheap, reliable energy for the country.

    Together, our policies to Axe the Carbon Tax and scrap Ed’s rip-off wind subsidies would cut people’s electricity bills by 20 per cent.

    The average family will save £165 a year off their electricity bill.

    And I realise this sounds less than the promises other parties have made.

    Ed promised to cut your bills by £300, but we all know that’s a fantasy.

    But Reform are just as bad.

    They’ve promised to cut your electricity bill by £1,000.

    Do you know how I know that’s garbage? The average bill is only £850. What’s he gonna do, go round writing people cheques?

    If you think any politician can promise you electricity for free, then I’ve got a bridge to sell you.

    They are just as ideological as Labour, it’s just the mirror image.

    The difference with our policy is that this is real. It’s in the gift of Ministers. This could be done tomorrow. And it would cut your electricity bill by 20%.

    So, I can promise you this. When it comes to energy policy, our priority won’t be ideology, it won’t be vested interests, it won’t be fake promises we can’t deliver. It will be cheap, reliable, abundant energy.

    Now Conference, being in opposition can be tough.

    Although I’d like to thank the wider Energy team – Andrew, Malcolm, Nick, Greg, and Bradley for all their excellent work.

    We know this half-baked tax-and-spend socialism of Labour is a disaster for Britain.

    When we said in the election, that if you name it, Labour will tax it, we meant it.

    There’s a farmer’s tax, a groceries tax, a jobs tax, a jets tax, a lets tax and a bets tax, an oil tax, the soil tax, and a boiler tax. There’s even rumours of a taxi tax!

    The truth is they would rather tax the pants off this country than get their spending under control.

    And it reveals a fundamental belief.

    If you try to do well for yourself, get a good job, pay for your child’s education, buy a house, start a successful business – they don’t celebrate you.

    They sneer at you.

    They want to redistribute away your success.

    They talk about poverty like they care.

    But their policies are making energy, food, childcare and housing more expensive.

    And their answer is always more redistribution rather than confronting the truth that this Government is choosing, choosing to raise the cost of almost every basic good.

    Now, Reform I’m afraid to say have the economic policies of Jeremy Corbyn. They’re promising nationalisations we can’t afford, more tax for more welfare, more spending, which means more borrowing, which means more debt for our children.

    If Government is here to serve the liberties of the people, that means allowing them to keep more of the money that they earn.

    Now Conference, we know growth is the biggest challenge we face.

    But growth is not created by Government subsidies. It is created by millions of people.

    And I worry, our system as it stands is teaching people to be less capable than they are.

    We cannot survive if our culture becomes a competition of victimhood.

    The risk is people start to ask themselves, not what can I do, but why bother at all?

    Every person who takes on more hours, comes up with bright ideas, take risks, saves and invests in their future and their family’s future.

    Personal agency.

    The sense that you can take control of your life and reap the rewards of your efforts.

    That’s the real engine of growth.

    Everything we do as a Party will be in their interests.

    And we will start by giving them cheaper energy.

    Thank you.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2025 Speech at the International Security Expo

    Dan Jarvis – 2025 Speech at the International Security Expo

    The speech made by Dan Jarvis, the Home Office Minister, on 1 October 2025.

    Good morning. It’s good to see everyone. This is slightly more people than I was expecting but I hope that’s a good thing.

    I can’t quite believe it’s been a year since I was last at this event.

    If a week is a long time in politics, then a year is… well, a very, very long time in politics!

    Last year, I was relatively new in post.

    And this year, I’m relatively new in another post, but back with more experience, more insight, and – unfortunately – much more grey hair!

    One thing is the same though – I’ve had to dash back from my Party Conference to be here with you this morning!

    But rightly so.

    There are many reasons why I wanted to ensure I was here with you this morning.

    This event showcases the very best that our security sector has to offer, and I learn a lot from the collective wisdom in this room and in the hall out there.

    And there’s also the added bonus that I feel like I’m less likely to be heckled here than at the Labour Party Conference!

    So far, this has proved to be the case. We’ll see where we get to.

    And as with last year, I’ve not yet been lobbied by anyone dressed as a badger, but let’s see what the rest of the morning brings!

    Seriously, though, it’s a great pleasure to join you all at ISE 2025.

    Looking back at my speech a year ago, I was struck by how much has changed.

    Twelve months ago, I was talking about building my policy knowledge based on watching Spooks, Narcos and Line of Duty.

    You’ll be pleased to hear that I’ve come a very long way since then.

    For one thing, I’ve now watched Slow Horses!

    So that’s helped – not to mention all the briefings, meetings and visits.

    And in that vein, can I take the opportunity to thank Peter and Rachel from the NineteenGroup, for inviting me to speak here this morning.

    Now I told last year’s expo that the threats and challenges we face are more complex and interchangeable than ever before.

    And it is an assessment that bears repeating.  

    We are living through a period of deep global instability and volatility.

    And the sources of danger are broader and more connected. 

    Fraud. Border security risks. Hostile state activity. Terrorism. Cyber crime.

    All pose acute risks to our democracy, our economy and our society.

    Just recently, criminal cyber gangs targeted our critical national infrastructure at Heathrow and other European airports.

    This has followed similar attacks on Marks & Spencer and Jaguar Land Rover.

    These incidents serve as a stark reminder why so many of the companies that we see here today are vital to defending our thriving industrial base.

    And of course, the government is taking concerted action to repel the many different threats we face.

    For example, we are ramping up enforcement activity and returns agreements to tackle border security challenges at source, introducing tougher offences for espionage, sabotage and foreign interference and improving our domestic sanctions regime to target terrorist-linked groups.

    On cyber, earlier this year, I announced a new package of measures to tackle ransomware, and we are boosting police powers through the Crime and Policing Bill.

    And during the recent government reshuffle, which is quite a nerve-wracking experience I can tell you, my role has expanded to be shared across the Home Office and the Cabinet Office.

    This is a recognition from the Prime Minister that we did not need separate spheres of activity when it comes to national security, and a single minister working with all the key agencies and individuals, driving forward a single vital agenda across government and beyond.

    More broadly, our recently published National Security Strategy sets out a historic commitment to invest 5% of GDP on national security by 2035.

    This transformative uplift in funding underscores the government’s unshakeable commitment to protecting our country and all those who live here.

    And it is also about backing ourselves…

    …developing our sovereign capabilities…

    …rebuilding our industrial base and supporting UK plc.

    It is about recognising that industry is not just another supplier, but is absolutely fundamental to our national security.

    That is why the National Security Strategy sits alongside the Strategic Defence Review.

    Taken together, they map out for a vision for a ‘whole-of-UK’ approach to national security, delivered through partnerships across government, industry and society.

    And we strive to make this vision a reality, the security sector will undoubtedly have a vital role to play.

    The numbers bear that out: the security sector alone directly employs 148,250 people in the UK over the last 10 years, turnover has grown by 176%, and exports by 244%.

    In 2024, the UK Security Industry achieved £24 billion in turnover and contributed £11.7 billion in value added to the UK economy and the most recent statistics show £11 billion in security export sales.

    These are big numbers and this success funds innovation in increasingly crucial strategic capability areas, including AI, cyber, communications, digital forensics, border screening, counter drone capabilities and many others.

    They span across many of the IS-8 sectors highlighted in the Industrial Strategy – specifically Defence and National Security, Advanced Manufacturing, Professional and Business Services, and Digital and Technologies.

    These strategies mark a clear shift towards embedding SMEs into national security innovation, with funding, procurement reform and eco-system building all designed to support their growth.

    Understanding threats and developing strategies to mitigate them is only one part of the mission.

    As we move into the second year of this government, my focus is on implementation and delivery.   

    When I visited Intersec Riyadh last year – one of the Middle East’s leading exhibitions for safety, security and emergency response – I saw first-hand just how highly UK expertise is regarded on the global stage.

    For my part, I want to amplify your success every opportunity I get.

    To that end, I will shortly be chairing a briefing with all of the government’s trade envoys.

    These roles are held by senior parliamentarians who support the government’s growth mission by engaging with key markets right around the world. I am determined to raise their awareness of the innovation and world leading capabilities the UK security sector has to offer.

    I am also writing to every UK ambassador and high commissioner across our diplomatic network – asking for their direct support in driving UK security exports at source, including identifying market opportunities for UK companies to access.

    I have engaged with international counterparts to promote what UK security industry has to offer, including countries as diverse as Poland, Columbia, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. 

    But I also repeat the ask I made of you a year ago.

    You are the experts grappling with the challenges of maintaining competitive advantage and driving the industry forward.

    I therefore need you to tell me what more we can do to secure our sovereign capabilities and access market opportunities, both here and abroad.

    Because we are here to back you.

    UK SMEs, particularly those operating in the security sector, now have access to a diverse range of government-backed funding opportunities designed to support innovation, growth and export potential.

    These include Innovate UK, which offers grants and innovation loans for Research and Development and commercialisation and the British Business Bank, which provides loan guarantees, equity investment, including the Cyber Seed Fund, and startup support.

    UK Export Finance can help SMEs secure international contracts through guarantees and insurance.

    And Sector-specific programmes such as the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) and the UK Defence Innovation Fund offer targeted funding for emerging technologies like AI, autonomous systems and cybersecurity.

    Strategic initiatives like the Defence Industrial Strategy, Defence SME Action Plan, and the National Security Strategic Investment Fund further embed SME support into national security and industrial policy, promoting access to procurement, partnerships and regional growth.

    Alongside all the work we are doing to support industry, strengthen resilience and supply chains and build up our security ecosystem, we must also make sure our laws are fit for purpose.

    And that brings me on to the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act, which became law earlier this year.   

    The Act is more commonly known as ‘Martyn’s Law’ after Martyn Hett, who alongside 21 other victims, was killed in the horrific Manchester Arena attack of 2017.

