02/10/2016 - Live Afternoon Session

:00:09. > :00:25.APPLAUSE. Thank you. Good afternoon and well

:00:26. > :00:31.come to Birmingham. I formally declare that Conference is now open.

:00:32. > :00:36.I am the President of the National Convention. Having been too many

:00:37. > :00:43.conferences over the years it seems that they usually take place against

:00:44. > :00:49.a background that is memorable. 2014 and we were well into campaigning

:00:50. > :00:53.for the general election. 2015 and we were celebrating the victory that

:00:54. > :01:08.let as govern without the meditation of the Liberal Democrats. APPLAUSE.

:01:09. > :01:14.And I think I have invented a new collective noun. In meditation of

:01:15. > :01:19.Democrats. 2016 will be kept in our minds as the year of the referendum,

:01:20. > :01:23.a new leader, and Prime Minister. It has in recent years been the

:01:24. > :01:28.practice of presidents to relate how they came to be in the rule. My

:01:29. > :01:32.story goes back to 1992. Having recently moved to Yorkshire, someone

:01:33. > :01:35.from the local association came down my drive to deliver a leaflet for

:01:36. > :01:41.the general election. I offered my help. It must have been all of 30

:01:42. > :01:48.seconds before the branch chairman had a bunch of leaflets in my hand

:01:49. > :01:54.and a delivery route. Since then the path has been the norm. Branch,

:01:55. > :02:02.executive, Association chairman, area and region. In truth this was

:02:03. > :02:07.my resurrection in the party since at the age of eight or nine I had

:02:08. > :02:12.delivered for my father who was on his local council in Lancashire for

:02:13. > :02:16.40 years. With just three and a half years until the general election we

:02:17. > :02:22.need to continue with that spirit of campaigning. The work we do know is

:02:23. > :02:26.invaluable. To ask electors know what their problems are has more

:02:27. > :02:31.credibility than asking them two months before the election. Let me

:02:32. > :02:35.thank everyone who is already working so hard in the campaign. I

:02:36. > :02:41.hope you enjoy the fantastic programme we have ahead this week.

:02:42. > :02:44.Now I want to introduce someone who is no stranger to elections, someone

:02:45. > :02:51.who has been in Parliament for 30 years. Patrick McLoughlin. It tells

:02:52. > :02:55.you a lot about the man that as a miner he stood as a Conservative

:02:56. > :03:02.candidate in areas close to call fields. It also tells you a lot that

:03:03. > :03:08.he succeeded in so many rules from junior transport minister, to Chief

:03:09. > :03:11.Whip, Transport Secretary, and now party chairman. But before we

:03:12. > :07:18.welcome him to the stage we have a very special video.

:07:19. > :07:34.APPLAUSE. Thank you. And thanks to all the

:07:35. > :07:39.help that the convention officers are doing during this conference.

:07:40. > :07:45.Conference, this is the first time I have spoken to you as your party

:07:46. > :07:49.chairman. It feels a bit like coming home. Home to the heart of the party

:07:50. > :07:56.that I love and which has helped me make something of my life. A party

:07:57. > :08:04.that I joined over 40 years ago, attending my first conference in

:08:05. > :08:11.1977, starting in the Young Conservatives as a district

:08:12. > :08:17.councillor in Cannock Chase, as a Staffordshire County Council, and as

:08:18. > :08:22.an MP for Derbyshire deals, serving on the front bench since 1989. I

:08:23. > :08:30.served as a junior minister under Thatcher and John Major. As a

:08:31. > :08:34.Cabinet minister under David Cameron and no Theresa May. All of them

:08:35. > :08:35.great leaders, achieving important things for our country, and they

:08:36. > :09:01.deserve our thanks. What here today, in Birmingham, it's

:09:02. > :09:05.a bit like coming home in another way to. To place I grew up.

:09:06. > :09:09.Actually, it was Cannock. Not far away, the road. When I worked as a

:09:10. > :09:14.minor and my father and grandfather worked as minors before me. It's

:09:15. > :09:18.true. There weren't many conservative members of the pit that

:09:19. > :09:24.I worked at. LAUGHTER

:09:25. > :09:30.But conservative roots go deep air in Birmingham. A city that Joe

:09:31. > :09:34.Chamberlain once made the weather in politics, as Churchill said. He

:09:35. > :09:37.brought the support of the Liberal Unionists and both his sons went on

:09:38. > :09:44.to lead our party. And the Conservative Party, we are making

:09:45. > :09:50.the weather today. Backing a new mayor for the West Midlands. We have

:09:51. > :09:55.a great candidate in Andy Cannock Street. Not your typical politician.

:09:56. > :10:02.A man with a fantastic business record, now putting himself up for

:10:03. > :10:09.public service. He's a proud local. Passionate the West Midlands. And

:10:10. > :10:13.Andy has the experience and the vision to make this region even

:10:14. > :10:22.better. APPLAUSE

:10:23. > :10:28.Next year, we face an important set of elections. County council

:10:29. > :10:36.elections up and down the country, local elections in Wales and

:10:37. > :10:42.Scotland. We cannot afford to be complacent. I know you won't be.

:10:43. > :10:48.Because we know that winning matters in politics. It's the thing that

:10:49. > :10:56.earned us the right to achieve great things for people. But it's not

:10:57. > :11:01.everything. Maybe as party chairman in charge of campaigns, I shouldn't

:11:02. > :11:07.say that. What's funny, this job is about building the party and the

:11:08. > :11:13.people we get involved in it. It's about members like me and you

:11:14. > :11:20.starting to look for a way to make a difference. And those who care for

:11:21. > :11:28.our country enough to do their bit, if this is your first conference,

:11:29. > :11:36.right now, politics is amazing. Labour is tearing itself apart.

:11:37. > :11:46.Every former Labour leader publicly saying that Jeremy Corbyn is unfit

:11:47. > :11:57.to lead their party. 172 Labour MPs voted no confidence in their leader.

:11:58. > :12:00.172. How on earth are they, with a straight face, going to recommend

:12:01. > :12:01.him to the British people to be by Minister of this country?

:12:02. > :12:20.APPLAUSE Liberal Democrats...

:12:21. > :12:32.LAUGHTER Them? -- remember them? Don't

:12:33. > :12:38.underestimate them. The S NPR in power in Scotland, facing a

:12:39. > :12:43.brilliant, thriving, Conservative opposition underlay fantastic

:12:44. > :12:55.leadership of Ruth Davidson. -- SNP. APPLAUSE

:12:56. > :13:02.What an amazing achievement she had this year. Taking our party from 15

:13:03. > :13:10.seats to 31, beating Labour into second place.

:13:11. > :13:16.APPLAUSE And we know that with Ruth as leader

:13:17. > :13:23.is of the opposition, the SNP finally going to be held to account

:13:24. > :13:27.for what they are doing. Now, a bit of an understatement this. A what

:13:28. > :13:37.has happened since our last party conference. But one important thing

:13:38. > :13:46.is the same. It is still a la party that the people of Britain trust to

:13:47. > :13:54.run the country under our second female Prime Minister, Theresa May.

:13:55. > :14:10.APPLAUSE My message is this. There was a time

:14:11. > :14:14.when not long ago, some clever people used to claim that party

:14:15. > :14:22.politics was over. Nobody wanted to join any more. Well, how wrong they

:14:23. > :14:25.were. Tens of thousands of people have either joined or rejoined other

:14:26. > :14:34.party this year and that is great news.

:14:35. > :14:40.APPLAUSE And I'm pleased to say that, this

:14:41. > :14:44.year, there are more party members attending a conference than at any

:14:45. > :14:49.time in the last decade. But yes, our opponents are growing, too. Lots

:14:50. > :14:56.of people getting involved. That's a good thing. That's democracy.

:14:57. > :15:02.Politics matters. This fight that we are in, it is real. I promise you,

:15:03. > :15:07.as party chairman, I'm going to make sure that we don't forget that. I

:15:08. > :15:11.know, over the last few years, we have lost some people. There have

:15:12. > :15:18.been some family rows. We have all seen it. Well, that needs to be

:15:19. > :15:26.over. It is time to come together again, backing a brave progressive,

:15:27. > :15:40.optimistic, determined, bold comic Conservative governments. -- bold,.

:15:41. > :15:46.Let me say something about the boundary review. This is all about

:15:47. > :15:52.ensuring that everyone's vote carries equal weight. Because, if we

:15:53. > :15:58.don't, MPs could end up representing constituencies based on data that is

:15:59. > :16:04.over 20 years old. Today, there are some constituencies with more than

:16:05. > :16:06.twice as many votes as others. In a modern democratic system, that

:16:07. > :16:15.cannot be right. APPLAUSE

:16:16. > :16:21.cannot be right. And, of course, Labour are playing

:16:22. > :16:25.political games. Opposing the changes that Parliament has already

:16:26. > :16:30.voted fall. Riddled with infighting and threats of the selection by the

:16:31. > :16:35.hard left, they are trying to block these reforms. Now, it might not be

:16:36. > :16:38.convenient for some Labour MPs but it's not good enough for those

:16:39. > :16:45.people whose vote counts half as much. We said that we would act and

:16:46. > :16:49.make everyone's about Dominic vote count equally. We put in our

:16:50. > :16:53.manifesto at the last general election and it was enacted in the

:16:54. > :16:55.last parliament with Nick Clegg's support. The changes must take

:16:56. > :17:09.place. APPLAUSE

:17:10. > :17:12.Sometimes, politics is hard. We've had to take some tough decisions

:17:13. > :17:19.knowing that they are the right ones for the country. All of us, at some

:17:20. > :17:22.point in our lives, will rely on the National Health Service. It is one

:17:23. > :17:30.of the things that makes our country great. Jeremy Hunt, our Health

:17:31. > :17:35.Secretary, is ensuring that our NHS just does not have a future but it

:17:36. > :17:43.gives people the certainty of a world-class care. Wherever and

:17:44. > :17:46.whenever they need it. Philip Hammond, as Chancellor, is tasked

:17:47. > :17:52.with building an economy which works for a free one. That doesn't just

:17:53. > :17:59.create jobs. It provides job security. The decisions, taken by

:18:00. > :18:10.strong politicians. -- toff decisions. Where going to take the

:18:11. > :18:13.great strength of our party and make it stronger still. Today, I can

:18:14. > :18:20.announce that the campaign team will be training the next generation of

:18:21. > :18:26.Conservative campaign managers in a year - long apprenticeship scheme.

:18:27. > :18:31.Enabling us to build on our successes in 2015, in places like

:18:32. > :18:38.Molly and outward, Gallo. Places like Cornwall, Cheadle and Darlene

:18:39. > :18:46.all. -- Derby North. APPLAUSE

:18:47. > :18:58.Remember how sweet it was to unseat Vince Cable? Who knows is going to

:18:59. > :19:02.be in our targets in 2020? We also know that, in some of our major

:19:03. > :19:06.cities, we simply lack the capacity to deliver our message effectively

:19:07. > :19:10.on the doorstep. That is why we are bringing in a new team of city

:19:11. > :19:18.campaign managers, ready to take the fight to Labour in their heartland.

:19:19. > :19:23.Working with my vice-chairman for cities and my PBS, Stuart Andrews,

:19:24. > :19:31.that will be an important change. APPLAUSE

:19:32. > :19:36.Entries are made, we have a Prime Minister who knows what our party

:19:37. > :19:42.can achieve. -- Theresa May. She was a councillor. She has been out

:19:43. > :19:46.everywhere to meet members. I know, from talking to, it's what she

:19:47. > :19:50.thrives on. This matters so much because they simply cannot afford

:19:51. > :19:59.them are now more than ever, to let the Labour Party near a sniff of

:20:00. > :20:09.pallor. -- power. Just imagine, for a few seconds, Labour wins the 2020

:20:10. > :20:15.general election. Jeremy Corbyn is in Downing Street, raising the red

:20:16. > :20:21.flag. John McDonald is raising every taxi can find and inventing some new

:20:22. > :20:35.ones. Diane Abbott... LAUGHTER

:20:36. > :20:41.Is running the health service. Ken Livingstone, twice defeated by our

:20:42. > :20:42.brilliant foreigners Dominic Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson...

:20:43. > :20:59.APPLAUSE Twice defeated but I am perched,

:21:00. > :21:04.shoved into the back-seat of the primers to a car. Mind, Peter

:21:05. > :21:10.Mandelson is locked in the boot. Every cloud has a silver lining.

:21:11. > :21:16.Just because the prospect is so appalling, conference, it does not

:21:17. > :21:20.mean it couldn't happen. We have used that by sharing a better way

:21:21. > :21:25.and creating opportunities for people at every stage of their

:21:26. > :21:29.lives. It's what we did in the four years that I spent at the Department

:21:30. > :21:32.for Transport, rebuilding Britain, investing in our towns and cities.

:21:33. > :21:39.Just look at Birmingham new Street station. A ?750 million revamp,

:21:40. > :21:41.bringing more capacity, better facilities and hundreds of new jobs

:21:42. > :21:52.to the heart of bringing them in Birmingham. -- Birmingham.

:21:53. > :22:00.APPLAUSE And where stamping the Conservative

:22:01. > :22:02.Mark on the country with more children attending good and

:22:03. > :22:10.outstanding schools. More than 2 million apprenticeships. A national

:22:11. > :22:19.minimum, living wage. Investment in our NHS. Lower crime. The largest in

:22:20. > :22:27.cream in -- increase in state pensions for 50 years.

