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Labour peer Lord Alli is under investigation by the Lords’ commissioner over “alleged non-registration of interests” leading to a possible breach of the members’ code of conduct.
The intervention comes after Sir Keir Starmer became embroiled in a donations row last month over freebies accepted from Lord Alli.
The Parliament website states he is being investigated for “alleged non-registration of interests leading to potential breaches of paragraphs 14(a) and 17 of the 13th edition of the code of conduct for members of the House of Lords”.
These rules relate to making clear what the interests are that might be reasonably thought to influence a member’s parliamentary actions and ensuring entries are up to date.
It is a fresh blow to Sir Keir as the attention around donations by the peer had started to subside.
Lord Alli gave the Prime Minister £32,000 to pay for clothing, as well as thousands of pounds for designer clothing for his wife Victoria, and work clothing to Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister.
The peer also lent Sir Keir the use of an £18 million penthouse, where he watched election night, and gave Labour the use of a Soho townhouse for strategy meetings.
Sir Keir initially failed to declare around £5,000 in designer clothing given to Lady Starmer by the peer, although he will not face a parliamentary standards investigation.
Sir Keir has argued Lord Alli was motivated to help financially because he wanted Labour to win the election.
The controversy overshadowed the party’s first annual conference since entering Government and was cited by Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield as one of the reasons she resigned the whip on Saturday in protest against the leadership.
Lord Alli previously criticised “entitled” MPs who took freebies following the Westminster expenses scandal.
Speaking to the Financial Times in 2011, Lord Alli criticised MPs who took handouts and suggested people who were involved in the riots that swept across the UK that year felt able to steal from shops because they believed politicians were “on the take”.
His comments came two years after The Telegraph exposed widespread abuse in how MPs claimed their expenses, which led to a major overhaul of the Commons expenses system.
Thank you for joining our coverage of the final day of this year’s Conservative Party Conference.
I will be back tomorrow to guide you through all the latest.
James Cleverly has received the backing of a shadow minister in the wake of his conference speech, writes Genevieve Holl-Allen.
Mims Davies, the shadow women and equalities minister, had previously endorsed Mel Stride but has put her weight behind Mr Cleverly.
She wrote: “James has shown he’s a standout candidate-with the positivity, reach, experience & charm to be our next leader & our future PM.”
The MP for East Grinstead and Uckfield added that the conference had been “remarkably positive, despite a tough backdrop”.
Yvette Cooper will use today’s meeting of G7 ministers in Italy to seek “critical” cooperation with Britain’s closest partners on migration and people-smuggling.
The Home Secretary said the summit in Avellino would be an “invaluable opportunity to work internationally” to tackle the cross-border network of criminality facilitating small boat crossings.
Conflict in the Middle East, war in Ukraine and artificial intelligence (AI) will also be high on the agenda, the Home Office said.
Ahead of the gathering, the Home Secretary said: “The perpetrators of the vile trade of migrant smuggling have no concern about the security of national borders or the safety of the people they exploit.
“This is a global challenge and working in collaboration with our closest partners is critical.”
Kemi Badenoch has vowed to “rewrite the rules of the game” and rid the state of Blairite influence for good if she wins the Tory leadership race, writes Nick Gutteridge.
The former business secretary pledged to embark on a “once in a generation” reform to unpick the legal changes introduced by New Labour.
Read the full story here.
Tom Tugendhat has brushed off concerns around Kemi Badenoch’s suggestion that 10 per cent of civil servants were so bad they should be in prison, writes Jacob Freedland.
Asked if it was unserious to make such comments, Mr Tugendhat said with a wry smile: “I think that was a turn of phrase”.
Mr Tugendhat had told press that the leadership contest was “serious” because “the decisions we take change lives”.
Last night, Ms Badenoch told a Spectator event: “There’s about five to 10 per cent of them who are very, very bad…should be in prison, leaking official secrets, undermining their ministers, agitating.”
Dave Penman, the general secretary of the FDA union representing civil servants, described the comments as “irresponsible culture war”.
Robert Jenrick has stood by his claim that special forces are killing rather than detaining terrorists, saying that he didn’t want to see soldiers “constrained” by human rights laws, writes Jacob Freedland.
Defending his position to media following his flagship speech, the Newark MP said: “I’m not going to get into criticising the candidates, but the point that I was making is one that’s been made by our most respected former Defense Secretary, Ben Wallace.”
Mr Jenrick had released a video which claimed that special forces were capturing rather than killing terrorists to avoid them being potentially let out by European courts.
Mr Tugendhat described the claim as a mistake and said the video should be “pulled down”.
But a defiant Mr Jenrick told reporters: “I don’t want to see the decision makers within armed forces being held back and constrained by human rights apparatus. That’s wrong. I will never do that.”
Kemi Badenoch has refused to take questions from journalists after her speech at Conservative Party Conference.
Despite all three of the other candidates stopping to do a question and answer session from the press after stepping off the stage, Ms Badenoch declined to do so.
My colleague Jacob Freedland was one of those trying to catch up with her.
NEW Kemi Badenoch refuses to speak to press following speech Every other candidate did a Q&A with reporters except for Badenoch Huddle chased her around conference pic.twitter.com/pNh8pOkDkb
Sir Keir Starmer said he is “determined” to put the UK-EU relationship back on a “stable, positive footing” as he met European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels.
The Prime Minister said: “I firmly believe that the British public want to return to pragmatic, sensible leadership when it comes to dealing with our closest neighbours, to make Brexit work and to deliver in their interests, to find ways to boost economic growth, strengthen our security and tackle shared challenges like irregular migration and climate change.”
He added that “in dangerous times we have a duty to work together to preserve stability and security,” referring to the crisis in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine.
Sir Keir said: “We are determined to put this relationship back on a stable, positive footing that I think we all want to see.”
Do you want a Conservative in opposition or a Conservative Prime Minister? pic.twitter.com/PuEPiwhNFT
Kemi Badenoch has vowed to make Rachel Reeves “wriggle” and Sir Keir Starmer “sweat” if she becomes the next Conservative leader.
She told Conservative Party activists and delegates on Wednesday: “I’m sad to be in Opposition but there’s a part of me that’s excited because Opposition is an opportunity: an opportunity to make Angie (Angela Rayner) uncomfortable, to make Rachel (Reeves) wriggle and make (Sir Keir) Starmer sweat. We are going to have fun.”
David Davis, a former Cabinet minister and leadership contender, has endorsed Kemi Badenoch.
“Our party is once again facing an historic moment, where we must choose to create a new political climate if we are to govern Britain again.
“At this turning point, we need a leader who can overpower the weak and ineffective Keir Starmer, delivering the real prospect of victory at the next election, but also have intellectual depth and a real agenda for Conservative government.
“After watching this contest for the last several weeks, I have concluded that that person is Kemi Badenoch. Kemi understands, as Margaret Thatcher did, that Conservatives must be address the everyday problems that people face.
“We should not say only what is fashionable or make endless promises which we cannot deliver, but carefully build radical policies which will revitalise Britain’s confidence, freedom and prosperity. As an engineer, with clear conservative principles and a willingness to speak the truth, Kemi is the leader who can deliver that. Kemi’s speech today was the conference speech of a leader.”