    Martyn’s mother Figen Murray, who is here today, has campaigned heroically for the changes we are now implementing.

    The Act will ensure the public are better protected from terrorism by requiring certain public premises and events to be prepared and ready to keep people safe in the event of an attack.  

    We intend for there to be an implementation period of 24 months before the act comes into force. 

    This is to give those responsible for premises and events time to understand their new obligations, and to plan and prepare accordingly.

    Over the summer, officials from the Home Office and the SIA have briefed over 1,000 people on the implications of the act through their webinars. 

    And we will continue to engage far and wide with those in scope of the legislation to adopt good protective security practices support stakeholders in different ways.

    For example, we heard yesterday from Jon Savell from CT Policing about the launch of ACT for local authorities. This Home Office sponsored project is designed to provide local authorities and partners with specialist support to embed good CT practice into their everyday activity.

    Since taking over the oversight for the SIA, I am overseeing a substantial programme of work to enhance it and deliver the government’s ambitious agenda.

    This includes strengthening the SIA’s approach to past criminality, tackling training malpractice and delivering on the Manchester Arena Inquiry Monitored Recommendations 7 and 8.

    The SIA’s public consultation on its stricter approach to past criminality by applicants received strong support and I have asked the SIA to begin implementation.

    This will improve the SIA’s approach to public safety, as it will mean there is a presumption to refuse anyone with sexual, child abuse or serious offending, and a broader range of offences will be considered when assessing applicants.  

    To improve this further, my officials are considering options to introduce higher level criminal record checks for certain security roles across the UK.

    On tackling training malpractice, the SIA is developing a joint strategic approach whilst scaling up enforcement activity.

    The government also remains committed to delivering the intended outcomes of the Manchester Arena Inquiry. 

    My officials have carefully reviewed Monitored Recommendations 7 and 8, and have worked with the SIA to develop practical proposals for implementation.

    I am keen to ensure a wide range of views are included on the significant changes proposed, and that the cost and regulatory burden from the changes is proportionate.

    I am also keen that, if necessary, this government will deliver primary legislation in support of these ambitious changes to the SIA. This will be one of the few times any government has delivered primary legislation for the SIA to increase better public safety.

    I am very pleased to announce the formation of the S12, a new industry led initiative to bring together various parts of the private security industry and speak to the government with one voice.

    Earlier this morning we had a good and constructive meeting with the elected leaders who make up the S12 and listened to how they will organise to improve standards in the security industry. I am keen for the government and the SIA to work closely with them.

    And before I finish, I want to take the opportunity to encourage everyone here to visit the government zone, speak to officials and explore ways how we can deepen our collaboration.

    We have a team within the Home Office called the Joint Security and Resilience Centre who are here to support, listen and feed back.

    JSaRC is a bridge between government and industry. Tell them about your company, the sectors you operate in and the challenges and opportunities where we can deepen collaboration.

    The Accelerated Capability Environment or ACE, a name you might recognise, are also showcasing their innovation expertise in the government zone. Engage with them to explore collaboration opportunities and how we can come together to unlock the potential of data, technology and AI for government.

    Finally, the Home Office will also be hosting, alongside our ADS partners the Security and Policing event in Farnborough next March to showcase UK industry solutions across the world.

    This year’s event was the biggest and best ever with just under 10,000 visitors across the 3 days and over 400 exhibitors in attendance. I would encourage you all to sign up for what is a truly flagship event for the UK security sector and for the UK government.

    I will wrap up with a word of thanks and a challenge.

    First, the thanks.

    Whatever sector, field or discipline you work in, you are part of the most important mission for any society – namely keeping people, organisations and institutions safe from harm.

    So, please know that your efforts matter, they are making a difference, and they are appreciated by me, by the Home Secretary and by the whole government.

    Finally, the challenge – and this applies to the public and private sectors alike:

    Let’s set our sights even higher, let’s break new ground in our quest for new and better solutions to the challenges we face and let’s make the partnerships we already depend on stronger than ever.

    That is I think the way forward, and it is the way we will build a stronger, more secure country for us all.

    Thank you.

  • Chris Philp – 2025 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    Chris Philp – 2025 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, in Manchester on 5 October 2025.

    Like Kemi, let me start by condemning the appalling terrorist attack in this city last Thursday.

    Our thoughts and prayers are with the families whose lives, on that holy Yom Kippur morning, were so wickedly torn apart. But we will also stay strong in the face of terror. We will never change our way of life, because we are stronger than them. And I know everyone in this hall and beyond will renew their resolve to fight the ancient evil of antisemitism wherever it is found.

    It has no place in any civilised country. Not in our United Kingdom. Not ever.

    And if a foreign citizen expresses racial hatred, including antisemitism or supports extremism or terrorism, I’ll tell you this as Home Secretary I’ll deport them.

    And I would like to thank the police and security services who responded so fast last week. They take risks up and down the country every single day to protect us, and we owe them a debt of gratitude. Thank you.

    Conference, this is a historic moment. As the Leader just announced, we have concluded it is right for our country to leave the ECHR.

    This is not a decision taken lightly. We have thought long and hard. And unlike others, we did not leap without first carefully considering all the implications. I thank Lord Wolfson for his detailed and masterful legal analysis. There he is, thank you David.

    We are, of course, deeply aware of why the Convention was originally written, in the aftermath of the horrors that ravaged Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. And we remain as committed as ever to protecting rights and to the rule of law.

    But the way the courts now interpret the ECHR makes it unrecognisable from the system which Winston Churchill first helped shape.

    And we are clear about this: the ability to control our country’s borders is non-negotiable.

    We will not, and we cannot, compromise on the ability of our democratically elected parliament to set the laws that govern who comes here, and who stays

    Because if we can’t control our borders then we are no country at all. With no border control we would lose our identify and we would lose our security. And this party will always protect our identify and will always protect our security.

    Now, the small boat crisis has brought this issue into sharp focus. The government said they would smash the gangs. Well, that is now laughable. Because so far all they have smashed are records for illegal arrivals. This year has been the worst in history. This Labour government has lost control of our borders. They are weak and they have let Britain down.

    The Prime Minister’s latest gimmick is his one-in-one-out deal with France. Since that deal was announced, 11,000 illegal immigrants have come in, and about seven have gone out.  Even Rachel Reeves with her dubious CV can tell that doesn’t add up.

    And every single channel migrant is coming here illegally and is a paying customer of people smugglers. They are departing from France, a safe country. These journeys are unnecessary.

    And we have seen some terrible crimes committed by migrants who came on small boats and were accommodated in hotels at our expense.

    Let me tell you about Abdelrahmen Abouelela. He is a 42-year-old Egyptian illegal immigrant who came here by small boat. He was accommodated in a Hilton Hotel in Ealing – at our expense. He then proceeded to brutally rape a young woman, who was walking home at night in Hyde Park. She was alone and she was vulnerable. It now turns out that Abdelrahmen is also has convictions in Egypt as an Islamist terrorist. In another case, a fourteen-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by a channel immigrant – who later said in his culture that was acceptable behaviour.

    This is sick. We must do whatever it takes to end this madness.

    It is now clear to this new leadership that our international obligations have been stopping us from acting effectively. We experienced this in government and the decision to leave the ECHR was reached partly as a result of that.

    And now Lord Wolfson has clearly advised, and I quote, that “ECHR membership places significant practical limits on the UK’s ability to maintain control of its borders.” And that is why must come out.  Because this party is determined to control our borders.

    And to those who say this will make us an international pariah where rights are casually disregarded, look at Australia or Canada.  They aren’t in the ECHR. And the UK is the land of the original Bill of Rights, the body common law, the writ Habeus Corpus and protections in law that Parliament has passed. Our rights in this country long predate the ECHR.

    And to those who say we must stay in the ECHR to set an example to others, I ask this: does our membership of the ECHR really make the slightest difference to way that Russia or China behaves? No, of course, not

    The ECHR started as a noble endeavour. But it has become twisted by Judges expanding the meaning of well-intentioned but vaguely worded clauses. Shocking examples of this abound.

    Like a paedophile not returned to Zimbabwe in case he faces hostility there – without a single thought for the rights of children here to be protected.

    Or a drug dealer not returned to Iraq because he’s too westernised.

    Or a violent murderer not returned to Uganda because mental health services there are apparently not as good as here. All ECHR cases.

    These criminals are all still in the UK. They’re still all posing a risk to our citizens. All thanks to the ECHR.

    So, this madness must end.

    But as Lord Wolfson very wisely said, leaving the ECHR alone is not enough. We need a full plan, a complete plan to fix Labours’ borders crisis – which leaving the ECHR enables.

    And let me be clear about this. The Reform Party has not bothered to develop such a plan. They trumpet slogans dreamt up in a pub and written on the back of a fag packet. But they have not done the detailed work needed to make real change happen.

    Well, this party has done the work. It’s called the BORDERS Plan, and we published today.

    Enabled by ECHR exit, we will ban all asylum and other claims by illegal immigrants. And this will mean all those arriving illegally – including by small boat – will be immediately deported back to their country of origin if possible or to a third country like Rwanda if not within a week of arrival.

    And the deterrent effect of that will mean people will rapidly stop bothering to attempt the crossing in the first place. Why would you attempt the crossing in the first place? Why would you attempt the crossing if you are going to be immediately removed?

    It worked in Australia 12 years ago.  It is working in the United States of America this year. And it will work here too.

    And we will also deport all foreign criminals. Not some, all. There are currently about 20,000 serious foreign criminals roaming our streets who should have been deported already.  They have gone on to commit between them a further 10,000 offences, including murder and rape.

    It still shocks me that Keir Starmer and Shabana Mahmood signed a letter opposing deporting dangerous foreign criminals to Jamaica – one of whom later went on to commit murder here after he should have been deported.