:22:28. > :22:33.APPLAUSE Conference, we can look back over

:22:34. > :22:36.the last six years with pride. Pride, in particular, to have been

:22:37. > :22:42.led by David Cameron. Now, the achievements that our party made

:22:43. > :22:50.under David are real. He too was from 198 Members of Parliament, in

:22:51. > :22:59.2005, two 329 today. I very much hope...

:23:00. > :23:04.APPLAUSE I very much hope that we can make

:23:05. > :23:08.Robert courts, here with us this afternoon, our candidate in the west

:23:09. > :23:14.Oxfordshire and Whitney, the 330th next one.

:23:15. > :23:36.APPLAUSE Anybody who cares about politics

:23:37. > :23:41.should admire David Cameron's honesty and decency. A few months

:23:42. > :23:46.ago he was due to speak as a fundraiser in my constituency. In

:23:47. > :23:51.one of those weird twists of fate that is any party's worst nightmare

:23:52. > :23:56.it ended up taking place the day after he left Downing Street. I was

:23:57. > :24:02.assuming he might give it a miss. But no. He came along. They came

:24:03. > :24:04.along and spoke from the heart and shook everybody by the hand. It

:24:05. > :24:25.showed the measure of the man. 'S he loves this party and he loves

:24:26. > :24:27.his country. David, we thank you for what you have done for our party and

:24:28. > :24:44.country. Thanks also to George Osborne. As

:24:45. > :24:50.Chancellor he turned our economy around. 2.7 million more jobs since

:24:51. > :24:57.Labour left office. The deficit is capped by two thirds. Over 900,000

:24:58. > :25:00.more businesses created. And also I want to give special thanks to

:25:01. > :25:02.Andrew Feldman. Andrew, thank you for the brilliant job you did as my

:25:03. > :25:24.predecessor. APPLAUSE Raising funds, building a strong

:25:25. > :25:28.team, helping us to win that 2015 election. The next three and a half

:25:29. > :25:33.years are about building on those foundations. I was so proud to say

:25:34. > :25:38.Theresa May could so brilliantly in her address on the steps of Downing

:25:39. > :25:45.Street. Contrast for a moment our smooth transition with the utter

:25:46. > :25:50.farce that we have seen in Labour. A leader supported by less than 20% of

:25:51. > :25:55.his MPs. To leadership elections in less than one year. At one stage

:25:56. > :26:01.more court battles than actual hustings. Conference, the

:26:02. > :26:09.Conservative Party any Government has a clear path. To deliver a

:26:10. > :26:15.Brexit and to begin work. To tackle the injustices that still exist in

:26:16. > :26:18.our nation. And to build a country that works for everyone. That is

:26:19. > :26:31.what we Conservatives have always done. There was a brilliant moment

:26:32. > :26:32.in Theresa May's first PM speech when she turned to the Labour leader

:26:33. > :26:56.and effectively said, 2-0. Because while the Labour Party talk

:26:57. > :27:07.about equality, it is the Conservative Party that delivers it.

:27:08. > :27:13.Ours is the party that brought equal votes for women, extended the

:27:14. > :27:17.franchise, gave council tenants the right to get a foot on the property

:27:18. > :27:21.ladder, elected the first woman to sit in the House of Commons as an

:27:22. > :27:29.MP, kept our promise is to the poorest people in the world, thanks

:27:30. > :27:36.to Justin dealing and her successor, Priti Patel, for all they are doing

:27:37. > :27:41.in international developments. Ours is a party which elects strong

:27:42. > :27:49.leaders while other parties forget what leadership is. But here is the

:27:50. > :27:55.thing. We can never just imagine that people will thank us for what

:27:56. > :28:04.we have done. I always remember the story of a Labour MP canvassing in

:28:05. > :28:10.the 1979 general election on a council estate. He came across a

:28:11. > :28:15.House which was full of Conservative posters and he went up and he

:28:16. > :28:20.knocked on the door. He said, I got you this council House. Without my

:28:21. > :28:28.help you would never have got the House. And the gentleman said, yes,

:28:29. > :28:31.you did. And I am very grateful to you. But you will not sell it to me,

:28:32. > :28:47.will you? We have got to be ready to rise to

:28:48. > :28:53.the challenge of the moment. To take no one's vote for granted. To keep

:28:54. > :28:58.their trust and remain on the side of people who work hard and do the

:28:59. > :29:04.right thing. My message is this, there has never been a more exciting

:29:05. > :29:09.time to be a Conservative. Come and play your part. If you are one of

:29:10. > :29:13.the thousands of new members, get out on the doorstep and campaign. If

:29:14. > :29:18.you are one of our army of councillors, take pride in what you

:29:19. > :29:22.offer your community, and get out on the doorstep and campaign. If you

:29:23. > :29:27.are looking at politics and you care about our future and our country,

:29:28. > :29:28.whatever your background, come and be part of the Conservative Party.

:29:29. > :30:21.Thank you. APPLAUSE Good afternoon again, conference. It

:30:22. > :30:28.gives me great pleasure to welcome Lord Heseltine, a man who needs very

:30:29. > :30:33.little by way of introduction, having been a prominent figure in

:30:34. > :30:38.the governments of both Lady Thatcher and John Major. I am

:30:39. > :30:41.delighted he has agreed to shore as -- to join us today. Please welcome

:30:42. > :31:06.Lord Heseltine. APPLAUSE Mr Chairman, I first addressed this

:31:07. > :31:15.conference 49 years ago. APPLAUSE

:31:16. > :31:26.It was in Blackpool, late in the day, about transport policy. And the

:31:27. > :31:34.whole was empty. As I look across this whole packed to the rafters

:31:35. > :31:49.with excitement and anticipation I can only reflect that everything

:31:50. > :31:58.comes to those who wait. APPLAUSE But I have another agenda item.

:31:59. > :32:04.It is now nearly as long ago since the 16-year-old William Hague, in

:32:05. > :32:08.one of the outstanding conference speeches of our time, pointed

:32:09. > :32:23.loosely in my direction as he forecast, you will not be here.

:32:24. > :32:30.APPLAUSE You got many things right, William,

:32:31. > :32:39.but you got that one wrong. But I must be brief. I have only one task.

:32:40. > :32:43.I am here to introduce to Conference, Andy Street, our

:32:44. > :32:47.candidate for the new mayoral constituency of the West Midlands in

:32:48. > :32:56.next year's first elections for the devolved authorities. From my first

:32:57. > :33:00.experiences of Government in the 1970s I have wrestled with the

:33:01. > :33:04.conflict over the role of local Government. As the rule of central

:33:05. > :33:11.Government to centralise in the pursuit of quality, or to devolve in

:33:12. > :33:19.order to enthuse and excite a more locally inspired solution? Starting

:33:20. > :33:24.in the early 1980s we began to experiment and then to consolidate

:33:25. > :33:31.new partnerships, sharing power with the men and women who read our local

:33:32. > :33:35.communities. As Patrick so eloquently said, our party has a

:33:36. > :33:42.proud record of social reform stretching back into the early 19th

:33:43. > :33:47.century and exemplified by the spirit of one nation, endorsed by

:33:48. > :33:52.Theresa May and her commitment to ensure our policies benefit the

:33:53. > :33:58.many, not just the few. I salute the thought and the purpose. Let me know

:33:59. > :34:04.see why I think that Andy Street is so qualified to carry our standard

:34:05. > :34:11.in Greater Birmingham, the West Midlands, Midland engine. Let me say

:34:12. > :34:19.so to this audience but also to their wider audience that is

:34:20. > :34:26.watching our deliberations. Andy brings to distinguished and relevant

:34:27. > :34:33.experiences to the task. First, he built his career by climbing the

:34:34. > :34:37.ladder of one of our most successful companies, the John Lewis

:34:38. > :34:44.partnership. The slogan associated with that company, never knowingly

:34:45. > :34:51.undersold, was not created by producing shoddy products at

:34:52. > :35:01.knockout places, it was about fair prices, for quality products. Never

:35:02. > :35:08.forget that it is you, the customer, who Judge whether such acclaim is

:35:09. > :35:13.justified. Andy has spent his life satisfying customers. He now wants

:35:14. > :35:19.to bring the same obsession with quality to the provision of public

:35:20. > :35:26.service. There is something else. The John Lewis partnership is owned

:35:27. > :35:34.by all its employees. They come from all classes, of communities, are

:35:35. > :35:41.blind to the issues of colour or creed. They all share in the company

:35:42. > :35:46.'s profits and success. Andy has had to live with the discipline of

:35:47. > :35:55.satisfying customers but at the same time ensure that he retains the

:35:56. > :35:59.goodwill of his fellow employees. Again, be clear indication of his

:36:00. > :36:06.ability to serve the public as voters and as working people, and as

:36:07. > :36:13.those dependent on public service. Andy has another qualification. In

:36:14. > :36:20.the drive to devolve power, pioneers particularly by George Osborne, Greg

:36:21. > :36:27.Clark, and no Sajid Javid, was enthusiastic endorsement of Theresa

:36:28. > :36:29.May, Andy has led the local enterprise partnership here in

:36:30. > :36:38.Greater Birmingham since its inception in the last Parliament.

:36:39. > :36:43.The creation of the combined authority has required a cross-party

:36:44. > :36:53.alliance which is given a vital cohesion to the new interest. Ably

:36:54. > :37:00.cheered by our leader in Solihull that embraces local leaders of the

:37:01. > :37:06.major parties. Andy has been at the centre of the devolution agenda and

:37:07. > :37:16.has proved by success how this area has benefited. I am a political

:37:17. > :37:24.realist. You do not go into politics to be popular. After eight years of

:37:25. > :37:32.near frozen living standards there is an uneasy mood out there across

:37:33. > :37:38.the advanced world. And the descriptions of it are commonplace.

:37:39. > :37:46.The anti-ageing elite. They are only in it for what they can get out of

:37:47. > :37:52.it. Let no one make any mistake and associate Andy Street with those

:37:53. > :37:55.distortions. He will give up a salary that would make even the

:37:56. > :38:02.local football heroes gasp with envy. And he will he give it up?

:38:03. > :38:12.Because he is a Grammy. This is home. He was born here. He grew up

:38:13. > :38:16.here. He loves that. He will serve it with the characteristics of

:38:17. > :38:21.service and quality that are the hallmarks of every stage of his

:38:22. > :38:24.life. I hope that every voter will think carefully about which of the

:38:25. > :38:34.candidates has the experience and the track record to turn words into

:38:35. > :38:36.deeds, policies and actions. They will find no one with more to offer

:38:37. > :39:12.than Andy. Thank you. APPLAUSE Michael, thank you for that

:39:13. > :39:21.wonderfully generous introduction. At a building like that, I sense I

:39:22. > :39:25.really do know the meaning of being never knowingly undersold. Ladies

:39:26. > :39:32.and gentlemen, you've just heard from the architect of evolution.

:39:33. > :39:36.Indeed, the architect of regional mayors. A man who, in his own words,

:39:37. > :39:44.has been giving the same speech for 40 years. The difference, though, is

:39:45. > :39:48.that now we are all listening. And acting on those words. Here, in the

:39:49. > :39:55.West Midlands, we are turning that vision into reality. That is why I'm

:39:56. > :40:02.here today. To serve you as the Conservative candidate for the mayor

:40:03. > :40:06.of the West Midlands. I am equally delighted to welcome you to my home

:40:07. > :40:10.city of Birmingham. I first went to school just down the road from here,

:40:11. > :40:14.had my first job interview just a stone's throw from there and my mum

:40:15. > :40:19.and dad still live in the same house that I grew up in. Indeed, this

:40:20. > :40:25.region has formed me. It has been my heritage and it is fundamental to

:40:26. > :40:29.what has made me a conservative. After 30 years in business, this

:40:30. > :40:35.place has drawn me to front line politics, to stand before you today

:40:36. > :40:39.in what I describe as a defining moment for my home region. Make a

:40:40. > :40:45.mistake, this region is going places. You'll have seen all the

:40:46. > :40:50.cranes on the skyline, and I hope that when you step off the train,

:40:51. > :40:56.you might have even marvelled at what must now be one of Europe's

:40:57. > :40:58.finest railway stations. They you were even seduced by a certain

:40:59. > :41:09.department store... LAUGHTER

:41:10. > :41:12.APPLAUSE As it's now graces New Street

:41:13. > :41:16.Station. So, ladies and gentlemen, normally

:41:17. > :41:22.at this time of year, I'm thinking about the creation of the Jon Lewis

:41:23. > :41:26.Christmas advert. The Bears, the hares, the Penguin, the old man on

:41:27. > :41:32.the moon. This year, that's not my concern. There are more concerned,

:41:33. > :41:37.concerning matters for me. Many of you have said to me that you're

:41:38. > :41:41.giving up all of that politics? The answer is yes. Precisely. Because

:41:42. > :41:46.they are at that defining moment for our region. Our Prime Minister and

:41:47. > :41:50.her team, they understand and they see the potential of this region.

:41:51. > :41:54.They believe in evolution and they understand that the best answers for

:41:55. > :42:00.the West Midlands, from the people of the West Midlands. Nobody

:42:01. > :42:07.questions why London has a mayor. Indeed, every great city around the

:42:08. > :42:11.world has a stronger voice. Now, thanks to this document, it can be

:42:12. > :42:17.exactly the same for the great cities of England. For me, I just

:42:18. > :42:21.couldn't let this opportunity pass by. Most importantly, I couldn't let

:42:22. > :42:30.it fall into Labour's hands by default. Conference, the stakes here

:42:31. > :42:37.are five. Let me tell you about the West Midlands. It's a place where

:42:38. > :42:43.enterprise in its DNA. -- with enterprise. The industrial

:42:44. > :42:48.revolution to modern banking. For decades, the economy here

:42:49. > :42:53.underperformed. As a result, the consequence has been some social

:42:54. > :42:56.pain. Indeed, the very constituency in which you are sitting in two-day

:42:57. > :43:04.has the highest unemployment in Great Britain. That cannot be right.