Mr Davis added: “In terms of intellectual capacity, idealism, common sense and courage, I think Kemi offers our Party and our country the very best chance for the future, and I will be voting for her to lead us into the next election.”
Kemi Badenoch concluded: “After we have picked and unpicked the damage done by the Labour Government, my vision for beyond 2030 is this – for Britain to be a country where people can find a shared identity, four nations but one United Kingdom.
“A country where being a British citizen means more than just having a British passport. A country where people can be committed to each other, irrespective of their religion or what they look like. A Britain that its friends with its neighbours but will always proudly protect its national interests.
“A Britain at ease with itself, a Britain that believes in itself. And that sort of Britain can only come about because of renewed Conservative principles. And the time to start that renewal is right now.”
Kemi Badenoch said: “If I become leader we will immediately begin a once-in-a-generation undertaking, the sort of project not attempted since the days of Keith Joseph in the 1970s.
“A comprehensive plan to reprogramme the British state, to reboot the British economy, a new blueprint for the great machine of our country. One that goes far beyond our relationship with the EU or the ECHR. A new plan that considers every aspect of what the state does and why it does it.
“A plan built on the principles and priorities of our nation. A plan that looks at our international agreements, at the Human Rights Act, the Equality Act, at judicial review, at judicial activism, at the Bank of England, at the Treasury, at the devolution, at quangos, and at the health service.
“And how we use power to give power to the British people.”
Kemi Badenoch said the “stealthy poisoning of our society needs to stop”.
“Unlike the Left, we know right from wrong but we allowed ourselves to be bowed by aggressive identity politics, by Treasury rules that were written by Gordon Brown and a legal system written by Tony Blair.
“You may think Blair and Brown were defeated in 2010 but the truth is the Left never left. It’s time to make a change. Ministers need to be able to make decisions that aren’t endlessly challenged in the courts… If the law says the Government can’t deport a foreign child abuser, the law is an ass.”
Mrs Badenoch said it was time for “a change” on immigration and other issues, adding: “We are going to rewrite the rules of the game.”
Kemi Badenoch continued: “Other people need us too like women. For too long governments stayed silent as women were sacked for saying men cannot be women.
“I fought for them while Labour called them bigots and it wasn’t until the SNP put a sex offender in a women’s prison that they understood the fight that we were leading.
“We won that battle, Nicola Sturgeon has gone and Labour now accept our arguments.”
Mrs Badenoch added: “We cannot be afraid, as we were in Batley, to get involved where a teacher was driven into hiding by Islamist thugs. Or when the very worst crimes were committed when young girls were groomed and raped for years in Rotherham and Rochdale and nothing happened.
“Nothing happened because those in charge were scared of being called racists and then the system hid behind the Human Rights Act and failed to deport the child abusers and allowed them to walk the streets where their victims lived. Well, enough. I am not afraid.”
Kemi Badenoch declared the Conservatives must be the party of wealth creation.
“Wealth is not a dirty word. It supports jobs and families. It pays for our families and our health service. We should defend it and encourage it.
“We need to stop being afraid of defending our beliefs. Those beliefs are needed now more than ever. They are needed now more than ever because a new political force has risen, something I have been fighting all my political career – identity politics.”
Mrs Badenoch accused Sir Keir Starmer of “socialism in a suit”, adding: “The British public knows that socialism doesn’t work but if you give it a new label, you can sneak it in under the banner of equality.
“This new politics has made us afraid, afraid to defend the people who need us like young Conservatives. They tell me they are afraid to share their politics with other students because they will be attacked, marked down by their lecturers because of their beliefs. We have let young Conservatives down. We need to defend them, champion them and give them a party they can be proud of.”
Kemi Badenoch said there was no greater example of losing sight of Tory values than net zero.
“We set a target with no plan on how to meet it just so politicians could say we were the same country to do so.
“Now we have a net zero strategy addicted to state subsidy, making energy more expensive and hurting our economy.
“I am not a climate change sceptic, but I am a net zero sceptic. I did not become an MP just to deliver an agenda delivered by Ed Miliband… Plans must be delivered by principles, that is the Conservative way.”
Kemi Badenoch recalled growing up in Nigeria.
“I was born here but I grew up in a place where fear was everywhere.
“You cannot understand it unless you’ve lived it, triple checking that all the doors and windows are locked, waking up in the night at every sound, listening as you hear your neighbours scream and are beaten and burgled and wonder if your home will be next.
“When you’ve experienced that kind of fear, you’re not worried about being attacked on Twitter.
“You appreciate how rare and precious it is to live in a country with democracy, security, equality under the law and above all else freedom. Free speech, free enterprise, free markets, conservative freedoms, conservative principles.
“I am a Conservative because I see what happens when a country loses sight of those principles and that must not happen here. The truth is we lost faith and stopped acting like Conservatives. We stopped being leaders and became managers. And when we went after Labour voters we lost our own.”
Kemi Badenoch said the Conservatives’ election defeat “could extinguish this party”.
“It is clear that the Labour Party will leave a mess behind. We will not manage that decline, the Conservative Party reverses decline.
“Our country needs us, we must not let it down. For this to work we need to get back to first principles – what makes us Conservatives?”
Mrs Badenoch said her father taught her responsibility, adding: “He would say 80 per cent of what happens to you is down to you, he was right, and as a GP he taught me how to solve problems.
“He would say if you get the diagnosis wrong the treatment won’t work. I miss my dad. He taught me the most important lesson of all. Never be afraid to do the right thing, no matter what people say about you.”
Kemi Badenoch said: “It is time to tell the truth. The truth about our party, the truth about our politics, the truth about our future. For too long politicians have been scared of the truth. For too long politicians have hidden behind spin. For too long politicians have told the public what they wanted to hear and then done their own thing. Well I say, enough.
“It’s time to remember who we are, what we stand for, and what we went our country to be. Seven years ago I stood on this stage, so proud to be a Conservative Member of Parliament. We had just lost our majority, but our party was still in government and that was all that mattered. But I am no longer a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed backbencher. I am a veteran of four government departments and a former cabinet minister.
“I have seen the system from inside. Ladies and gentlemen, the system is broken. Without a plan to fix the system, you end up just announcing policies, doing media and waiting for something to happen. And then you run into trouble, as this Labour Government are quickly finding out.”
Robert Jenrick concluded: “We are the lucky inheritors of unparalleled national identities, British, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, English, and our new Conservative Party will stand for carrying the torch for these identities and handing it onto our children and our grandchildren with pride, with passion and with purpose.
“So, my friends, securing our borders by leaving the ECHR and a cap in Parliament to end the era of mass migration, yes to net zero but no to Ed Miliband’s mad plans, getting Britain building again, defending our nation and culture, building a small state that actually works, not a big state that fails.