    Well, we won’t be signing letters like that. Instead, we will deport all those who pose a danger to the public. And that means every single foreign criminal.

    And we will also end the legal quagmire. With endless appeals and judicial reviews. Made up and contradictory claims being heard.

    Lawyers running up huge legal aid bills. I hope there are none of them here.

    One man claimed asylum, you won’t believe this, one man claimed asylum saying he was Iraqi. When that claim was rejected, he said, he suddenly remembered that in fact he was Iranian, and the whole process started again.

    And there was the notorious case of Yacub Ahmed, a Somali man who gang raped a 16-year-old girl.

    After his sentence in prison had finished, it took eight years, eight years to deport Ahmed, because he made repeated asylum, human rights, and modern slavery claims.

    Many migrants make claims on the eve of deportation to stay here, usually very shortly after they meet a taxpayer-funded lawyer who tells them what they need to say.  

    Judges accept all kinds of nonsensical arguments. Just last week, eight Afghans who can’t speak a word of English were allowed into the UK from Turkey – a safe country – on tenuous human rights grounds. Some Immigration Tribunal Judges even used to be open borders campaigners.

    You literally couldn’t make this up.

    So, we will abolish the Immigration Tribunal entirely, with decisions will be taken inside the Home Office.

    There won’t be any immigration judicial review, except on the narrow grounds of statutory power.

    And we will completely end the immigration legal aid gravy train by abolishing it.

    People don’t need lawyers to make their claims, they just need to tell the truth, and their claim will be fairly decided.

    We will compel countries to take back their own nationals. If a country won’t take back their own citizens where they commit a crime or have no right to be here, we will simply stop issuing entry visas to nationals of those countries to come here. We will use visa sanctions and withdraw overseas aid to countries who don’t take back their own nationals. We always take back ours and they should do the same.

    We will also create a new Removals Force in the Home Office – doubling the current budget of the current enforcement team to £1.6 billion.

    And by stripping away the legal obstacles, that I have described, and doubling that budget means we can remove 150,000 people a year that no legal right to be here. That is three-quarters of a million over the course of the next Parliament. This illegal immigration scandal will end.

    So, Conference, we have a plan. Leave the ECHR. Deport all illegal immigrants immediately upon arrival and all foreign criminals.  A new Force to remove 150,000 people year with no right to be here. Abolish the Immigration Tribunal. End Judicial Review and legal aid in immigration cases. And make sure countries take back their own citizens just as we do.

    Now, we have thought deeply about this. Our plan is radical, yes, not because we are ideologues but because this plan has to be radical in order to work. The old ways have been tried, and they have failed. That’s why a new approach is needed.

    Now, we have taken our time over this, and some people have criticised us for that.  But we are now the only party, the only party to have a plan which is not only radical but will actually work in practice.

    So, now, the Conservative party is back.

    Back with the resolve to do what is needed to protect our country’s borders.

    Back with determination to ensure the laws passed by our parliament are actually implemented

    And back with a plan to end illegal immigration.

  • Kemi Badenoch – 2025 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    Kemi Badenoch – 2025 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Kemi Badenoch, the Leader of the Conservative Party, in Manchester on 5 October 2025.

    Thank you.

    Conservatives love Manchester. It is a great city of free trade and free thinking.

    240 years ago, in the 1780s, this was still a small market town.

    But something was stirring.

    A spirit of enterprise that would turn Manchester into a global economic powerhouse.

    And it was back in the 1780s that the very first Jewish community was established in this city.

    A small group of families, worshipping in a rented room in a back alley, just a short walk from where I am standing.

    And right from the very start, Jewish people have been part of the fabric of Manchester.

    Adding their distinct, unique contribution to this fantastic city, while at the same time embracing Britain as their home.

    The horrific and despicable attack at Heaton Park Synagogue on Thursday has shocked us all.

    But for many in the Jewish community, it did not come as a surprise.

    Many have been living with a sense of rising dread that an attack like this was becoming inevitable.

    Yesterday, I met members of the congregation and visited the site of the attack.

    The strength of Manchester’s Jewish community is humbling.

    Targeting the centre of community life on the holiest day of the year, was not just an attack on British Jews, it was an attack on all of us.

    It was an attack on our humanity and our values of freedom, compassion, and respect.

    It was an attack on the idea that Britain is a safe place for Jews.

    On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, Jews take time for introspection. To ask themselves – where have we gone wrong in the past, and what do we need to do, to be better in the future?

    These are questions we urgently need to ask ourselves as a nation.

    Extremism has gone unchecked.

    We see it manifest in the shameful behaviour on the streets of our cities. Protests which are in fact carnivals of hatred directed at the Jewish homeland.

    You hear it in the asinine slogans.

    You hear it in ‘From the river to the sea’ – as if the homes, the lives, of millions of Jewish people should be erased.

    You hear it in ‘Globalise the intifada’ – which means nothing at all, if it doesn’t mean, targeting Jewish people for violence.

    We have tolerated this in our country for too long.

    And we have tolerated the radical Islamist ideology that seeks to threaten not only Jews, but all of us, of all faiths and none, who want to live in peace.

    So, the message from this conference, from this party, from every decent and right-thinking person in this country must be that we will not stand for it, anymore.

    We cannot import and tolerate, values hostile to our own.

    We must now draw a line and say that in Britain you can think what you like, and within the bounds of the law, you can say what you like but you have no right to turn our streets into theatres of intimidation. And we will not let you do so anymore.

    To our Jewish friends, we stand with you shoulder to shoulder.

    You are part of the fabric of Britain, and you always will be.

    We pray for the recovery of the victims still in hospital.

    And we mourn with you the loss of Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz.

    May their memories be a blessing.

    But we must never let terrorism defeat our democratic process. We must demonstrate that it is through political argument, not violence, that we reach our decisions and improve our country.

    We all know the scale of the challenge we face, the mountain we have to climb.

    Last year, the public sent us a clear message.

    One we could not mistake and which we will never forget.

    They want serious change.

    For politics to be done differently so our country can get back on track.

    That’s what I promised you when I stood for the leadership of our party.

    A reset. Politics done differently. Politics done properly.

    A Conservative Party under new leadership ready to earn the trust of the British people again.

    In the last 12 months we’ve started doing politics in a new way.

    No more making the announcement first and working out the policy detail second.

    No more thinking we can leave quangos and bureaucrats to their own devices and then wonder why we don’t see results.

    No more accepting that our laws can be used as a tool to subvert democratic decisions and basic common sense.

    An end, once and for all, to the drift of our institutions away from truth, honesty and decency. And a return to the values that define our country at its best.

    That’s what this week is all about.

    But I didn’t say it would be easy, and I didn’t say it would be quick.

    Nothing really worth doing is.

    Anyone who tells you there are easy answers to the big questions our country faces is either lying to you or lying to themselves.

    We are taking a new approach.

    Credible plans rooted in Conservative values.

    Hard though the task is, we have plenty of reasons to be cheerful.

    Because as one of my great predecessors, Margaret Thatcher put it ‘the facts of life are Conservative.’

    The facts of life are Conservative, Conference. The fact that countries, like families, have to live within their means.

    The fact that individuals know better than governments how best to spend their own money.

    The fact that freedom depends on order and only works under the rule of law.

    There is a gap for the responsible, optimistic, competent Conservative approach.

    An approach rooted in values.

    Values like personal responsibility – as my dad often said to me: “only 20% of what happens to you is down to others. 80% is down to your actions and your choices”.

    Like citizenship – a commitment to a country and the people in it.

    Family – different shapes and sizes, the bedrock of social stability and the foundation of our society.

    Freedom – freedom to think, to speak and to live as each of us chooses.

    These are the values of British people.

    They are crying out for a politics rooted in those values which puts their needs first.

    Conference they are crying out for a Stronger Economy – where hard work is rewarded and everyone has a chance to get on.

    For Stronger Borders – where we control who comes here and can remove those with no right to stay.

    This is our political DNA as Conservatives.

    Our job is to prove to the country that we are the only party that can deliver it.

    Conference, post-war, Conservatives spread prosperity and built millions of new homes – the bedrock of the property-owning democracy.

    In the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher broke the cycle of high inflation, low growth, and trade union strife, giving Britain back her national pride and economic strength.

    Labour accuse us of achieving nothing in the 14 years since 2010.

    I’ll tell you what we did.

    Remember what we inherited from them back then.

    They spent all the money, sold the gold, piled up debt.

    Like every Labour government in history, they left unemployment higher than they found it.

    We were elected to fix it and Conservatives got to work.

    We slashed the deficit every year so that when the pandemic hit, we had the means to weather the storm.

    We reformed our schools to put rigour back into the curriculum.

    And today, a whole generation of young people will enter the world with better maths and literacy skills than any generation before them.

    We reformed welfare.

    We got people into work.

    Four million new jobs were created.

    Over a million new businesses

    We gave the British people a choice on our membership of the EU, and we implemented that decision.

    And what followed?

    The fastest vaccine roll-out in the west.

    Billions of pounds worth of trade deals.

    No other party would have done these things.

    But they were right for our country, and we can all be proud of them.

    And Conference, we mustn’t forget that in each election from 2010 to 2019, our vote share went up.

    That’s unprecedented in modern history.

    And the British people don’t get it wrong.

    But if we take pride in what we got right, we also have to face up to what we got wrong.

    People won’t listen to us again until we show them, we have learnt from our mistakes and changed.

    We’ve got to do this and do it properly.

    What have we learned?

    That you can’t have a budget that has £150 billion of spending giveaways and billions more in tax cuts without saying where the money is coming from.

    We have to show that we have learnt from the policy mistake of letting bureaucrats decide the immigration system.

    We failed to bring numbers down and stop the boats. Let’s be honest.

    And that happened on our watch.

    Yes, we tried but put simply, we didn’t achieve enough.