:43:05. > :43:09.A life expectancy in parts of this region is well below what it could

:43:10. > :43:15.and should be. However, since 2010, a la fortunes have begun to change.

:43:16. > :43:18.It was then that he knew Government asked business to share in the

:43:19. > :43:24.leadership of economic development through the local enterprise

:43:25. > :43:28.partnerships, as Michael talk about. It's been a privilege to lead that

:43:29. > :43:32.organisation here. We've shown that teamwork and collaboration can

:43:33. > :43:40.deliver. The results speak themselves. Over the past six years,

:43:41. > :43:45.the greater earning and Solihull area has created private sector jobs

:43:46. > :43:50.faster than anywhere else in the UK. -- Greater Birmingham. The West

:43:51. > :43:54.Midlands had the best exporting figures because of our research and

:43:55. > :43:58.local manufacturing companies and the RB only region in Britain that

:43:59. > :44:09.can boast a trade surplus with China.

:44:10. > :44:14.APPLAUSE Last year, there will all businesses

:44:15. > :44:21.born in Birmingham than anywhere else outside of the capital. So,

:44:22. > :44:25.friends, the choice is very start. Do we go back to Labour's old way of

:44:26. > :44:33.doing things, where they think they know best? Or do we liberate our

:44:34. > :44:40.great regions and their talents? You know the answer. As mayor,

:44:41. > :44:44.therefore, my guiding aim will be, once again, to make this place the

:44:45. > :44:55.regional economic powerhouse of Britain. Some will question that

:44:56. > :44:59.ambition. But the lesson of history, indeed, the lesson of Joseph

:45:00. > :45:03.Chamberlain, businessmen and mayor of this city, is that our social

:45:04. > :45:09.challenges can only be met when everybody shares in the fruits of

:45:10. > :45:19.economic progress. I understand how that works. It's the principle upon

:45:20. > :45:23.which John Lewis is founded. A business which shares its success

:45:24. > :45:30.with all of its partners. It's what we call partnership for all. We now

:45:31. > :45:33.need our own partnership for all in the West Midlands. A partnership

:45:34. > :45:40.about cities, a partnership about unity is, a partnership of

:45:41. > :45:44.opportunities. What is to be done? Will the mayor go banging the drum

:45:45. > :45:49.around the world for us? Will be mayor fight hard for the best deal

:45:50. > :45:55.from central governments? Indeed, will be mayor make the case are us

:45:56. > :46:02.hosting the Commonwealth Games hair? With the mayor, Leanne says yes,

:46:03. > :46:11.yes, yes. -- the answer is. APPLAUSE

:46:12. > :46:15.But above all else, it is about building a sustainable economic

:46:16. > :46:19.future and that is not about simple sound bite quick fixes hair and

:46:20. > :46:27.there. It is about addressing each of the issues that hold back our

:46:28. > :46:33.economy. Tackling this will take thought, dedication and, above all

:46:34. > :46:40.else, proven leadership experience. Now, a successful region is one

:46:41. > :46:43.which is connected in every sense. Let's look at transport. Now, I'm

:46:44. > :46:48.pleased than the covenant is backing of the huge investment in HS2. But

:46:49. > :46:52.when the drill a opened, it will be quicker to get from London to

:46:53. > :46:58.Birmingham than it is to get from this hold Dudley, just nine miles

:46:59. > :47:05.away. Now, can that be right? When spending on transport their head in

:47:06. > :47:12.the West Midlands is ?266 per head while the spending in London is over

:47:13. > :47:21.?1800 a head. That is seven times as much and, as mayor, we have to

:47:22. > :47:23.address that imbalance. If transport is important, raising the

:47:24. > :47:29.aspirations of our young people is even more crucial. As mayor, my

:47:30. > :47:35.mission will be to encourage everyone to make the most of their

:47:36. > :47:40.opportunities. That is how social mobility is delivered and it is the

:47:41. > :47:47.hallmark of a harmonious society. We all know that a new job is a new

:47:48. > :47:56.light cans, while unemployment kills social new mobility. -- life

:47:57. > :48:01.channels. That's why, as mayor, I was desperate to do something about

:48:02. > :48:09.opportunity. The Chancellor has put 15,000 people into work in one year

:48:10. > :48:13.in the most disadvantaged areas of the city. Just think, you could fill

:48:14. > :48:20.this hole eight times over with the people who have been given a new

:48:21. > :48:28.start from that programme. -- hall. APPLAUSE

:48:29. > :48:32.Given the importance of our task across transport, skills, housing

:48:33. > :48:38.and jobs, today, I want to challenge my opponents to debate these issues

:48:39. > :48:44.with the right across the whole of the West Midlands. So, the eyes of

:48:45. > :48:51.Britain will be lost. This is an election that can change politics

:48:52. > :48:58.for ever. For too long, Labour has taken voters hair for granted. They

:48:59. > :49:03.even talk about selecting the mayor. Just last week, Jeremy Corbyn said

:49:04. > :49:10.he would use victory in the West Midlands to show what his Labour

:49:11. > :49:17.Party would do. Next May, we must stop all that. The facts are very

:49:18. > :49:22.clear. In the last general election results, we need just a 4% swing to

:49:23. > :49:35.win here. We can and we will win here.

:49:36. > :49:38.APPLAUSE So, conference, we really can do it.

:49:39. > :49:44.That's why I'm going to leave a job that I love to read a region, or a

:49:45. > :49:48.place, that I love. This is a campaign that is moderate, inclusive

:49:49. > :49:53.and tolerant and it will be made in the West Midlands. So, I've told you

:49:54. > :50:00.how this region can be the centre of the economy. Next year, it will also

:50:01. > :50:04.be the centre of our politics. Through a high-profile election. It

:50:05. > :50:11.matters. Not just for its own sake but arguably in a place where the

:50:12. > :50:15.challenges are even greater than elsewhere. If we can win, we can

:50:16. > :50:21.demonstrate that we have the answers and, when urban conservatism once

:50:22. > :50:28.again when Sarah, it will provide a blueprint for our future and,

:50:29. > :50:29.indeed, for a society that works for everyone. Thank you very much

:50:30. > :57:55.indeed. APPLAUSE

:57:56. > :58:02.Good afternoon again, Conference. This morning we had the aperitif.

:58:03. > :58:07.Now we get down to business in earnest with the first of our

:58:08. > :58:12.sessions on policy. Following the referendum we are preparing for our

:58:13. > :58:27.exit from the European Union. APPLAUSE

:58:28. > :58:36.This work will reposition our country, the entire United Kingdom,

:58:37. > :58:39.on the world stage and bring exciting new opportunities. The

:58:40. > :58:42.Prime Minister said very clearly during her recent visit to New York

:58:43. > :58:47.to the United Nations that the United Kingdom is not retreating or

:58:48. > :58:52.turning away from the world, but rather seeking to alter its

:58:53. > :58:57.relationship with one part of it. This afternoon we will be hearing

:58:58. > :59:03.from Liam Fox, David Davis, and the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. And

:59:04. > :59:08.usually we are to hear from our Prime Minister very early in the

:59:09. > :59:12.conference as well as in a final speech. It is hardly surprising that

:59:13. > :59:17.the Prime Minister wants to set the scene for this session and I am

:59:18. > :59:18.delighted to ask her to do so now. Ladies and gentlemen, the Prime

:59:19. > :00:03.Minister, Theresa May. Applause. 81 days ago I stood in front of ten

:00:04. > :00:10.Downing St for the first time as Prime Minister. I made a promise to

:00:11. > :00:14.this country. I said that the Government I read will be driven not

:00:15. > :00:20.by the interests of a privileged few, but by the interests of

:00:21. > :00:26.ordinary working class families. People who have a job but do not

:00:27. > :00:31.always have job security. People who own their own home but worry about

:00:32. > :00:35.paying the mortgage. People who can just about manage, but worry about

:00:36. > :00:41.the cost of living and getting their kids into a good school. And this

:00:42. > :00:45.week we are going to show the country that we mean business.

:00:46. > :01:01.APPLAUSE But first today we are going to talk

:01:02. > :01:07.about global Britain. Our ambitious vision for Britain after Brexit.

:01:08. > :01:13.Because 100 days ago that is what the country voted for. We are going

:01:14. > :01:18.to talk about Britain in which we are close friends, allies and

:01:19. > :01:21.trading partners with our European neighbours, but they Britain in

:01:22. > :01:36.which we pass our own laws and govern ourselves. APPLAUSE

:01:37. > :01:43.In which we look beyond our continent and to the opportunities

:01:44. > :01:47.in the wider world. In which we win trade agreements with old friends

:01:48. > :01:53.and new partners. In which Britain has always the most passionate, most

:01:54. > :02:00.consistent, most convincing advocate for three trade. In which we play

:02:01. > :02:06.our full part in promoting peace and prosperity across the world and in

:02:07. > :02:11.which we, with our brilliant Armed Forces and intelligence services,

:02:12. > :02:23.protect our national interests, our security and the security of our

:02:24. > :02:28.allies. APPLAUSE So today we are going to be hearing

:02:29. > :02:33.from David Davis, Priti Patel and Boris Johnson, as we start to

:02:34. > :02:36.explain our plan for Brexit and the country will see that the

:02:37. > :02:46.Conservative Party is united in our determination to deliver that plan.

:02:47. > :02:49.Because even now some politicians, democratically elected politicians,

:02:50. > :02:53.say that the referendum is not valid, that we need to have a second

:02:54. > :02:57.thought. Others say they do not like the result and they will challenge

:02:58. > :03:11.any attempts to leave the European Union through the courts. Come on.

:03:12. > :03:18.The referendum result was clear. It was legitimate. It was the biggest

:03:19. > :03:23.vote for change this country has ever known. Brexit means Brexit and

:03:24. > :03:39.we are going to make a success of it. APPLAUSE

:03:40. > :03:43.Now of course we would not have had a referendum at all had it not been

:03:44. > :03:47.for the Conservative Party and had it not been for David Cameron. I

:03:48. > :03:53.want to take a moment to pay tribute to David. I served in his Shadow

:03:54. > :03:59.Cabinet for nearly five years and that his cabinet for -- and in his

:04:00. > :04:05.Cabinet for nearly six more. I saw his commitment to social justice,

:04:06. > :04:11.public service, and his deep love for our country. He led the rescue

:04:12. > :04:14.mission that brought confidence back to the economy. He made sure people

:04:15. > :04:21.on the lowest wages paid no income tax at all. And he gave the right

:04:22. > :04:25.for people who love each other, regardless of sexuality, to marry.

:04:26. > :04:31.He has a legacy of which he and the entire party can be proud. And to

:04:32. > :04:34.those who claim he was mistaken in calling the referendum, we know

:04:35. > :04:36.there is no finer accolades than to say David Cameron put his trust in

:04:37. > :04:58.the British people. APPLAUSE And trust the people we will because

:04:59. > :05:07.Britain is going to leave the European Union. APPLAUSE

:05:08. > :05:11.Now I know there is a lot of speculation about what that is going

:05:12. > :05:15.to mean, about the nature of our relationship with Europe in the

:05:16. > :05:19.future, and about the terms on which British and European businesses will

:05:20. > :05:25.trade with one another. I understand that. And we will give clarity

:05:26. > :05:31.whenever possible and as quickly as possible. But we will not be able to

:05:32. > :05:36.get a running commentary or a blow by blow account of the negotiations

:05:37. > :05:43.because we all know that is not how they work. History is littered with

:05:44. > :05:47.negotiations that failed when the interlocutors predicted the outcome

:05:48. > :05:51.in detail and in advance. Every stray word and hyped up media report

:05:52. > :05:57.is going to make it harder for us to get the right deal for Britain. We

:05:58. > :06:01.have to stay patient. But when there are things to say, as there are

:06:02. > :06:08.today, we will keep the public informed and up to date. I want to

:06:09. > :06:11.tell you more about the Government's plan for Brexit and in particular I

:06:12. > :06:16.want to tell you about three important things. The timing. The

:06:17. > :06:23.process. And the Government's vision for Britain after Brexit. First,

:06:24. > :06:28.everything we do as we leave the EU will be consistent with the law and

:06:29. > :06:34.our treaty obligations. And we must give as much certainty as possible

:06:35. > :06:38.to employers and investors. That means there can be no sudden and

:06:39. > :06:43.unilateral withdrawal. We must leave in a we agreed in law by Britain and

:06:44. > :06:50.other member states. That means invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon

:06:51. > :06:52.Treaty. There is a good reason why I said immediately after the

:06:53. > :06:57.referendum that we should not invoke Article 50 before the end of this

:06:58. > :07:01.year. That decision means we have the time to develop our negotiating

:07:02. > :07:06.strategy and avoid setting the clock ticking until our objectives are

:07:07. > :07:12.clear and agreed. It has also meant that we have given some certainty to

:07:13. > :07:16.businesses and investors, consumer confidence has remained steady,

:07:17. > :07:22.foreign investment in Britain has continued. Employment is at a record

:07:23. > :07:25.high. Wages are on the up. There is still some uncertainty but this guy

:07:26. > :07:35.has not followed in as some predicted it would. -- the sky has

:07:36. > :07:38.not fallen in. It was right to wait before triggering Article 50 but it

:07:39. > :07:43.is also right that we should not typing things drag on too long.