“Five changes that our new Conservative Party will make. Five stands that this new Conservative Party will take. As your leader, I will take a stand. The new Conservative Party will take a stand. Stand up for what is right, stand up to those who are wrong, stand alongside the hardworking men and Britain who make Britain again. Our party is at its best when we, friends, are the trade union of the people of this country…
“Britain rises when all our people rise, all of them. So let’s help them to rise again. 1974, 2024, a country facing huge challenges. A Labour government already out of answers, an opposition, a Conservative opposition facing a big choice.
“To go along with a failed consensus that is driving our country into the ground or to have the courage, to summon the courage to change course, to unite around the practical solutions that we face. And to change, really change. I want to lead that change. I want to be that change. So come with me, join me, work with me in this new Conservative Party. And together let’s take a stand for the country that we love.”
Fifth and finally, Robert Jenrick said the Conservatives must “stand for our nation and our culture, for our history and our way of life”.
“Why is it that so much of the British establishment seems to put Britain last? I’m told that we only have enough munitions to last a few weeks in war. And yet our country is giving foreign aid to parts of our world richer than our own.
“So if I’m your leader I will stand for cutting our bloated foreign aid budget and spending three per cent of our GDP on defence, finally doing what government is meant to do, the first duty of any government, keep the British people safe.”
Mr Jenrick asked how a teacher in Batley remained in hiding because in a class of free speech they showed a cartoon of Mohammed, and how the NHS “has facilitated thousands of children to have life-changing, life-altering surgery” on gender.
“Our new Conservative Party, we will be tolerant but we will also stand for never tolerating any of this ever again.”
Robert Jenrick pledged to “take a stand for a small state that actually works, not a big state that fails”.
The Tory leadership hopeful said: “We have 20 per cent more money, more doctors and nurses in our NHS today than we had five years ago and yet our hospitals barely treat any more patients.
“Our courts, our prisons, our police, our universities, our welfare system. None of it is working as it should. Labour isn’t going to fix any of this, the unions won’t let them. But the new Conservative Party can and should. We need to do, for all our public services, what we did for school in 2010s. Empower the good leaders, kick out the bad ones, be relentless in driving up standards and having zero tolerance for failure. That must be at the core of our mission as a party.”
Mr Jenrick asked where the teachers, doctors, nurses and prison officers were in the Tory Party, adding: “We must stand with them as well, we must stand for them. Our new Conservative Party will stand for building a state that actually works and the public services that every Briton deserves.”
The third point made by Robert Jenrick was the need to “get Britain building again”.
“I have a hard message for all of us today. If we want to be the party of low tax, of growth, of business, as I do, and I know you do too, we also need to be the party of fixing the broken system that stops us building the homes, the factories, the data centres, the roads, the trams, the trains, the investment that Britain desperately needs.
“We love this country, we will protect its beautiful countryside, we will ensure that local people have their say. But our new Conservative Party will stand alongside the scientist in need of lab space, it will stand alongside the town in need of better roads, and yes, it will stand along the 20 and 30 somethings trapped in their childhood bedrooms dreaming of a home of their own, dreaming of getting on in life, waiting for their lives to begin. That is what we will do as a party, our party will build.”
Mr Jenrick called for the “most ambitious” plan for urban densification in British history.
Robert Jenrick said Britain must secondly “take a stand on net zero”.
“Factories have closed, families have suffered and this is all so because we have become so reliant on expensive forms of energy like offshore wind.
“We have to oppose the root of the problem, and that’s not the principle of net zero but the crazy interim binding targets put into law by Gordon Brown. It’s the mad targets, the carbon budgets, that don’t take any account of innovation that’s driving the mad policy.
“So I say that with our new Conservative Party we will stand for cutting emissions but we will never do it, never, on the backs of working people and by deindustrialising our great country.”
Robert Jenrick said the “sheer scale” of mass migration was undermining Britain’s cohesion.
Arguing for an “effective freeze” by capping net migration to the tens of thousands, Mr Jenrick said: “If we do that we give our country the effective breathing space that we need.
“Will we be open to the best and the brightest? Yes, absolutely. Will we be open to the world and its wife and all its extended family? No, not anymore and under my Conservative Party, never, ever again.”
Robert Jenrick said there were “five changes that this new Conservative Party must make”.
“Let me start with this one, we must take a stand to secure our borders. We must secure our borders. 120,000 people have entered our country on small boats on our watch. Ninety-nine per cent of them are still here, costing us billions. Frankly, there is no future for this party unless we take a stand to answer this problem.
“And the way to do that, we all know is to detain and swiftly deport everyone who comes here illegally.
“But we will never do that, it is impossible, unless we leave the European Convention on Human Rights and we free ourselves from Tony Blair’s Human Rights Act. These institutional are creating an arsenal of laws by which illegal entrants frustrate their removal…
“You can’t reform the European court, it requires unanimity, 46 countries from Iceland to Andorra to Hungary. It’s a fantasy. The choice before us is leave or remain. I’m for leave. I am for the country of the Magna Carta, of the Haebus Corpus, of the Bill of Rights, defending our own freedoms and liberties. I am for finishing the job that we started with Brexit and restoring to our people and our Parliament its sovereignty.
“So under my leadership the new Conservative Party will stand for a new Great Reform Act, one that leaves the ECHR, repeals Tony Blair’s Human Rights Act and writes a British Bill of Rights.”
Robert Jenrick said he would “always celebrate our achievements” including Ukraine, welfare reform and education.
He added: “But we can’t bury our heads in the sand. Just as we celebrate those achievements, we need to be honest with ourselves. The country doesn’t trust us right now… It was a comprehensive defeat and it needs a comprehensive rethink.
“We failed to deliver the strong NHS, the strong economy and yes, the strong border, that we promised. Friends, we must never fail our people again.
“And the truth is this, if we are going to change this party, if we are going to restore the trust and confidence of our people, we are going to have to build something new – a new Conservative Party, that is what I call for today, built on the rock of our finest traditions.”
Robert Jenrick accuses Sir Keir Starmer cowardice by choosing to “rob poor pensioners just to placate your union paymasters”.
“In fact, that is not just cowardly, that is shameful. They have 14 years to prepare for government. Where’s the vision? Where’s the boldness? The country just voted for change and all we’ve got is more managed decline. Sir Keir Starmer will take the knee but he will never take a stand. He doesn’t even take a stand at the football anymore, he’s up there in the director’s box.
“It is painful that Starmer can’t see what we see, a nation that has given more to the world by any other, a nation brimming with potential, let down only by big government and small-mindedness, by high taxes and low ambition. Starmer sees a Britain fated for decline, needing more migration, more tax, more spend, more woke. The country needs a leader. Instead with Starmer we’ve got an undertaker.”
Mr Jenrick said Rachel Reeves was “as wooden as Pinocchio”, adding: “Anyone who tells you the grownups are back in charge, look at Ed Miliband, a Wallace missing his Gromit.”
Robert Jenrick said the choices the Tories made in 1974 “led us to victory in 1979 under one of my heroines, a woman as strong as the iron cast in my dad’s foundry, Margaret Thatcher”.
“Friends, her Conservative Party reversed Britain’s decline and it did so by backing people like my mum and dad. They bought a home, they started a family, they founded a small business. They didn’t need to tell me what their values were, they lived them.