    After years of responsible and effective government our mistakes on the economy and on immigration lost us the trust and confidence of the public.

    So, we start this week saying we have learnt, and we will never repeat the financial irresponsibility of spending commitments without saying where the money is coming from.

    Never again, Conference.

    This week we will set out how we have changed, how we will be different – and, most importantly, how we will make a difference.

    Economic responsibility is the hallmark of the Conservative approach and today it is right back at the heart of everything we stand for.

    We may be in Manchester, but the theme of economic responsibility will run through this conference like the words in a stick of Blackpool rock.

    You’ll be hearing a lot more about that this week

    But there are two parts to our message at this conference: Stronger Economy, Stronger Borders.

    And it’s stronger borders that I want to talk to you about today.

    I was elected leader because I promised to renew this party and our policies,

    So, we can win the next election and then rewire the state to make it work for people again.

    We are not interested in superficial fixes.

    Instead, we are taking a systemic approach.

    Asking the difficult questions that others avoid.

    We have the courage to follow through with credible plans to answer them.

    It’s the rigorous, practical, Conservative way.

    And on so many of those questions, the answers come back to the same thing.

    Why is it that every time we try to build anything in this country, we have to spend millions of pounds on paperwork, and still get bogged down in litigation?

    Why are protesters allowed to block roads and disrupt lives, time and time again?

    Why are our veterans, relentlessly chased through the courts by activist lawyers?

    Why couldn’t we deport those foreign nationals, who raped girls in communities across the UK?

    Why do we still allow them to remain in the very same towns where their victims live? Why?

    It is fundamental, why can’t we control our borders and remove those who need to go?

    All these questions boil down to who should make the laws that govern the United Kingdom?

    Conservatives, believe it should be our sovereign Parliament, accountable to the British people.

    The reality today, is that this is simply not the case.

    I saw it again and again in government.

    So often, we had the right instincts and the right policies, but our hands were tied by a system that frustrated democratic control.

    This use of litigation as a political weapon is what I call lawfare.

    Well-meaning treaties and statutes – like the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Convention on Action against Trafficking drafted with the best of intentions in generations gone by, and more recent additions like the Modern Slavery Act, are now being used in ways never intended by their original authors.

    What should be shields to protect the vulnerable, have instead become swords to attack democratic decisions and frustrate common sense.

    Conference, this isn’t just damaging our security, it’s also damaging our prosperity.

    It is that whole system which we need to reform.

    And the place to start is the European Convention on Human Rights.

    None of us has a problem with the rights in the original charter.

    It was drafted in 1950 by British lawyers – Conservative lawyers – and it drew on British traditions.

    The problems stem from how it has been enforced and how its meaning has been twisted and changed.

    Today, it is used as a block on deportations, a weapon against veterans, and a barrier to sentencing and public order.

    Labour pretend it can be fixed, but when a group of nine European countries, led by Italy, recently pushed for reforms at the court, the Labour government didn’t support them.

    They wouldn’t even try.

    Our human rights lawyer Prime Minister, and his good friend the Attorney General. An Attorney General who likened those of us questioning ECHR membership to Nazis will never fix this problem.

    Instead, Conference they have gone in the opposite direction.

    Paying to surrender British territory in the Chagos Islands,

    And plotting to force everyone in this country to carry Starmer’s digital ID. Conference, we will fight them every step of the way.

    Reform just shout that we should “leave” the ECHR without any plan to do so or understanding any of the consequences.

    They are practicing that old, failed politics I talked about.

    That politics of announcements without a plan.

    That’s the way to chaos and failure.

    It is only the Conservatives who are taking the honest, responsible approach, prepared with a plan to deliver.

    To make sure we can strike at the root of the problem, we need to understand the full extent of the problem.

    That’s why I identified five essential policies that the Government must be able to implement, if we are to secure our border and restore order to our society.

    Five tests that a country has to pass to be truly sovereign.

    First, can we deport foreign criminals and those who are here illegally?

    Second, can we stop our veterans being harassed through the courts?

    Third, can we put British citizens first for social housing and public services?

    Fourth, can we make sure protests do not intimidate people or stop them living their lives?

    And fifth, can we stop endless red tape and legal challenges choking off economic growth?

    Any self-respecting sovereign nation should be able to answer all five of those questions with a clear, yes.

    Anything that is stopping us from doing so is a barrier we have to remove.

    So, I asked the Shadow Attorney General, the distinguished King’s Counsel Lord Wolfson, to lead an in-depth analysis.

    The question I posed was whether these five tests can be lawfully met, as a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, bound by the court in Strasbourg.

    I want to thank Lord Wolfson for his immense and detailed work. So forensic, so thorough.

    In nearly 200 pages of legal advice, he has provided his answer.

    This is what he said.

    ‘When it comes to control of our sovereign borders, preventing our military veterans from being pursued indefinitely, ensuring prison sentences are applied rigorously for serious crimes, stopping disruptive protests, or placing blanket restrictions on foreign nationals in terms of social housing and benefits, the only way such positions are feasible would be to leave the ECHR.’

    And so to me and the shadow cabinet, the resulting policy decision is also clear.

    We must leave the ECHR and repeal the Human Rights Act.

    Conference, I want you to know that the next Conservative manifesto will contain our commitment to leave.

    Leaving the Convention is a necessary step, but not enough on its own to achieve our goals.

    If there are other treaties and laws, we need to revise or revisit then we will do so. And we will do so in the same calm and responsible way, working out the detail before we rush to announce.

    The rights we enjoy did not come from the ECHR.

    They were there for hundreds of years in our common law.

    Parliament has legislated over centuries to reflect and protect our freedoms.

    Human Rights in the United Kingdom did not start in 1998 with the Human Rights Act, and will not end with it.

    As we work through our detailed plan, we are clear that leaving the ECHR and repealing the Human Rights Act will not mean that we lose any of the rights we cherish.

    But this is the only way to end spurious legal claims from immigrants with dubious stories and excuses.

    This is the only way to allow a British Government, the next Conservative Government, to deliver a British BORDERS plan in full.

    Conference, the Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Philp, has done a brilliant job pulling together this BORDERS plan. The Conservatives are a strong team. And he will be saying more about this shortly, including our plans to remove 150,000 illegal immigrants a year.

    Lord Wolfson has also advised that leaving the ECHR is fully compatible with the Belfast Agreement – the Good Friday Agreement.

    But I know that there will be particular challenges in Northern Ireland.

    The difficulties are not a reason to avoid action, they are a reason to work harder to get it right.

    So, to ensure that this is an orderly and respectful process across the whole United Kingdom. I am asking Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Alex Burghart to lead a review into Union-wide implementation.

    So, at the next election, we will present the people of the United Kingdom with a clear, thorough and robust plan.

    Not the vague mush that we see day in, day out from Labour

    Nor the vacuous posturing that we see day in day out from Reform.

    Conference, you would have seen last week, both Labour and Reform shouting at one another, trading insults instead of solutions.

    One flings around the word racist and will not be realistic about what is going wrong.

    The other whips up outrage, offering simplistic answers that fall apart on first contact with reality.

    That is not serious politics.

    Conference, neither offers the leadership Britain deserves.

    The truth is that Labour and Reform are two sides of the same coin.

    Both deal in grievance.

    Both divide our country into tribes and labels.

    Both practice identity politics which will destroy our country.

    I am saying no: no to division and no to identity politics.

    Conference, what Britain needs is national unity.

    I am black.

    I am a woman.

    I am a Conservative.

    And I know that identity politics is a trap.

    It reduces people to categories and then pits them against each other.

    But I am more than black, female, and even Conservative.

    I am British.

    Conference, I am British, as we all are.

    My children are British.

    And I will not allow anyone on the Left to tell them they belong in a different category or anyone on the Right to tell them they do not belong in their own country.

    Yes, Britain is a multiracial country.

    That is part of our modern story.

    But it must never become a multicultural country where shared values dissolve, loyalty fragments and we foment the home-grown terrorism we saw on the streets of Manchester this week.

    Nations cannot survive on diversity alone.

    We need a strong, common culture, rooted in our history, our language, our institutions, and our belief in liberty under the law.

    That is what holds us together.

    And that is why borders matter.

    Why numbers matter.

    But most of all why culture matters.

    Who comes here, why they come, and how they contribute that is how we protect the inheritance that generations before us fought for and died for.

    Conference, Britain needs deep change.

    But I reject the politics that everything must go. Everything must be torn down. That everything is broken.

    But if we leave it to Labour or Reform, Britain will be divided.

    Only the Conservatives can bring this country back together.

    This is a battle we must win.

    By combining secure borders, with a shared culture, strong values, and the confidence of a great nation, we can win the debate, and win the next election.

    Conference, this is a party under new leadership and with a renewed purpose.

    We have listened, we have learned, and we have changed.

    Only Conservatives will tell you the truth.

    Take the difficult decisions.

    Do the hard work.

    Only Conservatives have the courage, the honesty, and the plan to strengthen our borders, restore our sovereignty, and rebuild our prosperity.

    So, I say to you all, as we start our conference.

    Yes, we have a mountain to climb but we have a song in our hearts.

    And we are up for the fight.

  • David Lammy – 2025 Speech at Lord Chancellor Swearing In

    David Lammy – 2025 Speech at Lord Chancellor Swearing In

    The speech made by David Lammy at the Royal Courts of Justice on 1 October 2025.

    My Lords, Ladies, friends, colleagues,

    Lady Chief Justice, thank you for that generous welcome, and your kind words.

    I am deeply grateful for your leadership…

    And look forward to working alongside you…

    In the months and years ahead.

    I congratulate my colleague and friend, Ellie Reeves…

    On her appointment as Solicitor General.