:07:44. > :07:48.Having voted to leave I know that the public will soon expect to see

:07:49. > :07:51.on the horizon the point at which Britain does formally leave the

:07:52. > :07:58.European Union. Let me be absolutely clear. There will be no unnecessary

:07:59. > :08:04.delays in invoking Article 50. We will invoke it when we are ready and

:08:05. > :08:06.we will be ready soon. We will invoke Article 50 no later than the

:08:07. > :08:27.end of March next year. APPLAUSE I want to tell you a little more

:08:28. > :08:31.about the process for triggering Article 50. The first thing to say

:08:32. > :08:34.is that it is not up to the House of Commons to invoke Article 50 and

:08:35. > :08:38.that is not up to the House of Lords. It is up to the Government to

:08:39. > :08:45.trigger Article 50 and the Government alone. When it legislated

:08:46. > :08:48.to establish the referendum parliament puts the decision to

:08:49. > :08:53.leave remain inside the EU in the hands of the people and the people

:08:54. > :08:57.gave their answer with emphatic clarity. Now it is up to the

:08:58. > :09:00.Government not to question, quibble or backslide on what we have been

:09:01. > :09:06.instructed to do, but to get on with the job, because those people who

:09:07. > :09:09.argue that Article 50 can only be triggered after Agreement in both

:09:10. > :09:11.houses of parliament are not standing up for democracy, they are

:09:12. > :10:11.trying to subvert it. APPLAUSE We will do the same with business

:10:12. > :10:16.and municipal leaders. The job of negotiating the new relationship is

:10:17. > :10:17.the job of the Government. We voted in the referendum as one United

:10:18. > :10:35.Kingdom. We will negotiate. 'S we will negotiate as one United

:10:36. > :10:40.Kingdom and we will leave the European Union as one United

:10:41. > :10:44.Kingdom. There is no opt out for Brexit and I will never allow

:10:45. > :10:45.divisive nationalists to undermine the precious union of the four

:10:46. > :11:09.nations within our united kingdom. The final thing I want to say about

:11:10. > :11:14.the process of withdrawal is the most important. And that is that we

:11:15. > :11:18.will soon put before Parliament a Great Repeal Bill which will move

:11:19. > :11:28.from the statute book once and for all the European communities act.

:11:29. > :11:32.APPLAUSE This historic Bill, which will be

:11:33. > :11:37.included in the next Queen 's speech, will mean that in 1972 act,

:11:38. > :11:42.the legislation that gives direct effect to all EU law in Britain,

:11:43. > :11:45.will no longer apply from the date upon which we formally leave the

:11:46. > :11:53.European Union. Its effect will be clear. Our laws will be made not in

:11:54. > :12:05.Brussels but in Westminster. The judges... APPLAUSE

:12:06. > :12:09.The judges interpreting those laws also it's not in Luxembourg but in

:12:10. > :12:11.courts in this country. The authority of EU law in Britain will

:12:12. > :12:32.end. CHEERING As we repeal the European

:12:33. > :12:38.communities act we will convert the body of existing law into British

:12:39. > :12:41.law. When the Great Repeal Bill is given Royal assent parliament will

:12:42. > :12:47.be free subject to international agreements and treaties with other

:12:48. > :12:54.countries to amend, repeal and improve anymore it chooses. But by

:12:55. > :12:57.converting this into British law we will give businesses and workers

:12:58. > :13:04.maximum certainty as we read the European Union. The same rules and

:13:05. > :13:09.laws will apply to them after Brexit as did before. Any changes in the

:13:10. > :13:12.law would have to be subject to scrutiny and proper Parliamentary

:13:13. > :13:19.debates. And let me be absolutely clear, existing workers legal rights

:13:20. > :13:20.will continue to be guaranteed in law and they will be guaranteed as

:13:21. > :13:38.long as I am Prime Minister. APPLAUSE And in fact, as we

:13:39. > :13:43.announced yesterday, under this Government, we're going to see

:13:44. > :13:45.workers' rights not eroded and not just protected, but enhanced under

:13:46. > :13:51.the Government, because the Conservative Party is the true

:13:52. > :13:55.worker's party. The only party dedicated to making Britain a

:13:56. > :13:56.country that works, not just for the privileged few, but for every single

:13:57. > :14:09.one of us. So that is what I want to say about

:14:10. > :14:14.the process. But I want to talk to you about the Government's vision of

:14:15. > :14:19.Britain after Brexit. Our vision of a truly global Britain. And I want

:14:20. > :14:23.to start with our vision for the future relationship we'll have the

:14:24. > :14:28.European Union. Because in this respect, I believe

:14:29. > :14:31.there's a lot of muddled thinking and several arguments about the

:14:32. > :14:35.future which need to be laid to rest. For example, there's no such

:14:36. > :14:40.thing as a choice between soft Brexit and hard Brexit. The line of

:14:41. > :14:45.argument in which soft Brexit amounts to some form of continued EU

:14:46. > :14:49.membership and hard Brexit is a conscious decision to reject trade

:14:50. > :14:53.with Europe, is simply a false dichotomy. It is one which is too

:14:54. > :14:56.often propagated by people, I am afraid to say, have not accepted the

:14:57. > :15:02.result of the referendum. Because the truth is that too many people

:15:03. > :15:07.are letting their thinking about our future relationship with the EU be

:15:08. > :15:09.defined be I the way the relationship has worked in the past.

:15:10. > :15:17.That sunsable. We've been members of the EU for more than 40 years. We've

:15:18. > :15:21.just been through a renegotiation throughout we remained members of

:15:22. > :15:25.the EU. What we are talking about now is very different. Whether

:15:26. > :15:30.people like it or not, the country voted to leave the EU. And that

:15:31. > :15:35.means we are going to leave the EU. We are going to be a fully

:15:36. > :15:40.independent sovereign country. A country that is no longer part of a

:15:41. > :15:46.political union, with super national institutions that can override

:15:47. > :15:49.national Parliaments and cores. That means we are going once more to have

:15:50. > :15:52.the freedom to make our own decisions on a whole host of

:15:53. > :15:56.different matters from, the way we label our food, to the way in which

:15:57. > :16:02.we choose to control immigration. So, the process we are about to

:16:03. > :16:05.begin is not about negotiating all of our sovereignty away again. It is

:16:06. > :16:11.not going to be about any of the matters over which the country has

:16:12. > :16:15.just voted to regain control. It is not therefore a know yaeshation to

:16:16. > :16:20.establish a relationship, anything like the one we've had for the last

:16:21. > :16:26.40 years or more. It's not going to be a Norway model, a Switzerland

:16:27. > :16:28.model, it will be an agreement between an independent sovereign

:16:29. > :16:29.United Kingdom and the European Union.

:16:30. > :16:42.I know... APPLAUSE I know some people ask

:16:43. > :16:47.about the tradeoff between controlling immigration and trading

:16:48. > :16:51.with Europe, but having a major look at things, we voted to leave the

:16:52. > :16:55.European Union and become a fully independent sovereign country. We

:16:56. > :16:58.will do what independent sovereign countries do. We will decide for

:16:59. > :17:05.ourselves how we control immigration. We will be free to pass

:17:06. > :17:09.our own laws. But we will seek the best deal possible as we ne goshiate

:17:10. > :17:14.a new agreement with the European Union.

:17:15. > :17:18.I want that deal to reflect the kind of mature, co-operative relationship

:17:19. > :17:22.that close friends and allies enjoy. I want it to include co-operation on

:17:23. > :17:26.law enforcement and counter-terrorism work. I want it to

:17:27. > :17:33.involve free trade in goods and services. I want it to give British

:17:34. > :17:36.companies the maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the single

:17:37. > :17:40.market and let European businesses do the same here.

:17:41. > :17:44.But, let me be clear, we are not leaving the European Union today to

:17:45. > :17:50.give up control of immigration again. And we're not leaving only to

:17:51. > :17:54.return to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. As

:17:55. > :18:00.ever... APPLAUSE

:18:01. > :18:06.As ever, with international talks, it will be a negotiation. It will

:18:07. > :18:09.require some give and take. And while there'll always be pressure to

:18:10. > :18:13.give a running commentary on the state of the talks, it will not be

:18:14. > :18:20.in our best interests as a country to do that. Make no mistake, this

:18:21. > :18:24.will be a deal that works for Britain. Brexit should not just

:18:25. > :18:28.prompt us to think about our new relationship with the European

:18:29. > :18:32.Union. It should make us think about our role in the wider world. It

:18:33. > :18:36.should make us think of global Britain, a country with the

:18:37. > :18:41.self-confidence and the freedom to look beyond the continent of Europe

:18:42. > :18:44.and to the economic and diplomatic opportunities of the wider world.

:18:45. > :18:49.Because we know that the referendum was not a vote to turn in on

:18:50. > :18:53.ourselves. To cut ourselves off from the world.

:18:54. > :18:58.It was a vote for Britain to stand tall, to believe in ourselves. To

:18:59. > :19:03.forge an ambitious and optimistic new role in the world. And there is

:19:04. > :19:10.already abundant evidence that we will be able to do just that.

:19:11. > :19:18.Important foreign businesses, like sighmens and Apple have committed to

:19:19. > :19:22.long-term commitments w with a Japanese purchase for ?24 million.

:19:23. > :19:30.We've seen the biggest ever Japanese invessment in Britain. Canada,

:19:31. > :19:34.India, Mexico, Singapore have told us they would welcome talks on

:19:35. > :19:39.future free trade agreements. We have agreed to start to scope

:19:40. > :19:44.discussions with Australia and New Zealand. A truly global Britain is

:19:45. > :19:50.possible and it is in sight. And it should be no surprise that it

:19:51. > :19:56.is. Because we are the fifth largest economy in the world. Since 2010, we

:19:57. > :20:01.have grown faster than any economy in the G7. We attract one-fifth of

:20:02. > :20:06.all foreign investment in the EU. We are the biggest foreign investor in

:20:07. > :20:10.the United States. We have more Nobel Laureates than any country

:20:11. > :20:14.outside America. We have the best intelligence services in the world.

:20:15. > :20:18.A military which can project its power around the globe. Friendships,

:20:19. > :20:22.parter inships and alliances in every continent. We have the

:20:23. > :20:26.greatest soft power in the world. We sit exactly in the right time zone

:20:27. > :20:32.for global trade and our language is the language of the world.

:20:33. > :20:36.We don't need, as I sometimes hear people say, to punch above our

:20:37. > :20:43.weight, because our weight is substantial enough already. So...

:20:44. > :21:02.We don't need, as I say, to punch above our weight. But we've got that

:21:03. > :21:06.substantial being as the United Kingdom. Let's ignore the

:21:07. > :21:10.pessimists. Let's have confidence in ourselves, to go out in the world,

:21:11. > :21:16.securing trade deals, generating wealth and creating jobs. Let's get

:21:17. > :21:22.behind the team of ministers. David Davis, Liam Fox and Boris Johnson,

:21:23. > :21:25.ve, who are working on our plan for Brexit, who know we will make a

:21:26. > :21:30.success of it and make a reality of global Britain. So, let's have a

:21:31. > :21:35.great week here in Birmingham this Conference. Let's get this plan for

:21:36. > :21:39.Brexit right. Let's show the country we mean

:21:40. > :21:44.business. And let's keep working, to make

:21:45. > :21:47.Britain a country that works not for a privileged few, but for everyone

:21:48. > :22:47.in this great country. Good afternoon, once again.

:22:48. > :22:51.Thank you, Prime Minister, for opening this session.

:22:52. > :22:55.It now gives me great pleasure to introduce the Secretary of State for

:22:56. > :23:18.exiting Ladies and gentlemen, on 23rd June,

:23:19. > :23:23.the British people voted for change. And this is going to be the biggest

:23:24. > :23:25.change for a generation. We are going to leave the European

:23:26. > :23:37.Union. It was we, the Conservative Party,

:23:38. > :23:48.who promised the British people a referendum. It was

:23:49. > :23:55.It will now be Theresa May who will lead us out of the European Union

:23:56. > :24:02.and into a brighter and better future.

:24:03. > :24:10.This must be a team effort. I am proud to count myself as part of

:24:11. > :24:15.Theresa May's team. I do not know what it is about our great women

:24:16. > :24:24.leaders but we are lucky that they are at their when we need them. I

:24:25. > :24:26.remember the first one, Margaret Thatcher, talking about the

:24:27. > :24:34.difficulties a woman in politics faces. To get to the top, she said,

:24:35. > :24:48.the woman has to be twice as good as a man. Fortunately, she said, this

:24:49. > :24:55.is not difficult. Back in 1979 her Government had to confront some huge

:24:56. > :25:01.challenges. And today, just as then, we are at a turning point in our

:25:02. > :25:06.nation's story. Just as then people have voted to chart a new course for

:25:07. > :25:10.our country, to transform Britain. And just as then, there are no

:25:11. > :25:17.shortage of doom mongers telling people that cannot be done. Ladies

:25:18. > :25:22.and gentlemen, Britain showed them then it could be done. We proved

:25:23. > :25:31.them wrong then, and with your help Britain will prove them wrong again.