“Hard work, decency, patriotism, those were their values, built in patriotism. I am so grateful to my parents and I want to say thank you. I am in politics for the millions of people in this country just like them. Devoted citizens, good neighbours, the people who get up early in the morning to put food on the table for their families. Yes, the people who start small businesses across their kitchen tables…
“If I am your leader, the pressure group for Britain’s hardworking majority will be us, the Conservative Party.”
Robert Jenrick declared “it’s great to be here, it’s great to be home”, saying he grew up in Wolverhampton.
“Before I tell you about where I want to take this party, where I want to take our country, let me tell you about the place that made me. Fifty years ago in 1974, my dad Bill and my mum Jennie came here to Birmingham.
“Dad got a job at the last great iron foundry of the Black Country in Cosley. It was a vast Victorian metalface that had made the pots and the pans of the empire. It was called Cannon Industries because it had made the cannon for Wellington’s Army. My dad loved that.
“Mum and dad came here to the West Midlands to put down roots, to get on in life, but their dreams were put on hold. Britain was broken, industries were crippled, councils were bankrupt, hope had gone. Then as now a new Labour government, so fresh but already so stale. And what about us? What about the Conservatives in opposition?
“Well the truth is we were broken too. We had driften into accepting a failed status quo, into believing that the best the Conservative Party can do in government is to manage decline. But in that year, in that momentous year for my family, 1974, our party made a big decision. We chose to change.”
David from Bolton appears in Robert Jenrick’s campaign video having backed the Tories in 2019 and appeared in a campaign video with Boris Johnson in 2016.
He said he did not actually vote, adding: “I didn’t feel like they were able to deliver on the promises they were making”.
David added the Tories “did extremely poor” on immigration and there had to be a mentality of “plugging the gaps”.
“I feel like I did in 2016… To get people back, you’re going to have to give them a voice again.”
James Cleverly concluded: “If you want a winner, choose one. Choose someone who can deliver results, who can communicate effectively and who campaigns relentlessly. Choose someone who you know who is tested, and who doesn’t hide from the media. Choose someone who is not afraid of the public but is popular with the public.
“And choose the candidate who Starmer, Farage and Davey fear the most. Because I will not accept the status quo. I will not accept defeatism and I will not accept defeat. Everyone running in this leadership needs to ask themselves whether they want to be the leader or do they want to lead. And I know what I want to do. I want to get the heel off the state off of your neck, get their noses out of your businesses and get their hands out of your pocket.
“As your leader I will not waste a day dreaming about yesterday, I will use today to make good on the promise of tomorrow. I will deliver a positive vision, a Conservative vision. But conference, we must start now. Keir Starmer has been prime minister since July 5 and since then we’ve had 100 reasons to regret it, like July 6 and July 7 and July 8…
“I don’t know about you but I don’t want to live under a Labour Government for one day more. So it’s in your hands, yours and mine to turn this around, and we can. Because the facts of life, the simple desire to achieve, to provide safety and security for your family, to own a home, to build a life and give your children a better tomorrow than today, these are conservative facts.
“We may have lost our way but it’s time to get back on track. Because history shows that while we have no right to govern, we govern when we get it right. So let’s unite, let’s rebuild this party of ours council by council, seat by seat, ward by ward, street by street, one party with one purpose. To turn the page on this useless Labour Government, to get to government, to look to the future with one voice and say that it is morning once again in this great country of ours.
“That must be our mission. That must be our purpose. So join me on this journey, and together we will win and we will be in the business of the future. Thank you.”
“We can deliver for the British people once again with the right leader, with me as your leader. Because leadership is about things like making the tough decisions when you get that ugly phone call in the middle of the night about keeping this country safe.
“And because I’ve been there, because I know in detail what the Government should be doing right now, I know in detail how they’re failing. Now is not the time for an apprentice.
“I’m not doing this because I want to be something, I’m doing this because I want to do something. Renew? Yes. Rebuild? Yes. To deliver for our party? Yes. But mainly to deliver for our country. And the Labour Party has not wasted one second in undoing our work, so we must not waste one second getting back to work.
“I can unite this party around Conservative values. I can hold Labour to account for their failures and take us back into Government in four short years. Because the people in this room standing for election in May can’t wait a day longer than is necessary for us to get our house in order. There is no time to lose and I don’t lose.”
James Cleverly appeared to take a swipe at Robert Jenrick as he talked about his immigration controls.
“I didn’t complain about immigration or walk away from the challenge, I got it down by 300,000 people a year. I deported foreign criminals and terrorists.
“I stripped citizenship from those who seek to do us harm and I supported our Jewish community here in the UK, tightening the policing response to the protests about Gaza and holding the police accountable for their actions and their inactions.”
James Cleverly said: “Conference, we need someone to choose someone to lead us who has already done their apprenticeship and get this party winning again. As foreign secretary I strengthened our posture on Iran. I dealt with Putin’s nuclear threats. I worked with Ben Wallace to get tanks delivered to Ukraine.
“And in Beijing I told the Chinese foreign minister to his face. And I told him directly to lift the sanctions on my parliamentary friends, even those who have decided to run against me.
“I rejected the advice of Foreign Office officials and I was the first foreign minister to go to Israel after the Oct 7 terrorist attacks. Because leadership is about standing by your values… I today state my unwavering support for Israel and their right to defend themselves.
“I have seen firsthand how dangerous the world is and that is why I commit to increase defence spending of three per cent of GDP.”
James Cleverly recalled leading the Conservatives on the London Assembly, “taking on the unions and winning”, as well as selecting candidates “in record time” as Tory chairman for the 2019 election.
“Yes, you, we won the biggest majority since Margaret Thatcher. We got Boris elected and we got Brexit done. And that whirlwind apprenticeship showed me what I need to do to fix our party machine, upgrade it, making it a modern campaigning organisation.”
Mr Cleverly promised 300 “excellent new candidates” in 18 months before vowing: “My pledge to you today on candidate selection – no more stitch-ups.”
James Cleverly said Britain needed to “build, build, build” and remake the argument for conservatism and capitalism by building more houses, supporting innovation and cutting red tape.
He said “we need to get rid of bad taxes like stamp duty” and ensure that work “always pays”, ensuring the state never takes more than half of every pound that someone earns.
“Let’s be the market of free markets and freedom, of business and enterprise, let’s get on their side but out of their way. These are my values, these are consistent values not opportunistic. A signpost, not a weather vane. It’s what I have always believed in and what I always will believe in.
“Because conference, talk is easy. Doing is hard. And we need a leader who can deliver from day one. Someone who has already done the tough apprenticeship that you need to be the leader of the Conservative Party and our next prime minister.”
James Cleverly said Reform was a “pale imitation of our great party”, adding: “Reform didn’t deliver Brexit, I did. Reform didn’t cut immigration, I did.
“Mark my words, we will beat Reform by being the best version of ourselves, not a pale imitation of anyone else. So no deals, no mergers. And if we are the best version of ourselves, if we sell Conservative values, if we’re proud of our record and confident in our future we will win the country.