    Madam Solicitor, your dedication…

    Your expertise…

    And your energy…

    Will be of enormous value to this Government…

    And to this country…

    And I know you will serve the law with distinction.

    I also want to pay tribute to my predecessor, Shabana Mahmood…

    Who achieved so much in her time in this office…

    Steering the system back onto a steadier path…

    After such difficult years.

    It is the honour of my life to be sworn in as Lord Chancellor.

    The boy from Tottenham…

    Son of parents who came to this country from Guyana…

    Part of the great Windrush generation,

    Answering the call of a country…

    That needed rebuilding after the war.

    They came here with little, but gave so much…

    Because they believed in the values of this nation:

    In fairness, freedom, and equality.

    The boy whose Mum brought up five children alone…

    Working every hour god sent…

    Just to put food on the table…

    Teaching us the meaning of service, and sacrifice.

    The boy who fried chicken in KFC…

    But who carried aspirations far bigger than his uniform…

    Though not, perhaps, quite as big as this day…

    Nor indeed, quite as big as this uniform…!

    That boy could never have imagined…

    That he would be standing here, before you today.

    It has been a long journey…

    But in many ways, it feels like coming home.

    My whole life has been about justice.

    Growing up in the shadow of the Broadwater Farm Estate…

    Justice was not abstract.

    It was real.

    Ever-present.

    Often harsh.

    Too many boys who looked like me were written off.

    Too many were told to set their sights low.

    Too many found themselves on the wrong side of the law.

    But I was fortunate.

    Education gave me a way out…

    A gift that lifted my sights,

    … when others told me to lower them.

    Even then, though, I recall one teacher saying to me:

    “A barrister, David? Really?

    I think you should become a fireman.”

    But justice is what called me to the Bar….

    To advocacy…

    To giving a voice to those who had none…

    To defending the principle that all are equal before the law.

    It led me into public service…

    Into politics…

    And my work on the Lammy Review…

    Into racial inequality in our criminal justice system.

    From student, to barrister, to practice in California…

    Justice has been my compass.

    Justice has been my cause.

    And now, as Lord Chancellor…

    Justice is my charge.

    So I stand here humbled,

    I stand here honoured,

    And believe me when I say –

    I stand here feeling the full weight of this ancient office…

    More than a thousand years old.

    The names of its holders echo through history:

    Becket… Bacon… More… Wolsey.

    Some of them noble,

    Some… notorious.

    And I wonder what they would think about our nation’s first black Lord Chancellor.

    I think of those who came before me,

    Who gave new life to the ancient promise of Magna Carta:

    That no one is above the law…

    And that the law must protect the liberties of us all.

    I think of Lord Elwyn-Jones…

    Who, before he wore these robes, stood at Nuremberg…

    To face down the architects of racial hatred and war…

    Ensuring that even the most powerful can be held to account before the law.

    And who later passionately defended legal aid…

    So that fairness would not be the preserve of the wealthy.

    And I think of Lord Irvine of Lairg…

    Who brought the Human Rights Act into being…

    Weaving equality into the fabric of our common law.

    And so my task is threefold.

    First, to respect the rule of law.

    As Thomas Fuller once said – and Lord Denning often quoted –

    “Be you never so high, the law is above you.”

    That is the essence of our inheritance.

    No one is above the law, and all are equal beneath it.

    Woman or man.

    Rich or poor.

    Black or white.

    This is Britain’s greatest gift to the world.

    But we take these principles for granted…

    At our peril.

    As rights are eroded abroad…

    As democracy retreats in too many places…

    I will do everything in my power to defend those values…

    At home, and overseas.

    Second, I am to defend the independence of the judiciary.

    That independence is part of our prestige…

    It is why our justice system is trusted the world over…

    And why international businesses choose our courts…

    And our laws…

    To settle their disputes.

    And I promise you –

    I will defend that independence to the hilt.

    In recent years we have seen troubling signs…

    Of judges denounced for doing no more than interpreting the law…

    And even attacked in their own courtrooms.

    And we have seen, at the darkest extreme…

    Where this road ends.

    We see it in Putin’s Russia…

    Where the courts no longer speak for justice…

    But for power…

    To crush, silence and oppress critics.

    I am clear:

    In Britain there will always be space for dissent.

    There will always be space for debate –

    The freedom to disagree is part of who we are.

    But debate must never become intimidation.

    Disagreement must never become violence.

    You must be free to do your work…

    To make decisions on the most difficult and contested questions…

    Without interference…

    Without influence…

    And without fear for your safety.

    Because when those who uphold the law are threatened…

    The rule of law itself is threatened.

    That is something no free society can ever allow.

    And on my watch, it will not be.

    Finally,

    I am charged with the efficient and effective support of the courts…

    Ensuring they are fit for the people they serve.

    I inherit a system that has been under too much pressure…

    For far too long.

    The past few years have tested the justice system like never before.

    From the pandemic…

    To the pressures now facing our courts, prisons and probation services.

    I know you, our judiciary…

    And so many others across our courts and tribunals…

    Have carried that weight.

    You have kept the machinery of justice turning…

    Never letting it falter.

    I am profoundly grateful.

    Thanks to my predecessor, the justice system is now stabilising…

    And we are on the road to recovery.

    It will be a long journey…

    But we walk it with determination.

    Those efforts have, necessarily, focused in on criminal justice…

    On prisons, and probation…

    On driving down the backlog in the Crown Courts.

    And I will carry on that transformative work,

    Through the Sentencing Bill…

    Delivering punishment that cuts crime…

    And Sir Brian Leveson’s Independent Review…

    So our criminal courts are not just fit for today’s demands…

    But resilient for tomorrow’s…

    And so justice is no longer delayed, and denied…

    To so many.

    At the same time, our justice system is far broader…

    Touching every single part of our lives.

    Workers, seeking redress against unfair treatment…

    Small businesses, fighting for payment owed…

    Separating families, securing their child’s future…

    All of them rely on our civil and family courts…

    And our tribunals.

    So I will strive to protect and advance every part of that system…

    From legal aid, that protects the most vulnerable…

    To support for victims of crime.

    And I will champion our world class legal services…

    Which power growth…

    Generating over £42 billion for our economy each year.

    That is something we shouldn’t whisper about, but shout with pride.

    As Foreign Secretary, I once found myself in a skyscraper…

    In the heart of Abu Dhabi…

    Some 4000 miles away…

    Yet in that glittering tower…

    Billions of dollars in transactions…

    Were carried out under English law…

    Just one illustration…

    Of the phenomenal reach of our greatest export.

    English law is now used in around 40 percent of all cross-border business and financial transactions…

    But – we can go even further…

    And, supported by our new English Law Panel…

    We will…                                              

    To reinforce our position as a global legal leader…

    For the prosperity of this nation.

    I’ll come to a close with this.

    I pledge that this office will stand, as it has at its best moments in history…

    For fairness…

    For dignity…

    And for the belief that every citizen is equal under the law.

    To my wife, Nicola, and to my children: thank you.

    None of this would be possible without your love and support…

    Your patience…

    And dare I say it, your tolerance.

    I am proud – incredibly proud – to be the first Lord Chancellor of African-Carribean heritage…

    And to swear this oath today is the greatest honour of my life.

    I will work with determination.

    I will serve with devotion.

    And I will defend…

    With every fibre of my being…

    The rule of law.

    The boy from Tottenham is now Lord Chancellor…

    And he remains, above all, a servant of justice.

    Thank you.

  • David Lammy – 2025 Speech at the UN on Using AI to Strengthen Peace

    David Lammy – 2025 Speech at the UN on Using AI to Strengthen Peace

    The speech made by David Lammy, the Deputy Prime Minister, in New York on 24 September 2025.

    There is an urgency to this debate. 

    It was two years ago that the United Kingdom first brought artificial intelligence to this Council.

    And since that time, its capabilities have grown exponentially. 

    This is a lightning strike of change.  

    Every one of us, diplomat, peacebuilder, terrorist, now carries superhuman expertise in our smartphones, better at maths, better at translation, better at diagnosis, than almost any human expert.  

    And now, superintelligence is on the horizon, able to operate, coordinate, and act on our behalf. 

    We are staring at a technological frontier of astounding promise and power.  

    No aspect of life, war, or peace will escape.  

    Deep AI analysis of situational data holds this promise for peacekeeping: 

    Ultra-accurate real-time logistics. 

    Ultra-accurate real-time sentiment analysis. 

    Ultra-early warning systems.

    But there are also these challenges for armed conflict:  

    Ultra novel chemical and biological weapons, ultra accessible to malign actors.

    And ultra rampant distortion and disinformation. 

     And, of course, this is what is at stake for our shared security:

    The risk of miscalculation.

    The risk of unintended escalation. 

    And the arrival of artificial intelligence-powered chatbots stirring conflict.

     The risk of deeper instability is immense.

    And this is why I so welcome the Secretary-General’s report on military AI. 

    This is an opportunity for collective understanding.

     For us to build new safeguards and guardrails.

    And reaffirm international law as the bedrock of responsible use. 

    We all know that artificial intelligence use is growing, of course, exponentially, offering us both extraordinary promise and intense challenges.

     Nowhere is this clearer than in climate.  

    On current trends, artificial intelligence could add the equivalent of a new Japan to world electricity consumption.  

    Yet, it also promises to utterly transform efficiency and power our green transitions, fine-tuning electrical production to the minute to meet demand and eliminating astonishing levels of waste. 

    This is the power of AI. 

    We are crossing humanity’s most profound technological frontier.  

    Our lives, our world, our politics are about to be flooded with super-powerful AI.  

    There is only one way forward. 

    Resilience. 

    Learning how to use these tools and embedding them safely in society.

    This is the United Kingdom’s mission.

    Through our AI Security Institute, with more dedicated researchers than anywhere else in the world, and through the International AI Safety Report, with its secretariat based in the UK.