:25:32. > :25:36.APPLAUSE Our destination is clear. Once again

:25:37. > :25:40.we are going to be a nation that makes for ourselves all the

:25:41. > :25:45.decisions that matter most. Once again all decisions about how

:25:46. > :25:51.taxpayers money is spent taking here in Britain. Once again our laws made

:25:52. > :26:00.here in Britain. And, yes, our borders controlled here by Britain.

:26:01. > :26:05.But, ladies and gentlemen, the task is bigger than this. It is not just

:26:06. > :26:09.about the terms on which we leave the European Union nor indeed the

:26:10. > :26:13.future relationship with the European Union. This is a

:26:14. > :26:18.once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Britain to forge for itself a new

:26:19. > :26:25.place in the world and to make our own decisions about the sort of

:26:26. > :26:31.country we want to be. A nation that is a beacon for free trade, a force

:26:32. > :26:38.for social justice, a defender of freedom, the home of enterprise, of

:26:39. > :26:41.tolerance, of fairness, of decency. The nation where we celebrate the

:26:42. > :26:49.success of those who want to get on, but never forget those who need our

:26:50. > :27:00.help. Above all, a steadfast respect for democracy and the people's right

:27:01. > :27:04.to decide their own destiny. After all, democracy was what the

:27:05. > :27:10.referendum was all about. The task is now to bring together the 17.4

:27:11. > :27:16.million people who voted to leave and the 16 million people who voted

:27:17. > :27:21.to remain. I was one of the 17.4 million but there are those of you

:27:22. > :27:25.here today who will have taken a different view. I am delighted that

:27:26. > :27:30.many who argued to remain are now focused on making a success of

:27:31. > :27:35.Brexit. But there are some on both sides of the argument who want to

:27:36. > :27:39.keep on fighting the battles of the campaign. I say to them, the

:27:40. > :27:46.campaign has finished, the people have spoken, the decision is made.

:27:47. > :27:51.Whether you were for a leave remain, help us seize the opportunities that

:27:52. > :27:56.are now before us. As a one nation Government our job is to make Brexit

:27:57. > :28:01.work for everyone, for every part of our society, per every part of our

:28:02. > :28:05.country, and for each of the four nations that make up our great

:28:06. > :28:11.United Kingdom. While we are building a consensus at home we

:28:12. > :28:17.shall approach the negotiations with our European neighbours in a spirit

:28:18. > :28:21.of goodwill. We need to appreciate and respect what the European Union

:28:22. > :28:27.means to them. They view it through the prism of their own history.

:28:28. > :28:33.Sadly a hastily often of invasion and occupation, dictatorship and

:28:34. > :28:38.domination. It is not surprising that governments elsewhere in Europe

:28:39. > :28:44.see the European Union as a guarantor of the rule of law and

:28:45. > :28:47.democracy and freedom. We have always seen it differently. And to

:28:48. > :28:53.be honest, that has been one of the problems. After all, we were at

:28:54. > :29:00.their world's foetus liberal democracy for over a century, before

:29:01. > :29:07.we joined. -- the world's did exist liberal democracy. We have never

:29:08. > :29:11.been comfortable about being part of what is a political project. We are

:29:12. > :29:16.now reading that project and this gives us an opportunity not just to

:29:17. > :29:18.clear the area, but to create a more comfortable relationship with our

:29:19. > :29:24.European neighbours that works better for all of us. In the

:29:25. > :29:27.negotiations to come we will act resolutely in our national interest

:29:28. > :29:33.to deliver the right deal for Britain. That does not mean we want

:29:34. > :29:39.the European Union to feel. On the contrary, we wanted to succeed. A

:29:40. > :29:45.Pool A, weaker Europe is not in our interest anymore than it is in their

:29:46. > :29:48.ears. We will not turn our backs on Europe. We never will and we never

:29:49. > :29:52.have. Our history shows that when the democracies of Europe are

:29:53. > :29:57.threatened by common challenges we stand ready to shoulder the burden.

:29:58. > :30:03.That has always been true and it always will be. Whether it is

:30:04. > :30:07.helping to rebuild the Balkans, stand up against a belligerent

:30:08. > :30:13.Russia, helping to tackle the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean,

:30:14. > :30:17.of course we want to play our part. Nor does pulling out of the European

:30:18. > :30:20.Union mean pulling up the drawbridge. That is also not in our

:30:21. > :30:26.national interest. We will always welcome those with skills, the

:30:27. > :30:30.drive, the expertise to make our nation better still. If we are to

:30:31. > :30:37.win in the global marketplace we must win the global battle for

:30:38. > :30:41.talent. And of course Britain has always been one of the most tolerant

:30:42. > :30:53.and welcoming places on the face of the Earth. Its mass, and it will,

:30:54. > :31:00.remain so. APPLAUSE When it comes to negotiations we

:31:01. > :31:04.will protect the rights of European citizens here so long as Britons

:31:05. > :31:09.injured are treated the same way. Something I am sure we will be able

:31:10. > :31:14.to agree. But on the other hand, to those who peddle heat and division

:31:15. > :31:19.towards people who made but in their home, let the message go out from

:31:20. > :31:33.here, we say to you, you have no part in our society. APPLAUSE

:31:34. > :31:40.But the clear message from the referendum is this. We must control

:31:41. > :31:45.immigration. Did you hear Jeremy Corbyn last week telling us there is

:31:46. > :31:49.no need for any limit on numbers? Have you ever heard of a political

:31:50. > :31:54.party quite so out of touch with its own voters? Let us be clear, we will

:31:55. > :32:07.control our borders and we will bring the numbers down. APPLAUSE

:32:08. > :32:10.Ladies and gentlemen, I quite understand that some people are

:32:11. > :32:14.desperate to know how we are going to proceed they think we should

:32:15. > :32:18.provide a running commentary on every twist and turn in the

:32:19. > :32:22.negotiation ahead. I have never met anyone doing a business deal who

:32:23. > :32:27.thinks it is a smart idea to give away your bottom line in advance. I

:32:28. > :32:34.am not going to apologise for taking exactly the same approach. I am

:32:35. > :32:39.reminded of a story about the American President who said so

:32:40. > :32:46.little he was known as silent. One night at a formal dinner a guest

:32:47. > :32:50.tried to lure him into conversation, to no avail. Increasingly desperate

:32:51. > :32:54.she said, Mr President, I need a bet I could get you to see more than

:32:55. > :33:02.three words. The President replied, you lose. I have little in common

:33:03. > :33:07.with that President but I hope over the next few months you will forgive

:33:08. > :33:11.me if I am a little more taciturn than my normal self. That is another

:33:12. > :33:14.way in which we should be careful with our words. On both sides of the

:33:15. > :33:21.Channel we must resist the temptation to trade insults to

:33:22. > :33:25.generally cheap headlines. There has been some bluster in the aftermath

:33:26. > :33:29.of the referendum, perhaps inevitable. But these negotiations

:33:30. > :33:35.are too important for that. Instead we should all think carefully about

:33:36. > :33:39.where our common interests lie. Britain is one of the strongest

:33:40. > :33:42.defenders of Europe's freedom and security so with its perfect sense

:33:43. > :33:48.for us to have the strongest possible ties with Europe after we

:33:49. > :33:53.leave the European Union. The same goes for trade. Posted it sure is

:33:54. > :33:59.that the easier it is for us to do business together, the better it is

:34:00. > :34:03.for both Britain and Europe. We are looking at all the options and we

:34:04. > :34:08.will be prepared for any outcome. But it will not speak to anyone's

:34:09. > :34:12.benefit to see an increase in barriers to trade in either

:34:13. > :34:17.direction. We want to maintain the freest possible trade between us

:34:18. > :34:20.without betraying the instruction we have received from the British

:34:21. > :34:28.people to take back control of our own fears. That is in all our

:34:29. > :34:30.interests to ensure that as our country leaves the European Union

:34:31. > :34:35.and the process is orderly and smooth. I know some people have

:34:36. > :34:39.suggested we should just ignore the rules, tear up the treaties we have

:34:40. > :34:43.entered into. I say that is not how Britain behaves. What kind of

:34:44. > :34:47.message would that send to the rest of the world? If we want to be

:34:48. > :34:55.treated with goodwill we must act with goodwill. So we will follow the

:34:56. > :35:00.process... APPLAUSE So we will follow the process to

:35:01. > :35:04.leave the European Union which is set out in Article 50. The Prime

:35:05. > :35:09.Minister has been cleared today she will start formal negotiations about

:35:10. > :35:13.our exits by the end of March. As we prepare for those negotiations with

:35:14. > :35:18.you we also need to prepare for the impact of Brexit on domestic law. We

:35:19. > :35:22.will consult widely with Parliament and the devolved administrations but

:35:23. > :35:26.it is very simple, the moment we believe, Britain must be back in

:35:27. > :35:32.control, and that means European law must cease to apply. It was the

:35:33. > :35:36.European Community 's act which placed European law above UK law so

:35:37. > :35:44.that is why we are seeing today this Government must repeal the act. To

:35:45. > :35:47.ensure continuity we are taking a simple approach. European law will

:35:48. > :35:52.be transposed into domestic law whenever practical on the day we

:35:53. > :35:57.leave. It will be for elected politicians here in Britain to make

:35:58. > :36:00.the changes that reflect the outcome of our negotiation and are

:36:01. > :36:06.excellent. This is what people voted for. How and authority residing once

:36:07. > :36:13.again with a softened the situation of our country. -- with the

:36:14. > :36:19.sovereign institutions of our country. That way we will have

:36:20. > :36:25.provided the maximum possible certainty for British business and

:36:26. > :36:28.British workers. For those who are trying to frighten British workers

:36:29. > :36:31.saying when we leave employment protection will be eroded, I say

:36:32. > :36:39.firmly and unequivocally, now they will not. Britain already goes

:36:40. > :36:41.beyond EU law in many areas and we did this guarantee, this

:36:42. > :36:48.Conservative Government will not roll back those rights in the

:36:49. > :36:55.workplace. Ladies and gentlemen, into deep's fast-moving world,

:36:56. > :36:59.technology respects nor boundaries. The remorse for enterprise and

:37:00. > :37:06.innovation are greater than ever but it is only nations that are outward

:37:07. > :37:09.looking, agile, enterprising, that will succeed and prosper and I

:37:10. > :37:13.believe that when we have left the European Union and I once again in

:37:14. > :37:17.control of our own fears we will be better placed to confront the

:37:18. > :37:21.challenges of the future. We start from a position of strength. Let us

:37:22. > :37:25.not forget what we had to build on. We are the fifth largest economy in

:37:26. > :37:32.the world. We have got the English language. Spoken by 1.5 billion

:37:33. > :37:34.people. We are the home of international standards for

:37:35. > :37:42.everything from medicine to law. We are a science superpower, a world

:37:43. > :37:46.leader in the arts, a leader in pharmaceuticals, a byword for

:37:47. > :37:51.excellence in manufacturing, and a global centre for finance. We are a

:37:52. > :37:55.permanent member of the United Nations security council, leading

:37:56. > :38:00.member of G7 and the Commonwealth, the nation with blamed Armed Forces,

:38:01. > :38:05.and, yes, Jeremy Corbyn, our vital nuclear deterrent weeks as a truly

:38:06. > :38:10.global player. I am confident about our new place in the world and to

:38:11. > :38:16.anyone who says the cards are stacked against us, I say, think

:38:17. > :38:20.again. Many times in the past our forebears have risen to the

:38:21. > :38:24.challenges before them. Now it is our turn to show that we have got

:38:25. > :38:36.what it takes. We may be a small island, ladies and gentlemen. But we

:38:37. > :38:39.know that we are a great nation. We may be -- let us seize these

:38:40. > :38:45.opportunities and make that greater still. -- make Britain a greater

:38:46. > :39:11.still. APPLAUSE Conference, our session continues on

:39:12. > :39:15.this most important issue. We are to hear now from Ashley Fox, leader of

:39:16. > :39:21.the Conservatives in the European Parliament and MEP for the south

:39:22. > :39:24.west of England and he said and Gibraltar, for seven years. Ladies

:39:25. > :39:47.and gentlemen, Ashley Fox. This summer, Britain was shaken by

:39:48. > :39:51.an exit that none of us expected. They made us question the very

:39:52. > :40:02.meaning of our existence. That's right. Mel Sue and Mary let

:40:03. > :40:07.the Bake Off and in other news, the British people voted to leave the

:40:08. > :40:10.EU. In this party we have always trusted

:40:11. > :40:20.the British people to take the right decision. Whether we campaigned to

:40:21. > :40:25.leave or remain we now have our instructions and we will carry them

:40:26. > :40:28.out. Britain will leave the European Union.

:40:29. > :40:40.Last year, at our conference in Manchester, I said from this podium

:40:41. > :40:46.that there would be good Conservatives on both sides of the

:40:47. > :40:51.referendum campaign. There were. And I said that after the referendum

:40:52. > :40:59.was over we would need to come together for the good of the country

:41:00. > :41:05.and we did. The Conservative Party showed that we are united with ideas

:41:06. > :41:12.to deliver a Britain that works for everyone.

:41:13. > :41:17.Whilst Labour showed it is a disunited rabble. How many members

:41:18. > :41:25.of Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet does it take to change a light bulb? No-one

:41:26. > :41:30.knows. The light bulb has outlasted them all.

:41:31. > :41:43.Across the country, there are different interpretations of what

:41:44. > :41:48.leaving the EU will entail. Some are concerned that we will seek a soft

:41:49. > :41:53.Brexit, that acts like the referendum never happened. Others

:41:54. > :42:00.want a hard Brexit. As if to prove how tough we are.