“Because Farage and Starmer are two sides of the same coin. They both think life was better in the past… They’re both wrong, our best days are ahead of us… We need to reject this 1970s attitude that decline is somehow inevitable.”
James Cleverly said Labour was already “drunk on power” and “lied to the British people”.
“Compare that with what we saw at the Labour Party conference just last week. A party drunk on power who lied to the British people. Glasses for passes, favours for friends, swamped in scandal.
“And even worse inflation-busting pay rises to their union paymasters taken straight out of the pockets of British pensioners. Our plans for defence, reversed, a mass release of prisoners, and no plan for our borders.
“And what did Keir Starmer say just last week? He wants the state to have more control over your lives, a nanny state, closing pubs early, banning smoking outdoors and even trying to control the price of Oasis tickets.”
Mr Cleverly said Labour were “out of their depth” and the Liberal Democrats were “too wet” to hold them to account, joking “in the case of Ed Davey, soaking wet”.
James Cleverly said voters would not be won back “by pretending to be something we’re not”.
“We win back voters by being honest, by being professional, by being conservative. It was our party that took children out of factories and put them into schools, started the abolition of the slave trade, created the Metropolitan Police and gave the United Kingdom its first, second and third female prime ministers.
“It was our party that passed equal marriage, quadrupled clean energy, raised education standards. It was our party that delivered Brexit, cut crime, created 800 jobs for every single day that we were in office. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a legacy that we should be proud of. Don’t let anyone trash our record. Be proud of our record.”
James Cleverly said his political hero was Ronald Reagan “and he knew what optimism was”.
“Even in the depths of the Cold War he made Americans want to vote for a conservative, not reluctantly, but with enthusiasm. And then what did he do? He cut taxes, he cut regulation, he boosted military spending and he won a landslide.
“So let’s be more like Reagan, let’s be enthusiasm, relatable, positive, optimistic. Let’s be more normal. Let’s sell the benefits of conservatism with a smile.”
James Cleverly recalls his 30-plus years in the Royal Artillery, finishing as a Lieutenant Colonel.
“Now I don’t pretend to be a war hero but I did command the battery in Bristol of 100 soldiers.
“And one day I got the call, I got mobilised, I thought I was going to Basra or Baghdad. And I was sent to Luton. I spent a decade in the publishing industry. Like many, I got made redundant so I set up a small business and we made some money, never a lot of money.
“And after the 2008 crash we made no money at all. So I know what it is like to take a risk, to run a small business, to work crazy hours to put food on the table. I know what it’s like to stumble and to fall and to get up again, and again, and again, and again.
“So when I talk about optimism it’s not just believing that tomorrow can be better than today, it’s about doing something to make it happen.”
James Cleverly said both his parents were “in the business of optimism” and the Tories should “believe in the future but also do the work to build that future”.
He referenced his wife Susie’s recent cancer diagnosis, saying “it rocked our lives – I could hardly speak, our boys were distraught”.
“But because of the amazing professionals, the doctors, the nurses of the NHS, her life was saved. So to all those in the NHS, I say thank you. And it’s because of them she sits with us in this auditorium today. And her courage, determination, resolve and optimism, her belief in the future, our belief in the future, is why we are here today.
“And I suspect ladies and gentlemen it is also why you are here. Because tomorrow can be better, and together we can make it better.”
James Cleverly said “the British people are never wrong” and that they had told the Conservative Party to “go and sort ourselves out”, adding: “Let’s not make them tell us again. because if we wallow in self-pity and blame other parties, if we look backwards instead of forwards, if we focus on what we are against rather than what we are for…
“If we are complacent and just wait for the political pendulum to swing back to us we might as well go home now. I hadn’t planned to run for leader. I could have taken the easy option, sat this one out, spent more time with my wife, with my boys, with my Warhammer figures.
“But I went into politics to get things done, not watch from the sidelines and all the more so after the defeat that we’ve just had, I need to do this. For the party that I love and for the country that I love.
“My mum came here from Sierra Leone in the 1960s and my father grew up on a council estate in Downham in south east London. He qualified as a surveyor and started a small business. She studied nursing and became a midwife in the NHS and I’m gutted that she didn’t live to see me elected and become an MP, or represent our country as foreign secretary when I visited Sierra Leone.
“Some people love to talk our country down. But this country has given so much to so many people, including my family.”
James Cleverly is now speaking.
“What’s the purpose of our party? What’s our job? Why are we here? We are currently in opposition but we don’t exist to be in opposition. We’re in politics to serve the British people and make their lives better.
“It’s not our right but it is our mission, our duty and our intent. So we need to get back on track. But before we can do that, there’s something we need to say. Sorry.
“Sorry on behalf of the Conservative Parliamentary Party who let you down. We have to be better, much better, and under my leadership we will be”
“There were moments during the last 14 years where our party led Britain down and we forgot who we were, we forgot about our values.
“We spent more time arguing amongst ourselves than lauding our achievements. We need to unite and rediscover our common purpose once again. We need a leader who embodies those values, a leader who has a clear vision and plan, a leader who can deliver at the highest level.”
Tom Tugendhat said: “I get it, you’ve had enough. And so have I. But in this leadership election you have a choice. And it’s a choice about change.
“My opponents claim that they’ve got more management experience around the Cabinet table. Sure, that’s true. But I’m not here to manage, I’m here to lead.
“My friends you know it. We’re not going to change this party and this country with the same management, the same mantra, the same slogan. The only way to build trust back is to show real change. And that’s the new conservative revolution that I promise. That’s the change only I can deliver. That’s the change only I will bring. Our mission is the prosperity and happiness of the British people – and we start today.”
“We are building on the strong foundations of the past and I’m standing because I believe in Britain.
“I have fought for Britain and I have had enough of those who want to manage decline. That’s what socialism delivers.
“It’s not who I am, it’s not who you are and nothing is more fatal to a mission than losing faith in the future. Nothing is more fatal to success than setting our ambition so low that we don’t even try. And nothing is more fatal to a nation than giving up on our belief in it.
“That’s why we must win. Not in 10 years, not in 15, but in five. We can’t afford Labour, the country can’t afford socialism, we can’t afford to wait. And I will not wait. It’s time to seize the moment and turn this around.”
Tom Tugendhat said “freedom, as we know, is our greatest strength” and recalled his time as chairman of the foreign affairs committee and the security minister.
“I’m proud of the role played by our Armed Forces overnight… I will always remember the promise I made to keep our country safe.
“Friends, we need to remember who we serve and how our problems are connected and how we fix them together. We need to give young people the chance to own a home, connect that home to work, connect that work to growth… Conservative economics help you control your own wealth and your own life.
“Conservative delivery starts with the patient and the pupil, not the faceless bureaucrat.”
Tom Tugendhat pledged to strip away “excess regulations and barriers” from the NHS and offer a “great education wherever you live”.
“It’s all about trust. Trust is the foundation of growth, the growth that we need to see our country prosper. Trust allows us to simplify our laws and to bring down taxes.
“And my vision of a Conservative Britain is a Britain where people are trusted and free. We need a conservative revolution in thinking across government to get there and the only way we’re going to industrialise our economy and get jobs back here is to have a conservative revolution now.”