    Under the chairmanship of Yoshua Bengio, one of our briefers today.

    The United Kingdom is committed to using AI responsibly.

    Safely, legally, and ethically.

    And together, here at the United Nations, we must ensure AI strengthens peace and security.

    I believe that it can.

    And if we act together, we can get there.

  • Yvette Cooper – 2025 Speech at the UN Security Council Meeting on Ukraine

    Yvette Cooper – 2025 Speech at the UN Security Council Meeting on Ukraine

    The speech made by Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, at the UN Security Council Meeting held in New York on 23 September 2025.

    Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you to the Secretary General for his briefing, and thank you to President Zelenskyy and Minister Sybiha. The United Kingdom commends you for your leadership and your determination.

    Thank you too for welcoming me to Kyiv two weeks ago, where I saw first-hand the impact of Russia’s brutal war and I met families whose lives had been uprooted, their homes destroyed, their children’s education torn apart.

    But as Putin cynically stalls on peace, I also saw a nation resolute in its fight, and I saw the strength and the courage of the Ukrainian people, the soldiers, civilians, the mothers and fathers, first responders, health care workers, who are standing up to defend their homes and their land.

    Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war of aggression is not just a test of Ukrainian resilience and security, it is an assault on the United Nations Charter and its most foundational principles: respect for sovereignty and for territorial integrity, principles on which we all depend every day and feel acutely whenever they are threatened. And it is an assault on the UN Charter by a member of this Security Council.

    President Zelenskyy has made clear that he wants peace and wants this war to end, that he and Ukraine have supported a full unconditional ceasefire and reaffirmed his readiness to meet President Putin.

    Alongside European partners, the US and President Trump are working to support a peace process, but Putin continues to choose war. He has rejected calls for a meaningful ceasefire. He has refused even to meet President Zelenskyy in a neutral venue.

    And Putin’s strategy includes the forced deportation, indoctrination, and militarisation of children. It includes the intensifying of targets against civilians, strikes on Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure on families as they sleep in their beds at night.

    Civilian casualties have risen nearly 40% with children killed in playgrounds, diplomatic premises and government buildings damaged, hospitals and schools destroyed. And these are not accidents of war. They are the result of a cruel strategy targeting the people and communities of Ukraine.

    But anyone who knows Ukrainians knows that this will never succeed because their determination to hold on to their freedom to protect their families, their nation far exceeds Russia’s ability to take those things away.

    And indeed, what we have seen is Ukraine repeatedly, repeatedly, undermine Russia’s military goals, so that despite the huge Russian mobilisation attempts in the last three years, their overall impact on their military goals has been minimal.

    In this war that they started, their losses are now 20 times higher than were Soviet losses in Afghanistan.

    In this war that they are continuing to pursue, they’re struggling to recruit, and in some areas, their stocks are so low they have resorted to using military equipment from the 1950s.

    What is this for? Because, as Ukraine stands firm against Russia, the United Kingdom stands firm with Ukraine. We know that Ukraine’s security is our security, and all of us depend on upholding the UN Charter.

    We know that Russia exports interference, disinformation and instability, well beyond Ukraine. From cyber-attacks in Moldova to the deployment of mercenaries in the Sahel, Russia’s actions seek to undermine democracies, fuel conflict and spread instability far beyond Europe’s borders.

    And in recent weeks, we’ve seen provocative and reckless violations of NATO airspace in Estonia, Poland and Romania, against which NATO stands firm, and we will be ready to act.

    So the UK will continue to stand with Ukraine, providing the support it needs to defend itself now and to rebuild in the future. Rebuilding as a strong, prosperous nation, free to make its own choices.

    And so, I say to the representative of the Russian Federation, we will target your ailing economy, your oil and gas revenues that are paying for this war, the defence industry making your munitions and weapons, because we know for Russia, the price of war is piling up and the sanctions are tightening the screws.

    Falling energy revenues are squeezing the state budget, and oil revenues are now at a five-year low, but we will go further. Be in no doubt.

    And to our Ukrainian friends, I say you have the UK’s unwavering support now and for decades to come.

    And to this Council, I simply offer a reminder that 80 years ago, our predecessors came together as United Nations to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. That mission remains as noble today as it was in 1945.

    Each generation is tested anew, and we must rise to this test for Ukraine and for us all. Thank you.

  • Yvette Cooper – 2025 Speech on Violence Against Women

    Yvette Cooper – 2025 Speech on Violence Against Women

    The speech made by Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, at the United Nations in New York, United States on 22 September 2025.

    I am honoured to join you today as the United Kingdom’s new Foreign Secretary.

    And to be here too, alongside the UK’s trailblazing Special Envoy for Women and Girls, Baroness Harriet Harman, who gave me one of my first jobs in politics more than 30 years ago, including research on women’s equality, not long before the Beijing Declaration was adopted.

    I remember at that time just how significant it felt to see countries coming together, from across the globe, committed to advancing women’s equality and women’s rights.

    So it is particularly special to be here three decades on to discuss an issue that has been so close to my heart since, and to be clear that this will be a priority for me now, in this role. 

    Supporting women across the globe, on leadership, on representation, on access to education and economic opportunity. 

    An agenda set by women, and supported by male allies, who are vital partners for progress. 

    But I particularly want to draw attention to the topic of Violence Against Women and Girls.

    Because we know that safety and security are the bedrock on which all opportunities in our lives are built. Women’s safety is an essential foundation for women’s equality.

    And while individual nations and UN agencies have helped to achieve great strides forward, with FGM and forced marriage less prevalent than they were three decades ago.

    The facts should still shame us all.

    Across the globe, 1 in 3 women will be beaten or sexually assaulted in their lifetime. 

    140 women and girls are killed every day by a partner or close relative. 

    And rape and sexual violence continue to be used as a weapon of war. 

    My Government has described violence against women and girls in the UK as a national emergency, and we have set out an unprecedented mission to halve it in a decade.

    But the truth is that this is an international emergency too.

    So today I make two calls for action.

    First, that we step up our efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls, because everyone has the right to live in freedom from fear. 

    Including challenging new forms of abuse and collaborating against devastating sexual abuse of children online.

    And second, we must ensure that the multilateral system remains a powerful force for the rights and equality of women and girls everywhere because we know that by doing so, we also strengthen our families, our communities, our economies and our nations too.

  • Ed Davey – 2025 Speech to Liberal Democrat Conference

    Ed Davey – 2025 Speech to Liberal Democrat Conference

    The speech made by Ed Davey, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, in Bournemouth on 23 September 2025.

    Don’t let Trump’s America become Farage’s Britain

    What a time we’ve had here in Bournemouth. Lots of lively debates – on so many important topics. And somehow we’ve managed to get through it all without bringing someone up onto the stage to argue that it was Covid vaccines that caused cancer in the Royal Family.

    See, Nigel? It can be done!

    Friends, when we were last here in Bournemouth – two years ago – I challenged us to get more Liberal Democrats elected to Parliament. And you rose to that challenge. Thank you. 

    I said we needed to get the Conservatives out of Number 10. And you got that job done too. And now our new team of 72 MPs are getting their jobs done, for their constituents. 72 brilliant community champions, fighting for their local hospitals and schools, local businesses and their local environment too. Paying back the trust of voters, by working hard for their communities every day.

    But look at the job our new team is doing in Parliament too. Look at the big changes we have won in the last year alone:

    Stronger protections for survivors of domestic abuse. Better support for family carers. A Sunshine Bill, to put solar panels on every new home. Making sure every child living in poverty gets a healthy lunch at school – for free. So much progress – and none of it happens without Liberal Democrats in Parliament. An amazing record of achievement already. And we’re planning much more.

    We followed up last year’s historic national success with this year’s set of fantastic local election victories. Gaining more councillors for the seventh year in a row – our best ever winning streak. Winning majorities in Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire – so we now control more councils than the Conservatives. Winning more council seats than either Labour or the Conservatives, for the first time ever in our party’s history.

    Incredible results. Historic results. Thanks to you all.

    Conference, the last few years have been the most successful our party has ever had… So far.

    Because friends, let me tell you this: In the immortal words of Frank Sinatra, the best is yet to come!

    And yes, friends, I will keep doing it My Way. So get the bungee harness ready… Because my ambition – for our party, our values, our ideas – has no ceiling. And our ambition for our country has no ceiling either.

    With the threat that Reform now poses to our country and our democracy – friends, we have a moral responsibility to aim high. And we have a historic opportunity to win big – as the only party now representing the views and values of Britain’s decent silent majority.

    So let me tell you – in confidence – our secret first target for the next general election. Our first target is to win more seats than the Conservatives, for the first time since Herbert Henry Asquith in 1910. Now we have even more ambitious targets than that – but let’s start with the Tories. For when it comes to the Conservative Party – you might have thought the scale of their defeat would have forced a bit of… introspection?

    Maybe they’d… apologise? Show a hint of contrition. Self-awareness?

    But no.

    Tory ministers who cheered Liz Truss’s budget – now complain about the state of the economy they left. Tory ministers who stopped processing asylum claims and caused the enormous backlog – now make videos complaining about it and protesting outside the asylum hotels they opened.

    The Conservative Party today is like a herd of bulls – going back into the china shop with a camera crew, pointing at all the broken china everywhere – and decrying the state of china shops in “woke, liberal” Britain.

    The Conservative Party: No shame. No remorse. No wonder the country is saying: No thanks.

    Conference, I’ve lost count of the people who’ve told me they voted Conservative all their lives, but now they’ve switched to the Liberal Democrats. And not just because they feel so badly let down by their old party. But because they see their values reflected best in our party.

    So my message to millions of former Conservative voters – millions of One Nation conservatives who reject the divisive politics of Badenoch and Farage – my message to you is this:

    Come and talk to us. About our ideas to grow the economy. Cut crime. Defend our nation. Come and join us. To oppose this failing Labour Government and offer our great country real change. Come, Conservative friends. Help us save our country. Come and win with us. 