:42:01. > :42:04.But I believe we need a good Brexit that meets the needs of the British

:42:05. > :42:11.people and recognises the desire of so many to take back control of our

:42:12. > :42:18.country's borders. One thing is for sure, Brexit means

:42:19. > :42:23.we will leave the European institutions that exercise power

:42:24. > :42:27.over our country. So we will leave the commission, the court, the

:42:28. > :42:32.council and yes, the European Parliament.

:42:33. > :42:44.So, when we give Brussels notice of our departure, British MEPs will be

:42:45. > :43:00.handed our P 45s. Thank you for applauding my pending

:43:01. > :43:06.unemployment. But as long as Britain remains a member of the EU, your

:43:07. > :43:11.Conservative MEPs will fight Britain's corner. We will get the

:43:12. > :43:19.best deal for our constituents. And I will continue to fight for my

:43:20. > :43:31.constituency of the south-west of England and Gibraltar.

:43:32. > :43:38.Gibraltar needs to hear from us today and Spain needs to listen,

:43:39. > :43:42.that the Conservatives will never abandon our compatriots on the rock.

:43:43. > :44:03.As our Prime Minister has said, we will trigger Article 50 by the end

:44:04. > :44:06.of March next year. Once this countdown to our departure begins,

:44:07. > :44:16.there'll be tough negotiations ahead. And we must support Theresa

:44:17. > :44:21.May and our strong team of David Daviis, Liam Fox and Boris Johnson.

:44:22. > :44:24.Let us never be in doubt that the United Kingdom's best days still lie

:44:25. > :44:31.ahead of us. After all, we're not only a nation

:44:32. > :44:40.of shopkeepers. But also of artists, and scientists. A country of

:44:41. > :44:45.entrepreneurs, inknow say ters and in-- innovators and let us not

:44:46. > :44:57.forget Olympic and Paralympic greatness.

:44:58. > :45:02.For Britain is a land of strength, determination and resolve. We are a

:45:03. > :45:07.global trading nation. Even though we are leaving the European Union,

:45:08. > :45:13.we are not leaving Europe. We will not walk away from our

:45:14. > :45:19.allies. We will seek to reinvigorate old friendships. We will not abandon

:45:20. > :45:24.our neighbours, but will scan the horizon for new opportunities. We

:45:25. > :45:29.are not leaving behind our past, but instead we are preparing for our

:45:30. > :45:36.future. So, conference, the British people

:45:37. > :45:41.have spoken. Let us embrace the opportunity that Brexit provides.

:45:42. > :45:44.Let us go forward together and let us build a bright future for our

:45:45. > :45:48.great country. Thank you.

:45:49. > :46:08.Next is my good friend and leader of the European and conforist group in

:46:09. > :46:26.the European Parliament. Thank you. Can I thank Ashley for a

:46:27. > :46:31.great speech. He's always been a very good colleague and a great

:46:32. > :46:35.warm-up act. I agree it is wonderful to see a Conservative Party that is

:46:36. > :46:43.so united, so focussed ond what needs to be done and so energised to

:46:44. > :46:47.deliver a better future for Britain. Once Labour are preoccupied with the

:46:48. > :46:48.future of their party, we Conservatives are focussed on the

:46:49. > :47:02.future of our country. In the referendum, in June, the

:47:03. > :47:08.British people spoke and we have a responsibility to listen. You know,

:47:09. > :47:12.it is sad, when I heard Mr Kinnock saying that Labour will never again

:47:13. > :47:19.be in power in his lifetime. I felt a little sorry for him. I did. After

:47:20. > :47:24.all, Stephen Kinnock is only in his 40's. And while the Labour Party

:47:25. > :47:28.despairs over its lack of leadership, our Conservative Prime

:47:29. > :47:34.Minister has shown that she is strong, able and preparing to take

:47:35. > :47:39.on the challenges of Brexit head on. Our Conservative Prime Minister has

:47:40. > :47:43.a respected and dare I say, a tough reputation in Brussels, from her

:47:44. > :47:49.time as Home Secretary. Our Conservative Prime Minister is

:47:50. > :47:54.seen as a fearsome negotiator, who is always prepared. There is no-one

:47:55. > :47:59.better to guide this country on the journey ahead of us.

:48:00. > :48:09.A journey that may not always be a smooth one. For the feeling in

:48:10. > :48:17.Brussels after the referendum result was shocked.

:48:18. > :48:21.Sometimes anger and often sadness. But this discontent with the EU

:48:22. > :48:25.reaches far beyond our shores. And that's a lesson, I am sure, our

:48:26. > :48:33.friends in countries across the EU will want to heed.

:48:34. > :48:38.I am proud to lead the ECR group, with 74 MEPs from 18 different EU

:48:39. > :48:43.countries, who work every day to ensure that their voters get a

:48:44. > :48:50.better deal. By creating a Europe that does less, but does it better.

:48:51. > :48:54.And when our group is set up, the EU federalists predictsed that we would

:48:55. > :48:59.fail. Yet only five years later, we became one of the three main

:49:00. > :49:03.political groups in the European Parliament, with Governing parties

:49:04. > :49:07.from five EU countries. It was a rise unprecedented in the

:49:08. > :49:14.history of the European Parliament. And why was that? Because we

:49:15. > :49:17.listened to our voters. Outside the walls of the European

:49:18. > :49:23.Parliament, and outside the walls of the European Commission, the calls

:49:24. > :49:27.for change and reform grow louder. Yet, inside the walls of these

:49:28. > :49:33.institutions, the message does not always get through.

:49:34. > :49:38.The EU needs economic competence, not an eternal eurozone crisis. The

:49:39. > :49:44.EU needs to co-operate to help genuine refugee, not an open doors

:49:45. > :49:51.policy for all. The EU needs less bureaucracy, not regulations that

:49:52. > :49:57.hold back the spirit of free enterprise. The group will continue

:49:58. > :50:02.that fight. And will continue to go from strength-to-strength. We want

:50:03. > :50:08.to see a good deal for Britain. We want to see a good deal for the EU.

:50:09. > :50:14.We want to see a good deal that works for everyone.

:50:15. > :50:18.And in years to come, Britain may no longer be reluctant tenants, but it

:50:19. > :50:23.is in the interests of the UK and the EU, for us to be good

:50:24. > :50:27.neighbours. Neighbours who realise that just because we don't share

:50:28. > :50:32.their vision of European anthems and flags, doesn't mean that we cannot

:50:33. > :50:36.work together, to make the world a better place, to sell more products

:50:37. > :50:42.and to create more jobs. This should not be a Brexit where we

:50:43. > :50:47.are punished for making our own democratic decision as a nation. But

:50:48. > :50:50.neither should it be a Brexit which cuts off our own nose to spite our

:50:51. > :50:55.face. This should be a Brexit in

:50:56. > :51:02.everyone's interests, to create a Britain and an EU, brimming

:51:03. > :51:07.opportunities for everyone. So, while the Facebook status between

:51:08. > :51:10.the EU and the UK may have changed from, it's complicated, to in a

:51:11. > :51:13.different sort of relationship, I know that we will come out the other

:51:14. > :51:30.side single and ready to mingle. I believe that in years to come, we

:51:31. > :51:37.will look back and see Brexit as that moment. The moment that Britain

:51:38. > :51:42.called time on an ambiguous relationship with the EU, but both

:51:43. > :51:45.became willing partners. A Britain that not only survived, but a Great

:51:46. > :52:01.Britain that thrived. Thank you. And next, we have Secretary of State

:52:02. > :52:05.for international development, but just before that, a hugely exciting

:52:06. > :52:08.video to entertain you in the mean time. Thank you.

:52:09. > :53:27.My name is Priti Patel. I am the Secretary of State for...

:53:28. > :53:44.Conference, good afternoon. It has certainly been quite a year. Many of

:53:45. > :53:49.you have spent the last 12 months campaigning hard for four hour party

:53:50. > :53:53.and in many cases in the referendum. And for the first time friends and

:53:54. > :53:57.colleagues were on different sides of the vote. But regardless of

:53:58. > :54:02.whether you campaigned for remain or leave there is one thing we can all

:54:03. > :54:05.agree on. That is that only a Conservative Government will deliver

:54:06. > :54:16.for Britain and give leadership to the rest of the world. APPLAUSE

:54:17. > :54:22.The British public have made their choice and now it is our job to make

:54:23. > :54:25.it happen. That is exactly what we are doing. Our party has come

:54:26. > :54:29.together and is delivering for ordinary working people. Much has

:54:30. > :54:34.changed in the last year but much is also the same. We have a

:54:35. > :54:39.Conservative Prime Minister who offers credible, proven leadership,

:54:40. > :54:44.a united party, and a strong cabinet team. We have a strong economy with

:54:45. > :54:49.low unemployment. Business is expanding and tax is reduced and in

:54:50. > :54:55.case you missed it, we still have a Leader of the Opposition who is

:54:56. > :54:59.presiding over a divided incompetent party that is incapable of taking up

:55:00. > :55:09.the responsibility of Government. This conference is a significant

:55:10. > :55:14.moment for our country. Britain is a proud country which others look to

:55:15. > :55:19.for inspiration and leadership. We helped to abolish the slave trade.

:55:20. > :55:23.We led the forces of freedom against tyrants and dictators in Europe from

:55:24. > :55:28.Napoleon to heifer and reassures people in Eastern Europe the hand of

:55:29. > :55:32.friendship has being sought to escape Soviet oppression. Britain

:55:33. > :55:36.has been a strong force for good in the world and we take our

:55:37. > :55:40.responsibility seriously. And when the world faces its biggest

:55:41. > :55:45.challenges is listed as to show the strong leadership needed to overcome

:55:46. > :55:51.them. As a member of the UN Security Council, a Nato member that spends

:55:52. > :55:56.2% of GDP on defence, a leader in the Commonwealth, and a nation that

:55:57. > :56:01.is meeting international commitments to 0.7% for AIDS, we can and will

:56:02. > :56:17.play an active part in making our world more peaceful and prosperous

:56:18. > :56:33.place. -- 0.7% for aid. It is a privilege to lead such a strong

:56:34. > :56:39.team. Andrew Griffiths... APPLAUSE And I am honoured to follow in the

:56:40. > :56:49.footsteps of great Conservatives like Linda Chalker, Andrew Mitchell,

:56:50. > :56:54.Justin Greening. I have seen the life-saving work that our aid does

:56:55. > :56:58.around the world, helping people access clean water and sanitation,

:56:59. > :57:04.helping the 11 million children get an education, immunising 76 million

:57:05. > :57:09.children against preventable diseases. Our aid budget is

:57:10. > :57:17.transforming lives on an amazing skill. Last year we helped 5 million

:57:18. > :57:20.people get access to blankets and clean water. This is something that

:57:21. > :57:29.everyone in Britain can be proud of. APPLAUSE

:57:30. > :57:35.But, Conference, when lives are at stake we must strive to make our

:57:36. > :57:39.development efforts even more effective. Let us face up to the

:57:40. > :57:51.fact that not all of the aid system is as effective as Britain's

:57:52. > :57:57.approach. When ebola struck the World Health Organisation was too

:57:58. > :58:02.slow and it fell to the United Kingdom and United States. The

:58:03. > :58:09.reaction was too slow. I would use my position to reform the way the

:58:10. > :58:16.world does development, to champion reform in the global aid system.

:58:17. > :58:20.Reform is about being relevant 40 D and for the future and this is why I

:58:21. > :58:27.Will follow the money, the people and the outcomes. As Margaret

:58:28. > :58:31.Thatcher famously said, there is no such thing as public money, it is

:58:32. > :58:35.taxpayers money, and when we open up the budgets and let people say but

:58:36. > :58:41.the money is going we can help to root out corruption and make sure

:58:42. > :58:45.that the resources follow the people, because we invest in people,

:58:46. > :58:51.focus on things like nutrition and family planning, amplify the impact

:58:52. > :58:54.of our aid dramatically. Following the outcomes because when we went

:58:55. > :59:00.our payments to results on the ground we create and aid system that

:59:01. > :59:05.works for the world's least well off. Following the money, people and

:59:06. > :59:12.outcomes means asking more from all of those that receive our aid. When

:59:13. > :59:21.last month I asked for new support to fight AIDS, TB and malaria, I

:59:22. > :59:25.think this funding to a newly created performance goods. For the

:59:26. > :59:32.first time this set out in black and white the clear requirement for the

:59:33. > :59:36.global fund to use our money more effectively and transparently and

:59:37. > :59:42.with a proper focus on results and impacts. We are sending a clear

:59:43. > :59:45.message to the international aid community, if we can demand more

:59:46. > :59:51.from one of the best performing institutions we are going to demand

:59:52. > :59:54.much more from everyone else also. And through our programme is not

:59:55. > :59:58.delivering the outcomes we expect we. Them and ensure that your money

:59:59. > :00:11.supports programmes that are working. APPLAUSE

:00:12. > :00:15.Just as Conservatives are reforming or removing an efficiency from

:00:16. > :00:21.Whitehall and local Government, we must do so for aid. Every pound does

:00:22. > :00:28.not end up really chewed as a pound that cannot be spent on life-saving

:00:29. > :00:33.drugs, education, helping victims of violence, vital funding for

:00:34. > :00:36.infrastructure, and that is why reform transparency and

:00:37. > :00:42.accountability are top of my agenda. As Conservatives we can be proud of

:00:43. > :00:47.the impact around the world, providing an opportunity for people