Tom Tugendhat said of migration “of course we need an effective deterrent”.
“But we must solve as well as stop, which is why I’ll set a legal cap on migration of 100,000, not a target, not an ambition, but a cap.
“This is about visas, not about foreign courts. Let me tell you something my opponents probably won’t. This isn’t simple. We issued the visas because businesses need the staff for our care homes and our hospitals, to look after our families.
“So how do we square this circle? Well we need to fix migration by fixing the gaps in education and skills and in transport and in housing so we can recruit at home and not abroad. Now I will end the caps on apprenticeships and use the immigration skills charge to train our own people.”
Tom Tugendhat said: “Real growth, not the illusion of growth that has been boosted by migration, has barely shifted in the past 30 years. Now that’s left us poorer and more vulnerable. We need to free the economy.
“We need a new conservative revolution. That’s what Margaret Thatcher did, that’s what we need to do again and we can do it.”
He hailed the work of Lord Houchen and Andy Street, the current and former Tory metro mayors.
“They focused on delivery not ideology, they understand that Britain needs leaders who just get it done because Conservative leadership changes lives.”
Tom Tugendhat declared “we have to fight to rescue our country”.
“To those who want to divide us, I say this. I served with men and women of every religion and background with pride. We are one nation, we are one United Kingdom. The Conservative Party and our country are both built on the same thing, they’re both built on patriotism and purpose.
“Patriotism brings us together and purpose gives us a stake in our future. So as Labour’s mandate evaporates before our eyes, we need to be ready.”
Mr Tugendhat adds: “As your leader I will rebuild CCHQ from the ground up, putting you at the heart of our party, and I will turn us back to being the campaign-winning machine we can be.
“My mission is to win the next general election and I have never failed a mission yet.”
Tom Tugendhat said in his Tory conference speech: “Let’s be honest as a patriot I want what’s best for our country, so I always want our country to succeed. Labour have already shown us who we are. They are the most venal and vindictive administration in decades.”
He hit out at Sir Keir Starmer’s early release scheme, curbs on freedom of speech and cuts to the winter fuel allowance.
“Friends, I will always stand up for those who put their lives on the line to keep our country safe. Because we are the Conservatives, the party of national security, the party of law and order.”
Mr Tugendhat said the Tories “are going to have a lot of cleaning up to do” if they win power from Labour, accusing Sir Keir of an “attack on business” through tax rises.
Tom Tugendhat promises to turn the Conservatives from “a Westminster club to a champion of Conservative voices”.
“From Holyrood to Cardiff Bay and Stormont and every council across our great country, I will defeat Labour and lead us back to power in five years’ time. We all know that this country cannot afford Labour.
“You can’t afford Labour, I can’t afford Labour, Lord Alli can’t afford Labour.”
“Unlike Labour I will never apologise, ever, for who we are and the country we can be. From Churchill to Thatcher, our party has led the fight for freedom, united against the threats that we faced.
“But we need to face the truth, many who share our values did not vote for us. So let me speak directly to those of you who have supported us in the past but didn’t this time.
“If you went to Reform I want to show you the Conservative values that we share. If you went to the Lib Dems I want you to see the opportunities that only we can deliver. If you went to Labour I want to show you why freedom, not state control, is how we build.
“If you stayed at home, I want to make you proud to vote Conservative again.”
“I’m standing because what we need is leadership. I’m standing not just to become leader of the Conservative Party, but to be the next leader of this great country.
“Now friends, I know what leadership really is. Before I stood for Parliament, I was a soldier, I served our country and I faced our enemies. I know what leadership demands.
“When everything has been cut away and there is nothing left, character is what is left. In Iraq and Afghanistan I served in combat along the best. I’ve seen friends push themselves beyond their limits and some made the ultimate sacrifice.”
Mr Tugendhat added: “I know what drove them, I know what drove me. Leadership. It is not about empty promises or government by management consultancy, it is not about managed decline or talking our country down. Leadership is about making choices that serve our country and our people best.
“I will serve our country, I will lead with conviction, I will act decisively. My mission is the prosperity and the happiness of the British people. Together we can win.”
Tom Tugendhat said the contest had included “too much about change without saying how”.
“I’ve had enough of the lack of substance, the lack of principle, the lack of clarity.
“My friends, I’ve had enough of Westminster’s political games, petty pointscoring and self-service. It’s not becoming of our great party or our great nation. We can do better.”
Tom Tugendhat, the shadow security minister said: “Good morning conference!” only to receive a muted reception, forcing him to say: “Shall we try that again? Good morning conference!” to a better reception.
“The last four days here with all of you has helped deliver my disappointment and my anger into optimism. I can feel the determination, I can feel the energy, I can feel the hope… I know we can and we will rebuild this party.
“I know we can and we will reconnect with the British people. I know we can and we will restore trust. And I know if we restore trust, we can and we will win again.”
Supporters of Tom Tugendhat can be heard saying: “Do you want a Conservative in opposition or a Conservative as prime minister?
“It’s a simple question but it’s the only question that matters. Because we can debate how we would do things differently the next time round, none of it matters if we fail to defeat Labour.
“That’s why we’re backing Tom Tugendhat to be the next Conservative Prime Minister, because he will serve our country, he will lead with conviction and act decisively.”
They add that Mr Tugendhat was a “proven leader” who served in Iraq and Afganistan and delivered “actual Conservative values in government” as security minister.
Stuart Andrew recalled his journey from being a “working-class kid from Wales” to Chief Whip of the Conservative Party.
“Conference, this is a crucial time for our party but it is also an exciting time. We have four fantastic candidates who will now set out their plans for the country. It’s on me as Chief Whip, or whoever takes on this role, to lead the way in Parliament and I ask you, our loyal party members, to do the same across the whole of the United Kingdom. North, south, east, west, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.”
“For some of you your favourite candidate may not be our next leader.
“But regardless, we have all got to get behind who wins.
“We are the most successful political party in the world for a reason.
“Because our forbearers, as custodians of our party, have come together when their backs were against the wall to build back when they have fallen short. I, you, we are those custodians today and we can build back again and we will build back again.”
Stuart Andrew condemned Labour’s “cynical attack” on pensioners by cutting winter fuel payments for around 10 million retirees and accused it of “broken promises” on energy bills.
“That is why it is our obligation to hold this Labour Government to account.
“It was the Conservatives that put Labour’s cruel decision to cut the winter fuel payment into the news and forced a vote in Parliament.
“And it is the Conservatives that have shown that the phoney claim of the black hole is just smoke and mirrors. And we will keep going. We as Conservative MPs owe that to you and we as Conservative MPs owe it to the country.”
Stuart Andrew, the Conservative Chief Whip, told conference: “We are normally the ones stalking the corridor of Westminster ensuring the smooth and efficient running of Parliament… I want your help with the future of our party, and the role we all need to play in that.
“We all know that the general election result is not what we wanted or what I believe the country deserved.