    But friends, I’m going to let you in on another secret about our plans for the next election. And friends, this is not to leave this hall… We won’t only be targeting seats held by the Conservatives. I said before the election, that just getting the Conservatives out of power wouldn’t be enough. 

    We were all worried – weren’t we? – that Labour wouldn’t be nearly ambitious enough to make the big changes our country needs. I really hoped Labour would prove us wrong. But they haven’t. They’ve no vision for our country’s future. No plan to really change things. 

    Conference, don’t just take it from me. That’s what Labour MPs and Labour members are saying about their own government. After being failed and neglected for so long, the country needed leadership. Clarity. Vision. It needed the Government to succeed. To turn things around. To just be better. Instead, they’ve lurched from mistake to mistake. From U-turn to U-turn. Crisis to crisis.

    And look at who Labour have hurt along the way: Pensioners. Farmers. Carers. Disabled people. Small businesses.

    Every day, Labour is looking more and more like Continuity Sunak. And our country is still crying out for change. And as every day goes by it gets clearer – the two old parties can’t deliver that change. Neither of those old parties can win back people’s trust. Neither of them will win the battle of ideas for the future of our country.

    So it comes down to us. Or Nigel Farage.

    Liberal Democrat change – true to British values. Transforming our economy, our public services and our politics. The real change people crave. Or Farage’s change. Change away from the country we love. Change towards Trump’s America. 

    Just imagine – if you can bear it…

    Imagine living in the Trump-inspired country Farage wants us to become. Where there’s no NHS, so patients are hit with crippling insurance bills. Or denied healthcare altogether. That is Trump’s America. Don’t let it become Farage’s Britain.

    Where we pay Putin for expensive fossil fuels and destroy our beautiful countryside with fracking – while climate change rages on. That is Trump’s America. Don’t let it become Farage’s Britain.

    Where gun laws are rolled back, so schools have to teach our children what to do in case of a mass shooting. Trump’s America. Don’t let it become Farage’s Britain.

    Where social media barons are free to poison young minds with impunity. Trump’s America. Don’t let it become Farage’s Britain.

    Where the government tramples on our basic rights and freedoms, unconstrained by the European Convention on Human Rights. Where Andrew Tate – Andrew Tate – is held up as an example to young men. Where racism and misogyny get the tacit support of people in power. Where everything is in a constant state of chaos.

    That is Trump’s America. Don’t let it become Farage’s Britain.

    Instead of the real change Liberal Democrats have always championed – the change our country desperately needs – Farage is picking off groups of people, one by one. If you’ve got a mental health problem, Farage says you’re probably making it up. Even as suicides have risen to a 25-year high. If your child is disabled or has special needs, Farage says it’s been wrongly diagnosed. Even as parents struggle against the crisis in SEND. But of course, it’s on immigration where he claims to offer the change people want. 

    So let’s look at Farage’s record on immigration.

    Who was it who campaigned to rip up twenty-seven return agreements, where in the EU, the United Kingdom could legally and fairly return people who had no right to be here? Yes it was Boris and the Conservatives – but it was also Nigel Farage.

    He caused this crisis, and he should apologise.

    And look at this hypocrite’s big announcement on deportation last month. Look at what his plan really means… Sending men, women and children who have fled the Taliban back to Afghanistan to be murdered by them. And even paying the Taliban to do it. That isn’t patriotic. That isn’t British. That isn’t who we are.

    And that’s why it’s so frustrating – so infuriating – that Farage gets such an easy ride from the media. As he lies and divides, the BBC and others give Farage so much time and attention. But they never hold him to account for all the damage he has already done. The damage of Brexit. Farage was Brexit’s champion. The damage of Donald Trump. Farage campaigned for him. All the damage of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Farage backed them both.

    So much that is broken in our country today is broken thanks to Nigel Farage. 

    And now he wants to break it even more. Unless we stop him.

    This will not be easy. The forces of darkness are working together – across the whole world. We all saw another agent of chaos last weekend. Elon Musk. Inciting far-right violence on our streets.

    Just like all those revolutionary leaders throughout history, bravely issuing his call to arms – by video link, from an undisclosed location thousands of miles away .

    Conference, he’s certainly no craven coward, is he?

    But we know why Elon Musk is so keen to meddle in our democracy, don’t we? It’s not because he cares about the British people. It’s not about our rights and our freedoms. It’s all about Musk’s ego. His power. And his wealth. He rails against the Online Safety Act. But not because he cares about free speech.

    It’s because Musk wants to run his social media platform without safeguards – without taking any responsibility for the terrible harm it is causing – especially to our children. After Musk took over and slashed the platform’s child-safety teams, X has become a much more dangerous place for children. The promotion of self-harm. Of grooming. Of sexual exploitation. All happening on Elon Musk’s watch.

    No wonder he wants to get rid of the laws to tackle it.

    And Nigel Farage says we should give Musk what he wants. A Wild West on social media, that only benefits Musk and his ilk – while our children suffer. I say no. The UK must stand up to Elon Musk, and properly enforce our laws so he can’t get away with inflicting harm on our kids. Holding the powerful to account – no matter how powerful they are.

    It’s what Liberals are all about. Friends, we are engaged in a fight for the future. One that comes down to the most fundamental questions of all: 

    What kind of country we are. And what kind of country we want to become.

    For the British people, there is a real choice right now. Between the traditional values that have made the United Kingdom great – and dark forces that have threatened our country before. When a country faces so many big challenges on so many different fronts, there are two ways it can respond. One is to set our sights lower. Become smaller, meaner. Give in to the worst in us. Close ourselves off. Turn inwards. Hark back to a simpler time. Talk about all the things we can’t do.

    Trump’s America. Don’t let it become Farage’s Britain.

    Reform’s vision of the future is not one befitting our great United Kingdom. The other path – the better path – is to do what Britain has always done when confronted by such big challenges in the past. Rise to them together. With guts, determination and hope. You see, I start from a deeply optimistic view of our country.

    When I travel the UK and meet people from all backgrounds and all walks of life – working hard, raising families, helping others, playing by the rules – it fills me with pride to be British. And hope for the future. There’s a question Nigel Farage is fond of asking. He likes to ask “Whose side are you on?” Well we know the answer, don’t we? Nigel Farage is on the side of Elon Musk, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.

    Liberal Democrats are on the side of the British people.

    Because unlike Farage, I actually love Britain. I’m proud of our country. There’s no doubt that a lot needs fixing. Crumbling hospitals and schools. Anaemic economic growth. The sewage in our rivers. Crime and anti-social behaviour. Dangerous Channel crossings. Deep inequalities that limit opportunity for young people. The housing crisis. The nature crisis. The climate crisis. The prison crisis. The cost-of-living crisis. All the challenges we’ve been discussing and debating here this weekend.

    But we shouldn’t lose sight of the many incredible strengths this United Kingdom has going for it. The best farmers, carmakers and universities in the world. The place Hollywood comes to make Barbie, Spider-Man and Mission Impossible. The land of the Lionesses and the home of Formula One. Windermere and Loch Ness. Male Voice Choirs and Hogmanay. County shows and school fairs. Fish and chips. Village greens and cricket pavilions. And let me tell you – the best rollercoasters and waterslides on the planet.

    So much to celebrate about our country.

    But above all, our strength lies in the British people and our shared British values. We are a nation that believes in tolerance, decency, and respect for both individual freedom and the rule of law. 

    That is our United Kingdom.

    And that is why I am so confident that, together, we can get things back on track. Because the crises we face… These are not the failings of the British people. These are the failings of governments – Labour, Conservative and SNP. And we know that there are no failings of British governments that cannot be put right by the talents of the British people – as long as they have the power and the freedom to make it happen – and the powerful vested interests are held to account.

    And friends, if we are to win this fight for British values – we need to show that the change Liberal Democrats want is the change the British people want. That starts with the economy. We must show – we can show – that only Liberal Democrat change will fire up our economy again. We have to get our economy growing strongly – for so many reasons. To end the cost-of-living crisis and boost people’s living standards. To create good jobs and real opportunities for people in every part of the United Kingdom. To generate the revenues we need for the National Health Service and our other public services – and raise the money we need for our national defence too.

    But another benefit of strengthening the British economy is that it would strengthen our hand in dealing with Trump. And here again, only we Liberal Democrats have set out plans for the economy that are both transformational and achievable. Plans to rebuild our relationship with Europe, tearing down the Conservatives’ trade barriers with a new Customs Union – boosting trade and putting us back on the path to the Single Market.

    Conference – there is no serious strategy for restoring economic growth that doesn’t involve rebuilding Britain’s relationship with Europe. And beyond Europe, we have set out plans to form a new economic Coalition of the Willing to stand up to Trump’s tariffs – not only with our European neighbours, but Commonwealth allies like Canada and other like-minded nations across the globe. To take control of our own economic destiny, instead of waiting anxiously for the next rambling Trump press conference. And then there’s our plan to cut energy bills in half by 2035 – making sure everyone feels the benefits of the cheapest forms of electricity: wind and sun. Helping families, pensioners and businesses with energy bills out of control due to gas prices and failed Tory energy policies. 

    Big, bold Liberal Democrat ideas to cut the cost of living and grow our economy. To build a country with opportunity for all. The kind of country we want to be. And there’s something else. 

    Something that crystallised for me in something Emily said during the election campaign last year, when we were talking about the future we hoped for our son John. Emily said: “What you’ve got to have is a caring community, a caring society. That’s our best hope for the future.” A caring society. A caring country. That’s the kind of country we want to be. A country that properly values care – and properly values carers too. 

    This is personal for me, as you know. But it’s something our party has always fought for.