:00:48. > :00:50.to make the most of the talents and fulfil their potential, that is what

:00:51. > :00:55.motivates us. We played ourselves in removing the barriers that people

:00:56. > :01:02.face in finding employment, owning their own home, achieving their

:01:03. > :01:04.dreams. Just as we celebrate our record on creating jobs and

:01:05. > :01:09.prosperity in this country we should be proud of the support we give in

:01:10. > :01:12.creating opportunities and changing lives in countries that are less

:01:13. > :01:15.fortunate than ours. In the last 30 years we have seen the biggest

:01:16. > :01:21.reduction in human misery and suffering in her study. Technology,

:01:22. > :01:32.innovation and sites have played a key role. And so has well spent aid

:01:33. > :01:37.which has. Above all this progress has been powered by economic growth

:01:38. > :01:41.and three cheat. Our conservative values have played a key role in

:01:42. > :01:45.this by empowering people, letting people trade and exchange with each

:01:46. > :01:50.other, by building open democratic institutions and the rule of law, by

:01:51. > :01:54.tearing down the barriers to trade and enterprise we have and me

:01:55. > :01:58.economic growth that has liberated billions of people from the shackles

:01:59. > :02:03.of extreme poverty. I can promise you that this will continue to

:02:04. > :02:15.champion growth, trade and investment, as the surest route to

:02:16. > :02:20.make poverty history. APPLAUSE But being a conservative is not just

:02:21. > :02:25.about economics. It is also about the moral courage and leadership,

:02:26. > :02:29.building upon that great tradition of social reformers like William

:02:30. > :02:32.Wilberforce. That is why I am determined to do everything possible

:02:33. > :02:36.to support our Prime Minister's leadership on the issue of modern

:02:37. > :02:42.slavery and to continue Justin Greening's leadership on women and

:02:43. > :02:45.girls for example by providing access to family planning for

:02:46. > :02:49.millions more women. That is why I will also puts children at the

:02:50. > :02:52.centre of our development efforts. Investing in the next generation,

:02:53. > :03:00.ensuring that they have a nutrition and education they need to fly,

:03:01. > :03:04.working to protect them from child Labour and exploitation. If we

:03:05. > :03:12.invest in human B can help to transform the future of the entire

:03:13. > :03:15.society. End Lebanon I recently met children who are in danger of

:03:16. > :03:21.trafficking are being forced to work. Who are at risk of violence

:03:22. > :03:26.and expedition by armed groups. It is children like these that we must

:03:27. > :03:31.never abandoned. Written will continue to stand up for universal

:03:32. > :03:36.humanitarian values. Even as we see those values flighted in places like

:03:37. > :03:42.Syria as brave aid workers are killed for trying to help innocent

:03:43. > :03:47.people. Conference, this Government is on the side of ordinary working

:03:48. > :03:51.people. Their taxes pay for the aid budget and it is right that the aid

:03:52. > :03:56.budget works for them and that means building a safer world for us all

:03:57. > :04:00.and using the immense goodwill created by our aid budget around the

:04:01. > :04:06.world to strike the right deals for British people abroad. If we stand

:04:07. > :04:12.back and abandoned countries that suffer from poverty, not only to the

:04:13. > :04:15.people in those countries suffer and those countries become vulnerable to

:04:16. > :04:21.insecurity and terrorism, but the problem is that they have come

:04:22. > :04:24.closer to our shores. Conflicts in Syria and South Sudan not only help

:04:25. > :04:29.the people who live there, they destabilise the rest of the world

:04:30. > :04:32.and create opportunities for terrorists and people smugglers to

:04:33. > :04:37.inflict more misery and suffering, and puts pressures on this country

:04:38. > :04:43.also. That is why it is in our national interest to invest in those

:04:44. > :04:46.areas in the world in alleviating poverty and suffering, and to

:04:47. > :04:50.support stability and security in countries where people are

:04:51. > :04:53.threatened and vulnerable. As our Prime Minister made clear at the

:04:54. > :04:59.United Nations last month, our aid budget has a huge role to play in

:05:00. > :05:06.creating jobs and opportunities for people in the world's least well off

:05:07. > :05:11.country, give an alternative to risking the journey to Europe. If we

:05:12. > :05:13.were not meeting the world with our assistance to Syria, how many more

:05:14. > :05:18.people would already have made that risky journey across the

:05:19. > :05:24.Mediterranean? How many more people would have died at the hands of the

:05:25. > :05:29.people smugglers? We are using both humanitarian support and financing

:05:30. > :05:33.economic development to build hope for millions more people affected by

:05:34. > :05:41.conflict and poverty and in doing so we are reducing the pressure is for

:05:42. > :05:42.mass migration. Conference, that is aid working in the national

:05:43. > :05:58.interest. APPLAUSE 35 years ago Margaret Thatcher said,

:05:59. > :06:03.we want to help as much as we can and we should help in ways which are

:06:04. > :06:08.mutually beneficial to both developing and developed countries.

:06:09. > :06:15.We all depend on one another for our prosperity. Conference, that is as

:06:16. > :06:20.true today as it was in 1981. I am proud that our aid programme forms a

:06:21. > :06:25.crucial part of Britain's soft power around the world. When people in

:06:26. > :06:28.refugee camps or remote communities see the Union Jack displayed proudly

:06:29. > :06:37.on our emergency supplies, they know they have a fly and and an ally in

:06:38. > :06:46.Britain. -- a friend and an ally in Britain. Conference, today I want to

:06:47. > :06:51.talk about a specific example of how we can use our aid to champion our

:06:52. > :06:55.national interest. The UK's presence in Afghanistan over the last decade

:06:56. > :06:59.has helped destabilise that country and prevent it from becoming a base

:07:00. > :07:04.for terrorists that would threaten the streets of Britain. We have

:07:05. > :07:07.improved the lives of ordinary Afghans with millions more girls in

:07:08. > :07:13.schools, better health care and greater prosperity. But challenges

:07:14. > :07:18.remain not least in the continuing threat of the Taliban and when

:07:19. > :07:22.things get difficult we need to remain strong and constant. Not just

:07:23. > :07:27.by supporting the Afghan security forces to protect the people, but by

:07:28. > :07:35.supporting the economy and the state of Afghanistan. Today I can announce

:07:36. > :07:40.that we will commit up to ?750 million to Afghanistan between 2017

:07:41. > :07:43.and 2020 from the aid budget to promote stability and ensure that

:07:44. > :07:47.their Government continues to function. The money will be spent on

:07:48. > :07:53.health and education, particularly for women and girls. We will help to

:07:54. > :07:58.protect internally displaced people who have fled their homes in

:07:59. > :08:03.persecution and we will help to clear the deadly landmines. Reducing

:08:04. > :08:06.the human suffering brought about by years of conflict, and letting

:08:07. > :08:12.children go back to school, and people gets back to their daily

:08:13. > :08:16.lives. And crucially, our support will help build a viable long-term

:08:17. > :08:27.state in the face of Taliban aggression. APPLAUSE

:08:28. > :08:33.We are making this come at us because it will make us safer and

:08:34. > :08:36.demonstrates to everyone that the international community will not

:08:37. > :08:41.walk away from Afghanistan. By making this clear commitment we are

:08:42. > :08:50.keeping the UTC and B are helping to do justice to the sacrifices made by

:08:51. > :08:58.our brave Armed Forces. -- keeping the UK safe and we are helping.

:08:59. > :09:02.Conference, it is also in our interests to support developing

:09:03. > :09:06.countries to grow stronger and more prosperous. As we look to redefine

:09:07. > :09:11.our place in the world following the EU referendum we need to establish

:09:12. > :09:16.new trade and economic links. Countries who we are providing aid

:09:17. > :09:18.to today will be the markets that we can trade with tomorrow. Access to

:09:19. > :09:23.the markets of developed countries can provide opportunities for the

:09:24. > :09:28.world's least well off people to work their way out of poverty. We

:09:29. > :09:29.want to deliver for the working people in Britain and the least well

:09:30. > :09:45.off across the globe also. APPLAUSE Finally, I want to be clear, just as

:09:46. > :09:49.Labour have the wrong ideas for helping people in this country, they

:09:50. > :09:56.have the wrong ideas of helping people other countries too. People

:09:57. > :10:01.undereestimate the risk they. They are in their own words, an

:10:02. > :10:05.international Socialist Party. They are deeply commit an ideology which

:10:06. > :10:07.has failed again and again. An ideology which has failed the

:10:08. > :10:15.poorest people in the world the most. An ideology which throughout

:10:16. > :10:18.the 20th Senatorurery inspired left-wing economic policies which

:10:19. > :10:23.held back growth and stopped countries from developing. Even

:10:24. > :10:29.today n places like Venezuela, we can see the disastrous effects of

:10:30. > :10:37.this philosophy. We see harrowing images of malnourished children who

:10:38. > :10:48.cannot get east sten shall supply -- essential supplies.

:10:49. > :10:54.Conference, just as Jeremy Corbyn has nothing to offer this country,

:10:55. > :10:57.he has nothing to offer the rest of the world.

:10:58. > :11:09.Look at our two parties and our two leaders. Who do we want running the

:11:10. > :11:13.country, the strong proven leadership of Theresa May, leading a

:11:14. > :11:18.Government which is putting the interests of ordinary working people

:11:19. > :11:23.before those of a privileged few? Who is changing, championing a bold,

:11:24. > :11:28.confident role for Britain on the world stage, driven by clear,

:11:29. > :11:31.Conservative values, which are creating prosperity at home and

:11:32. > :11:35.abroad, and who is using our development policies to deliver

:11:36. > :11:41.value for money and greater security for working people.

:11:42. > :11:46.Or the divides, discredited Labour Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, who

:11:47. > :11:49.would weaken Britain on the world stage and pursue failed policies

:11:50. > :11:54.that would hurt the poorest the most? Conference, the answer is

:11:55. > :11:58.clear. Only with Theresa May and the Conservatives can we seize the

:11:59. > :12:02.opportunities of Brexit and build a better country for working people

:12:03. > :12:46.and a better world for us all. Thank you.

:12:47. > :12:56.Conference, I have now been asked to introduce someone who I know you'll

:12:57. > :13:01.all be looking forward to speaking. I heard him speak about three weeks

:13:02. > :13:06.ago at a dinner in York. He spent the morning in Italy, the afternoon

:13:07. > :13:11.in Arnhem, before coming to us in York. The constitution and stamina

:13:12. > :13:15.demonstrated then will, I expect, be needed in the coming months and

:13:16. > :13:20.years. And it gives me therefore great

:13:21. > :13:22.pleasure to introduce your last speaker for today, to our new

:13:23. > :13:40.Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson. Thank you everybody. Thank you,

:13:41. > :13:46.Jerry. Thanks to everybody. Thank you very

:13:47. > :13:51.much. I have been travelling around, conference and the other day I was

:13:52. > :13:55.at the UN General Assembly in New York and I was talking to the

:13:56. > :14:03.Foreign Minister of another country, and I won't say which one, since I

:14:04. > :14:08.must preserve my reputation for diplomacy, but, let's just say that

:14:09. > :14:18.they have an economy about the size of Australia. They are getting

:14:19. > :14:25.smaller, alas. Plenty of snow, nuclear missiles, oligarchs, leader

:14:26. > :14:30.who strips to the waist... You get the picture... After a few tense

:14:31. > :14:34.exchanges, my counterpart gave a sigh and said that any difficulties

:14:35. > :14:42.in our relationship were all Britain's fault. It was you guys who

:14:43. > :14:49.imposed democracy on us. In 1990, he said. I was a bit startled by this.

:14:50. > :14:55.And I said, hang on, Sergei... Sorry!

:14:56. > :15:00.Aren't you in favour of democracy? I asked for a show of hands in the

:15:01. > :15:06.room. All those in favour of democracy, please show. And you

:15:07. > :15:13.would have thought that this was a bit like asking Mariia Von Trapp

:15:14. > :15:17.whether she was in favour of rain drops on roses and whiskers on

:15:18. > :15:21.kittens and the entire UK side of the room raised their hands as one

:15:22. > :15:27.to show that democracy was indeed one of our favourite things.

:15:28. > :15:32.But much to my amazement, our opposite numbers just kept their

:15:33. > :15:37.hands on the table and gave us what we diplomats call, the hairy

:15:38. > :15:43.eyeball." And of course it was a bit of fun. I was winding them up. There

:15:44. > :15:48.was a sense in which my question was semi satirical, but the exchange was

:15:49. > :15:53.also deeply serious and revealing about the way in which the world has

:15:54. > :15:59.changed, or perhaps the way in which it has failed to change.

:16:00. > :16:03.Since that moment of exsiration in 1990, when the Berlin Wall came down

:16:04. > :16:08.and the Soviet Union was coming to an end and some of us, and I was

:16:09. > :16:13.certainly one, really believed that we had come to a moment of

:16:14. > :16:21.ideological resolution. And that after seven frozen decades

:16:22. > :16:28.of comunist totalitarian rule, the oppression of eastern Europe, all

:16:29. > :16:34.the things which had been conven aniently forgotten by those singing

:16:35. > :16:38.Lenin's red flag last week at the Labour Party Conference, we

:16:39. > :16:43.genuinely thought we were seeing the final triumph of that that lib

:16:44. > :16:48.western values that unite people in this room. Not just free markets,

:16:49. > :16:53.but all the things that we then believed in that brief shining

:16:54. > :16:59.moment at the end of the cold war w the essential free market

:17:00. > :17:04.capitalism. Rule of law. Human rights, independent judiciary,

:17:05. > :17:10.equalities of race and gender, and sexual orientation. The eternal

:17:11. > :17:12.right of the media to make fun of politicians.