“Despite the very best efforts of so many of you here we lost so many brilliant MPs who I and I know you hope to see back on those green benches again. But that will take every effort over the next four years, an effort we all need to put in.
“And okay, yes, we’re bruised, yes, we’re deflated, and yes, we may only have 121 MPs. But conference, let me tell you, we are certainly not done. In fact, we are only just getting started.”
Stuart Andrew, the Chief Whip of the Conservative Party, is speaking before the candidates take to the stage.
“Conference, today I will highlight the face we have ahead of us and what we are already doing in Parliament to hold this Labour Government to account,” Mr Andrew said.
He added that the Conservatives stand fully behind Israel’s right to defend itself following the attacks by Iran, adding: “At times like this we will work constructively and responsibly with the Government as that is the right thing to do in the national interest.”
The shadow security minister will be the first to make his leadership pitch:
Ready to go. Delighted to be backed by my good friend @sarah_bool. pic.twitter.com/g6UT0QmKvi
Nigel Farage has told Good Morning Britain the Conservatives have “no chance” of winning the next general election.
The Reform leader said the Tory brand had been “completely broken” by the party’s time in office:
The Conservative brand is completely broken. They have no chance of winning the next election. pic.twitter.com/1azT6Ks0mm
It is a deeply wounded Conservative Party that has gathered in Birmingham for its conference this week. What is most striking is that the bulk of the remaining 121 Tory MPs are suffering some kind of self-delusion.
They seem to seriously believe that all they have to do is pick a new leader, develop some fresh policies, and all will be OK – not least because the Labour government has got off to such a terrible start.
In private messages, many of them have said to me words to the effect of “We could be back in five years.” An important part of their formula for victory is to win back voters who switched to the Reform Party in July. They think it’s going to be that simple.
This attitude betrays a total lack of awareness on several different levels. Having gone through five leaders since 2016 and indulged in endless internal squabbling, the Tory party is perceived by most voters as being a bunch of careerists who are more interested in themselves than in the country at large.
Nigel Farage: Only Reform can legitimately oppose Labour’s socialist agenda
Nadine Dorries has said she would be “ecstatic” if any Tory leadership candidate except Kemi Badenoch took charge of the party.
The former culture secretary claimed the idea of Mrs Badenoch succeeding Rishi Sunak as leader of the opposition was “deeply concerning”.
At her only appearance of this year’s Tory conference, Ms Dorries accused the shadow housing secretary – who resigned from Boris Johnson’s government in July 2022 – of plotting against Mr Johnson.
Praising James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat, Ms Dorries told a drinks reception for think tank More in Common: “All three of them put the party first before their own self-interest. All three of them are men of integrity, all three of them have proven they are grown-ups.
“All three of them tried to hold [the] government together. They didn’t undermine either prime minister. And for me, loyalty to the government you’re elected to is the most important thing.”
Read the full story here
James Cleverly is to promise Conservatism “with a smile” if he becomes leader, telling colleagues on Wednesday to stop being the “grumpy party”.
In a deliberately upbeat message to the party conference in Birmingham, Mr Cleverly will urge Tories to be “enthusiastic” and “positive” in opposition.
There will also be a call from the former foreign secretary and home secretary to defend the achievements of 14 years of Conservative government, which ended in July.
The plea to stop being the “grumpy party” has echoes of Theresa May’s infamous warning during the New Labour years that some voters saw the Tories as the “nasty party”.
Mr Cleverly’s optimistic tone matches his overall leadership pitch, which is that if an experienced, media-savvy candidate wins, then the party can unite and take the fight to Labour.
Ben Riley-Smith and Genevieve Holl-Allen have the story
This conference is essentially a beauty pageant; showcasing the best and worst of the candidates, writes Madeline Grant.
On top form, Kemi Badenoch looks unassailable; answering questions with refreshing clarity. Her undoubted charisma could help mitigate the dangers of sliding into oppositional irrelevance. She certainly winds up the right people; I wonder how those pearl-clutching over her claim that “not all cultures are equally valid” would enjoy life in, say, Afghanistan? But recent days also showcased her ability to annoy colleagues and attract headlines for the wrong reasons.
Some doubt the authenticity of Robert Jenrick’s Damascene conversion to immigration control; though conservatism would be nothing without political journeys. Consider Roger Scruton – student radical turned Burkean Tory. Even Peter Hitchens, the great reactionary pessimist and Book of Common prayer aficionado, was once an atheistic Trotskyite.
The received wisdom amongst Tory centrists is that the party would be foolish to “tack Right” in the hopes of wooing Reform voters. “Elections are won from the centre ground”, that paragon of electoral victory, Theresa May, reminded us last weekend.
But is the centre still where they think it is? Over the summer, immigration overtook the NHS as the most important concern cited by voters in Ipsos Mori’s Issues Index. Meanwhile those who believe migration has been “too low” occupy an extreme fringe of public opinion.
Madeline Grant: Is the centre where Tory hopefuls think it is?
Tom Tugendhat will brand Labour “selfish, greedy socialists” on Wednesday as he uses his Tory conference speech to attack Sir Keir Starmer.
The former security minister will say that the Government is already “rudderless” just months after taking power in a landslide election victory.
Addressing the party faithful in Birmingham, he will also warn that five years of Labour will mean “higher taxes, more regulation, more control”.
He will say that the Conservatives must fight back by championing “freedom”, but will warn they can only do so if they end their internal squabbling.
Nick Gutteridge has more here
Kemi Badenoch will declare “wealth is not a dirty word” on Wednesday in a conference speech defending those with assets being targeted by Labour.
The former business secretary, who is seeking the Tory leadership, will display her Conservative values with an argument that wealth-creation should be celebrated.
The rhetoric is timely, with Sir Keir Starmer and his Cabinet ministers having promised that only “working people” will be spared any tax rises in the Budget on Oct 30.
It has led to concerns that capital gains tax or inheritance tax could be increased. Neither option has been ruled out by the Labour government, despite weeks of speculation.
Ben Riley-Smith and Charles Hymas have more here
Robert Jenrick will channel Sir Tony Blair in his conference speech by vowing to build a “new Conservative Party”, should he become Tory leader.
The phrase has been deliberately picked to echo the New Labour drive led by Sir Tony and Gordon Brown, which took the party out of the wilderness of opposition into power in 1997.
Mr Jenrick will also use his speech on Wednesday to name five policy changes he would focus on if he were to win.
These are to “reject mass migration”, focus on “cheap, reliable energy”, “get Britain building again”, a “small state that works” and a “more united country”.
Ben Riley-Smith and Amy Gibbons have more here
Tom Tugenhat told Times Radio: “We’re looking for someone who can lead this country, who can offer leadership against the Labour party, which has already failed against 12 weeks…
“We’re looking for someone who can step in as prime minister.”
Tom Tugendhat was asked about Robert Jenrick’s special forces video claiming the SAS was “killing rather than capturing terrorists” because of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
“I’m afraid what has been said in that video, it’s just factually inaccurate, it’s not true,” he told Times Radio.
Mr Tugendhat said Ben Wallace’s remarks last year were “not the same thing” as the subsequent claims that have been made by Mr Jenrick.