    Last month, our Liberal Democrat family mourned the loss of the wonderful Annette Brooke here in Dorset.

    And it’s been striking to hear the word so many people most associate with Annette: “caring”. In Parliament, Annette campaigned on behalf of blind children and young carers. And after Parliament, she set up a support group and put on tea dances for people with dementia and their carers. We miss Annette deeply. She understood the value of care, and so do we all.

    That’s why we have been standing up for family carers – including those hit by the appalling Carer’s Allowance scandal. Tens of thousands of carers, hounded by the DWP and even threatened with prosecution. All because the system simply isn’t fit for purpose. So we took their fight to Parliament. I raised it directly with the Prime Minister. We forced a vote on it. And, with the Guardian newspaper, we secured an independent review.

    But it’s not over. When that review concludes – and I hope it’s soon – that will be the moment for the Government to finally overhaul the way we support family carers. Not just to make some tweaks and tinker around the edges. But put in place a system that actually reflects the reality of life as a carer. A system that makes it easier to juggle work with caring responsibilities.

    This is the moment for real change for carers. To build a more caring country. And we will press ministers to seize it.

    And Conference, we want to be a caring country that honours the ideals of the NHS. Not just in words, not just in theory, but in practice. High-quality healthcare, free at the point of use and – crucially – accessible to everyone, wherever and whenever they need it. Whether that’s the mum, trying to find an NHS dentist for her daughter. The pensioner, trying to get an appointment to see his GP. The teenager, dialling 999 because dad’s had a heart attack. Or the family whose world has just been turned upside down by a cancer diagnosis.

    A caring country.

    When we were here in Bournemouth two years ago, I told you about a man called Ian. An engineer. From Nottingham, like me. Who lost both his parents to cancer when he was young. Like me. Ian had been diagnosed with bowel cancer. A small stage-one tumor. Operable. But he was kept waiting four months before starting any treatment. His cancer progressed to stage four and spread to his liver. Inoperable. I said then that we owed Ian better than that. I said we would make cancer a top priority. And when we launched our manifesto last year, I got a lovely message from Ian. He told me how pleased he was that we had included a cast-iron guarantee for every cancer patient to start urgent treatment within two months. “Please keep pushing this”, he wrote. And we have. 

    In March, I got another message – this time from Ian’s best friend. To say Ian had sadly passed away.

    Ian will never get to see the Ten-Year Cancer Plan that patients were promised more than three and a half years ago. But I hope it will come very soon – and be as ambitious as today’s cancer patients, and the patients of tomorrow, need it to be. Ian will never get to see whether our 62-day cancer guarantee gets written into law. But he asked me to keep pushing for it, and I promise you Ian – we will.

    But I’m afraid the biggest threat to the fight against cancer isn’t our government’s timidity or delay – disappointing though that is. No. It’s what’s happening on the other side of the Atlantic. Because the United States is by far the world’s biggest funder of cancer research – mostly through its National Cancer Institute. But since Donald Trump returned to the White House, he has cancelled hundreds of grants for cancer research projects. He’s slashing billions of dollars from the National Cancer Institute’s budget. He’s even ordered a review of all grants for research involving supposedly “woke” keywords – including the word “women”. 

    And last month, Trump’s Health Secretary – Robert Kennedy Jr – cancelled half a billion dollars’ worth of research into mRNA vaccines.He did it based on totally false conspiracy theories about these life-saving vaccines. The same type of vaccines that protected us from Covid just a few years ago.

    Not only do we need these new vaccines in case of a future pandemic, but they have incredible potential for treating cancer too. They can be tailored to each person’s particular cancer, allowing the body to attack cancer cells and stop them from spreading. It is hard to express the cruelty and stupidity of cutting off research into medicine that has the power to save so many lives. A decision – by the way – that was enthusiastically applauded by Farage’s party at their conference.

    Trump’s America. Don’t let it become Farage’s Britain.

    And Conference, I don’t think we should let the Trump Administration hold back progress on tackling cancer like this. The UK should step up and say: if Trump won’t back this research, we will. We’ll boost funding for cancer research in the UK. We’ll rebuild a National Cancer Research Institute after it was closed under the Conservatives, to coordinate research and drive it forward. We’ll pass a Cancer Survival Research Act to ensure funding for research into the deadliest cancers. We’ll invest in mRNA vaccines and explore their potential for treating cancer to the full. And to the cancer scientists in the US who have had their research stopped by Trump, let’s say: come here, and finish it in the UK. We’ll set up a dedicated fellowship scheme for you, and we won’t let extortionate Home Office fees stand in your way.

    The United Kingdom, stepping into the vacuum left by Trump’s anti-science agenda. Especially after the dangerous nonsense he’s peddling today, about paracetamol for pregnant women.

    The United Kingdom, leading the world in the fight against cancer. And giving patients real hope, with the treatment they need.

    Britain, delivering on the promise of the NHS. A caring country. A healthy country. A great country. That is the kind of country we want to be.

    So despite all the challenges, I have no doubt that together we can build a better future for our country – guided by our British values and our liberal principles. But if we are to change our great country for the better, we have to help change our world for the better too. Too many of the threats the UK faces are international ones. From Putin’s Russia to climate change, from international crime gangs to foreign conflicts that cause chaos around the world and wash up on our shores. So the UK must stand tall on the world stage. Stand together with our allies. Stand as a force for good.

    As we have done proudly in solidarity with Ukraine, as they resist Putin’s brutal war machine. No matter what Donald Trump does next, the United Kingdom’s support for Ukraine must never waver. We must continue to defend our Ukrainian friends, defend our continent, and defend the fundamental values of democracy, liberty, human rights and the rule of law. All of which Putin is seeking to destroy. 

    Democracy, liberty, human rights and the rule of law. Our United Kingdom is at its best when it proudly champions these fundamental values. And that means taking action when they are being trampled over. As they are, undeniably, right now in Gaza.

    Friends, I travelled to Israel and Palestine last year. I saw the devastation in a kibbutz raided by Hamas on October the seventh. I joined mourners at the site of the Nova music festival, grieving the loved ones brutally slain by terrorists. I spoke with the families of hostages who are still held captive, almost two years later. I completely share their condemnation of genocidal Hamas. I completely share their determination – their desperation – to get the hostages home. And I condemn – I utterly condemn – antisemitism in all its forms. Including here on our streets in the United Kingdom.

    And let us also be clear: Nothing – nothing – can justify what the Netanyahu government is doing to innocent men, women and children in Gaza. We have all seen it. The baby boy – starving and skeletal – held tight in his mother’s arms. The crowds of desperate people, rushing to get food. The bodies of children, killed as they queued for water. Children. A famine unfolding before our eyes. Conference, the actions of the Netanyahu government go well beyond self-defence. They are clear breaches of international law.

    I think Omer Bartov – an Israeli historian and former IDF soldier – puts it simply but clearly: What Netanyahu’s government is trying to do is – quote – “to make Gaza uninhabitable for its population.”

    Now, there is a case on this before the International Court of Justice. And it is right that we as a party support that process and respect the role of the international courts in upholding and enforcing the Genocide Convention. But the court is unlikely to be able to give its judgment for another two years or more. And I cannot shake the words of two leading Israeli organisations – B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel. They said powerfully and plainly: “in these dark times it is especially important to call things by their name”.

    Conference – they are right.

    Respecting the role of the ICJ should not stop us from speaking the truth today. We must call it by its name, and we must condemn it unequivocally.

    What is unfolding in Gaza is a genocide. And the United Kingdom must do all it can to make Netanyahu stop.

    And when I criticise Prime Minister Netanyahu, I do it as a friend of Israel. Knowing that his Government’s actions do not represent the Israeli people. I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Israeli parents of hostages still held captive by Hamas. And who desperately want their government to change course. Like Itzik Horn, who I met when I was in Israel. And who last week called on Netanyahu to sit down with him and explain why his son Eitan is still rotting in a tunnel. Conference, I want to get Eitan home to his dad. I want to get all the hostages home.

    This has to stop.

    I am proud that the United Kingdom has finally recognised the independent state of Palestine. Something we have rightly led the charge on for almost a decade. But this is not the end. It must be the beginning. The moment that the UK finally steps up, and does everything we can to end this appalling cycle of bloodshed. To get the hostages home. To end the aid blockade. To build a viable Palestinian state, without Hamas. To secure a two-state solution. The lasting peace that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve.

    Just imagine… The United Kingdom, leading again on the world stage. Standing up for our values, in the Middle East, in Europe and across the world. And here at home.

    Our United Kingdom. Not Trump’s America. Not Farage’s Britain.

    A country where everyone’s rights are protected and respected.

    Our United Kingdom. Not Trump’s America. Not Farage’s Britain.

    A country where we take care seriously, and fix our NHS.

    A country that tackles climate change and protects our natural environment.

    A country with a thriving, dynamic economy – that rewards aspiration and gives everyone the chance to succeed.

    Our United Kingdom. Not Trump’s America. Not Farage’s Britain.

    A country where everyone has real power to make decisions about their own lives – and where the powerful are held properly to account.

    That’s our United Kingdom.

    That’s the country we want to be.

    That is the change we want to make.

    So Conference, this is not a time for caution or complacency. After the chaos and destruction of the Conservatives – amid the mistakes and disappointment of Labour – the failures and division of the SNP – and up against the dangers and lies of Reform – we are in a battle for the very future of our country.

    And it’s not a battle we can afford to lose.

    So if you believe in a Britain that stands proud for its values – at home and abroad. If you believe in a Britain of growth and opportunity. Fairness and prosperity. If you believe in a Britain that cares.

    If you are fed up with the two old parties letting you down. If you are scared of the rise of racism and extremism. If you believe in decency, tolerance and the rule of law.

    Because we believe in the British people. We love our country. And together, we can change it for good.

    Thank you.