Asked if the comments were dangerous, Mr Tugendhat said they were “unwise”.
Tom Tugendhat told Times Radio one of his first jobs was as a stringer for The Times in Lebanon.
Mr Tugendhat said: “The Iranian influence in the region has been utterly pernicious… The Iranian government has a single aim, which is to spread their revolutionary ideology around the Middle East. They do it in Yemen, they tried to do it in Bahrain and they do it in a number of people do.”
Asked about Israel’s pledge to “react as we see fit” and the prospect of civilian casualties, he replied: “I’m sure like any professional army they will be targeting military targets.
“The aim of the Israeli state has been as far as I’ve seen in the past few days targeting the areas where the rockets are coming from, where those weapons are coming from… I’m not part of the Israeli command team of course but that’s exactly what I’m doing.
“As leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister I’d be urging them to do exactly that.”
Tom Tugendhat, the shadow security minister will be the first leadership hopeful to address the Conservative Party Conference at 10.45am.
James Cleverly, the shadow home secretary, is set to speak second, before Robert Jenrick, who has topped both ballots of Tory MPs to date, makes the third pitch.
Kemi Badenoch, the shadow housing secretary who is widely seen as the grassroots favourite, will close out the conference as she speaks last.
Kemi Badenoch was asked about the row over her maternity pay remarks.
“I was giving broad brush answers about my principles… I am worried about the people who are leaving the country who are not investing…
“Money is walking out the door, people are worried about Labour, they are worried about Rachel Reeves’s Budget, and they want to know what the alternative is going to be.”
Kemi Badenoch accused BBC Radio 4’s Mishal Husain of “rushing into ‘where’s the policy, where’s the policy?’” at a time when the Tory Party “needs to start from principles”.
Mrs Badenoch noted she would have “four years, maybe five” as Conservative leader to formulate a specific policy offering.
“What we are testing is principles and character, not the detail of policy solutions. That will come later. And the more we start talking about policy before we talk about what we agree on, we are more likely to start having arguments…
“I am not starting out with a paper on what an immigration should look like… If you have departments that don’t have an integrated strategy, the Home Office saying we’re going to control immigration, others saying we’re going to do our own thing, then we get into a muddle.”
Kemi Badenoch said immigration policy had to be devised “in tandem”.
“What we did previously was just leave the Home Office to look at people coming in and out. But we need to make sure that when people are coming to this country, they are people who are coming to contribute and also who want the success of our country.
“Of course there will be others who are passing through like student visas for example but if people want to live here, we live in an age where we are not a dormitory, we are not a sponge.
“I’m someone who came to this country when I was 16 and I did so wanting to be here, wanting to be from here. It’s part of an integration strategy. We can’t just say there’s nothing we can do about that.”
She added: “It is about making sure that we keep our values and when I talk about those values it’s values like citizenship being more than just having a passport, it’s the expectation that we create something. I’ve not written an integration strategy, Mishal, I’m saying that we need to have one.
“What you’re asking me is where is the strategy, of course I don’t have a strategy.”
Kemi Badenoch said the Tories risk “going wrong” by developing policies before setting out principles.
“If we keep operating in this fashion, we’re talking about policy without rooting them in principles and core objectives, then we’re going to go wrong,” she told the Today programme.
“What my leadership is about it is not a new manifesto that we’re going to give to this country, it is what conservatism means in 2024. The world is changing and we need to get serious. There is an axis of authoritarian states… We need to start to talking about the picture.”
Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leadership hopeful, is being interviewed by BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“I actually think that having people being entrepreneurs, starting their own businesses, growing businesses is how we grow our economy. And it’s different kinds of businesses.”
Asked if the minimum wage was too high, Mrs Badenoch said: “I don’t, I set the minimum wage when I was business secretary. But the point I’m making is if the other burdens are lightened, they wouldn’t have to pay so much – business rates, corporation tax…
“A lot of the things they have to do for compliance costs money, and one of the things I did as business secretary is try to increase the threshold for when a business becomes a large business.”
Mrs Badenoch said she had been very clear “we need to start from first principles” because the Conservatives are no longer in government.
James Cleverly defended his plans for nobody to pay tax on more than half of their earnings.
“Even if someone is earning over £100,000 a year, if they are working hard, if they are contributing to the economy, especially if they are employing others, we shouldn’t disincentivise that. If we genuinely want to have a vibrant, high-paid economy, we should have the courage…”
Asked why he wanted to scrap stamp duty on homes, Mr Cleverly replied: “Because it stagnates the market.”
On whether he thought the estimated £9bn cost was affordable, he said: “At the last general election, my party was being criticised by the Labour Party for taxing too much. If we don’t start cutting taxes, we stifle the economy and we will ultimately not be able to thrive as a country.”
Asked if he thought Liz Truss was right, he added: “We are taxed too highly. And to be honest with you if we as Conservatives are not prepared to make the case for a more lightly-regulated, more lightly-taxed, faster-growing economy, then we will not be able to afford the public services that people rely upon.”
James Cleverly said the “underlying desire” behind the ‘stop the boats’ slogan was “absolutely right”.
“The reason I said the phrase was unhelpful is it attempted to distill a series of actions we were taking and kind of failed to do so. So we were stopping with the French authorities about half the attempted boat crossings.
“We were doing lots of really good things, all of which I think were obscured.”
James Cleverly said Iran’s attack on Iran represented a “very serious escalation”.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Rockets coming direct from Iran is a very serious escalation in this conflict and it’s very difficult to predict what this means.
“Israel has a very sophisticated air defence system but they are being attacked from multiple locations now and they will of course want to take action to defend themselves.”
Asked about de-escalation, Mr Cleverly replied: “The aggressors have been the ones firing rockets into Israel. Remember this situation started because of a brutal terrorist atrocity on Oct 7, and even before Israel started the land operation, there were criticisms coming from a number of sources.
“And when they started the operation in Gaza we started seeing missiles coming from Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where there was no Israeli military presence. I said when I was foreign secretary the de-escalation needs to start with aggressor and the aggressors are the ones firing missiles into Israel.”
Tom Tugendhat said it is “upsetting” that his Tory leadership rival Robert Jenrick used footage of a soldier he served with in Afghanistan who died shortly after the film was taken.
Mr Jenrick has already sparked a row with the video, in which he claimed the SAS “kill rather than capture terrorists” because of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
In an interview with BBC Newsnight, Mr Tugendhat said the statement made by the former immigration minister “just isn’t true”.
He added: “What’s particularly upsetting is that video is using a piece of footage of some of the people I served with, one of whom there died shortly after that film was taken in an accident.
“And he’s not able to defend himself from the accusation that is being levelled against him. That’s footage of a soldier in northern Afghanistan in around 2002.
“I do not think we should be using footage of our special forces in operations… I would not put that video out. In fact I’d pull it down.”
Dominic Penna here, The Telegraph’s Political Correspondent, guiding you through the final day of the annual Conservative Party Conference here in Birmingham.
It is by far and away the most important day of the annual gathering as all four leadership hopefuls – James Cleverly, Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat – set out their stall to the party faithful.