:17:13. > :17:23.We assumed... APPLAUSE We assumed that this

:17:24. > :17:30.political freedom, social freedom, went hand in hand with economic

:17:31. > :17:34.freedom, like buying an ice cream Snickers bar. Only the free market

:17:35. > :17:40.could produce something as ingenious as that. And a copy of Private Eye,

:17:41. > :17:46.free speech of a kind still unknown in many parts of the world, in a

:17:47. > :17:51.two-for-one deal. Like two sides of liberty's golden coin.

:17:52. > :17:57.And yet I have to tell you, that both sides of that coin of freedom

:17:58. > :18:03.have been tarnished over the last two decades. And we must be humble

:18:04. > :18:09.and realistic enough to accept that in many eyes, the notion that we

:18:10. > :18:13.would endlessly expand the realm of liberal democracy was badly damaged,

:18:14. > :18:22.alas by the invasion of Iraq in 2003. And emettrically our model of

:18:23. > :18:26.free market Anglo-Saxon capitalism was practiced in London and New York

:18:27. > :18:33.was seriously discredited by the crash of 2008 and the global

:18:34. > :18:38.suspicion of bankers. And we have taken those twin blows, like punches

:18:39. > :18:42.to the mid-drift. I think we've been winded. And sometimes lacking in

:18:43. > :18:46.confidence in those ideals. And if you look at the course of

:18:47. > :18:53.events in the last ten years, then I am afraid you can make the case that

:18:54. > :18:58.it is partly as a result of that lack of western self-confidence,

:18:59. > :19:05.political, military, economic, that in some material ways the world has

:19:06. > :19:11.got less safe, more dangerous and more worrying. After a long post war

:19:12. > :19:16.period in which the world was getting broadly more peaceful, the

:19:17. > :19:23.number of deaths in conflict has risen from 49,000 in 2010, to

:19:24. > :19:28.167,000 last year. The global number of refugees is up by 30% on 2013, up

:19:29. > :19:33.to 46 million last year. Of course much of that crisis in

:19:34. > :19:40.refugees can be attributed to the war in Syria. It is part of a wider

:19:41. > :19:47.arc of instability that sweeps across from Iraq to Libya. And this

:19:48. > :19:55.matters profoundly to our country. Because it is the continuing save

:19:56. > :20:02.ragery of the Assad regime against the people of Aleppo. And committing

:20:03. > :20:06.war crimes, bombing hospitals when they know they are hospitals and

:20:07. > :20:12.nothing but hospitals. That is making it impossible for

:20:13. > :20:17.peace negotiations to resume and it is prolonging a migration crisis

:20:18. > :20:25.that last year overwhelmed Europe's ability to cope.

:20:26. > :20:31.When the violence is erupted across the Middle East we are seeing the

:20:32. > :20:35.contagion spread to cities in Germany, France and Belgium and of

:20:36. > :20:43.course here to our country as well. And if that threat to travel

:20:44. > :20:47.continues to have a palpable chilling effect on terrorism,

:20:48. > :20:55.perhaps even on trade, then for a great trading nation like Britain,

:20:56. > :21:02.that is a matter of deep concern then there is a more pen fishous

:21:03. > :21:06.phenomenon, steaming however unfairly from the disastrous defence

:21:07. > :21:13.in Iraq. And that is the temptation of Governments to take this

:21:14. > :21:18.instability and insecurity which we cannot deny and use it as an excuse

:21:19. > :21:23.to move away from democracy. Across Africa. You can see for the

:21:24. > :21:28.first time in decades, that Governments are gradually becoming

:21:29. > :21:33.more authoritarian. The number of African countries rated free or

:21:34. > :21:40.partly free has fallen from 34-29 n the last ten years. There are four

:21:41. > :21:42.African President, who are currently rewriting their national

:21:43. > :21:48.constitutions. To tighten their grip on power. And without going into

:21:49. > :21:55.details, since you all know them, there are plenty of countries, large

:21:56. > :21:59.and small, where the idea of multi-party representative democracy

:22:00. > :22:03.in which we believe is failing to catch on.

:22:04. > :22:06.And I think that is because there is also a view that has gained ground

:22:07. > :22:26.over the last few years, that F it was wrong and

:22:27. > :22:30.there is no real symmetry in the golden coin that I described.

:22:31. > :22:34.There's a cynical view going around that you can have economic

:22:35. > :22:41.prosperity without social freedom. There is a view now in many parts of

:22:42. > :22:48.the world that the only way to ensure prosperity and stability is

:22:49. > :22:59.to suppress freedom, to crack down on pesky NGOs and civil society and

:23:00. > :23:02.liquidate irritating journalists and compromise independent judges and

:23:03. > :23:06.generally the liberal western consensus about how a society should

:23:07. > :23:15.be ordered. So, if I have one message for you this afternoon, it

:23:16. > :23:22.is that this ill-liberal analysis is deeply and dangerously wrong and

:23:23. > :23:36.these social political freements, as well as economic freedoms r not

:23:37. > :23:39.just, they are essential for sustained growth. I can prove that

:23:40. > :23:52.point, you know, I will not make reference to the difficulties of

:23:53. > :23:58.other countries. I think that would be wrong I ask you to look at the

:23:59. > :24:01.society we live in. A 21st century Britain that incarnates that

:24:02. > :24:08.symmetry. Why have we got more Tech wizards

:24:09. > :24:12.than any other place than in Europe? Is it because we embarked on a so

:24:13. > :24:17.yacht-style programme of training people to do tech? I like to say it

:24:18. > :24:23.did. In fact I used to claim I invented... Nothing to do with me.

:24:24. > :24:30.It was all started, because London acquired a deserved reputation of

:24:31. > :24:33.being the greatest city on earth. A great jiving, Metropolitan melting

:24:34. > :24:37.pot, where providing you did nothing to damage the interests of others

:24:38. > :24:41.and providing you obeyed the law you could make of your life pretty much

:24:42. > :24:48.what you wanted. That is why we lead in all those creative and cultural

:24:49. > :24:56.sectors and why we have the best universities on earth.

:24:57. > :25:04.Because the best minds from around the world are meeting in some of the

:25:05. > :25:10.best pubs and bars and nightclubs. We have the best cultural life on

:25:11. > :25:16.the planet. They are like subatomic particles colliding and creating

:25:17. > :25:23.flashes of innovation. Innovation that is essential for long-term

:25:24. > :25:29.economic success. It will not surprise you to know that Britain is

:25:30. > :25:33.one of the top three most innovative places in the world. America is

:25:34. > :25:40.number four, by the way. China... APPLAUSE

:25:41. > :25:48.I promised I would not be competitive but China is 25. To get

:25:49. > :25:52.back to my central point, the entire top ten innovative societies in the

:25:53. > :25:59.world are three markets liberal democracies. It is because we have

:26:00. > :26:03.both those values at once symmetrically in this country that

:26:04. > :26:13.we are still the fastest growing economy in Europe, with record

:26:14. > :26:15.unemployment and fantastic achievements by this Government, and

:26:16. > :26:21.it is this new dynamic Government led by Theresa May that is working

:26:22. > :26:26.not just to ensure that this country's success is felt by the

:26:27. > :26:32.few, but felt by absolutely everybody. We should have no shame

:26:33. > :26:40.or embarrassment in championing those ideals. The symmetry in our

:26:41. > :26:45.thought around the world. In this user of delivering the message of

:26:46. > :26:48.global Britain should be that we stick up as vigorously for democracy

:26:49. > :26:54.and for human rights as we do for three markets and when all is said

:26:55. > :27:07.and done, I know this will not please everybody, I think that vote

:27:08. > :27:12.on June 23, that was a vote for economic and political freedom, and

:27:13. > :27:23.freedom for this country. APPLAUSE And it was a liberation. Over the

:27:24. > :27:37.last couple of months I have sat in all kinds of meetings, vast feasts

:27:38. > :27:42.washed down with the finest wine known to man, and on one occasion a

:27:43. > :27:47.splendid breakfast that seemed to stretch from eight o'clock until 11

:27:48. > :27:50.o'clock and I enjoyed all of them, and I made friends and alliances, I

:27:51. > :28:02.have struck up all sorts of relationships. Wonderful

:28:03. > :28:11.conversations. But I have two till any lingering gloomy thinkers that

:28:12. > :28:16.never once have I felt that this country would be in any way

:28:17. > :28:20.disadvantaged by extricating ourselves from the EU treaties. On

:28:21. > :28:34.the contrary I think there are many reasons which we will be liberated,

:28:35. > :28:39.liberated. To be more active, more visible, more energetic on the world

:28:40. > :28:43.stage than ever before. We are not leaving Europe. We are leaving the

:28:44. > :28:48.EU. We will remain committed to all kinds of European co-operation at an

:28:49. > :28:52.intergovernmental level, whether it is maintaining sanctions against

:28:53. > :28:57.Russia about what is going on in the Ukraine, or sending our Navy to help

:28:58. > :29:01.the Italians with the maggots places in the Mediterranean, but we will

:29:02. > :29:14.also be able to speak in our own distinctive voice. -- help the

:29:15. > :29:18.Italians with the migrant crisis. Helping to save the elephant in the

:29:19. > :29:24.way that the disunited EU, they cannot come up with a position

:29:25. > :29:29.because some of them are slightly kowtowing to the ivory importers, we

:29:30. > :29:34.have the absurd situation in which the EU was trying to beat all the

:29:35. > :29:39.ivory ban in spite of having a President called Donald Tusk which I

:29:40. > :29:51.think you will all agree is an error. APPLAUSE

:29:52. > :29:58.Or relaunching, as Theresa May just said, relaunching the cause of

:29:59. > :30:03.global free trade. It has been stalled since the failure of the

:30:04. > :30:07.Doha round and I can think of a few more positive forces in the global

:30:08. > :30:13.economy, the world's fifth biggest economy taking back control, taking

:30:14. > :30:19.back control, not just of democracy, but our borders and our cash and our

:30:20. > :30:23.tariff schedules in Geneva so that we can galvanise free trade, break

:30:24. > :30:27.the logjam, and that Theresa May has rightly said, become the new global

:30:28. > :30:33.champions and agitators and do free trade deals around the world that

:30:34. > :30:37.will continue the process of lifting billions of people around the world

:30:38. > :30:38.out of poverty. That is why the world needs global Britain and our

:30:39. > :30:55.values more than ever. A campaign for what we believe in

:30:56. > :31:00.and a catalyst for change in economic and political freedom in a

:31:01. > :31:05.world that is losing confidence in those values. There are some people

:31:06. > :31:10.who say we are too small, too feeble, to geopolitically reduced to

:31:11. > :31:15.have that kind of informants. I think of the Labour Party where they

:31:16. > :31:18.literally wants to abolish our armed services and keep our nuclear

:31:19. > :31:23.submarines as a kind of demented job creation programme, sending them to

:31:24. > :31:32.say without any nuclear weapons so that the world sub -- so that the

:31:33. > :31:38.nation is firing blanks. I am not going to pretend... APPLAUSE

:31:39. > :31:40.It is important to be realistic, I am not good to pretend that this

:31:41. > :31:45.country is something that we are not. Every day I go to an office so

:31:46. > :31:50.vast that it could comfortably accommodate three squash courts and

:31:51. > :31:57.so dripping with blowing that it looks like something out of the

:31:58. > :32:01.Kardashian is. I sit at the desk and I sometimes reflect that this very

:32:02. > :32:04.seat I occupy was once the nerve centre of an empire that was seven

:32:05. > :32:12.times the size of the Roman Empire at its greatest extent. When I go

:32:13. > :32:17.into the map room at Palmerston I cannot help remembering that this

:32:18. > :32:21.country over the last two centuries has directed the invasion or

:32:22. > :32:28.conquest of 178 countries, that is most of the members of the UN, which

:32:29. > :32:33.is obviously not a point I majored on in New York in the UN General

:32:34. > :32:40.Assembly, and I did not because... APPLAUSE

:32:41. > :32:44.Those days are gone forever. Those days are gone forever. It is a

:32:45. > :32:48.profoundly good thing that they are gone. Yet it would be a fatal

:32:49. > :32:53.mistake there to underestimate what this country is doing or what it

:32:54. > :32:58.could do. Because in spite of Iraq it is simply not the case that every

:32:59. > :33:04.military intervention has been a disaster. Look at what we did in

:33:05. > :33:06.Sierra Leone. We get Somalia where my predecessor William Hague helped

:33:07. > :33:22.initiate a bald programme to tackle the pilots that plate the coast of

:33:23. > :33:32.that country -- a bold programme to tackle the pilots. Before the

:33:33. > :33:36.anti-piracy campaign the world economy had been cost $7 billion per

:33:37. > :33:41.year, when Britain stepped in the attacks stopped altogether. Since

:33:42. > :33:55.2012 there have been more Holyrood films about Somali pirates than

:33:56. > :34:08.there have been actual attacks. Global Britain five, pirates nil.

:34:09. > :34:13.APPLAUSE We do not want to wield our hard

:34:14. > :34:17.power and we think an age before we do but when we get our armed

:34:18. > :34:23.services clear and achievable mission they can be remarkably

:34:24. > :34:26.effective. And with 2% of our GDP spent on defence we will be the

:34:27. > :34:36.leading militantly player in Western Europe for the foreseeable future.

:34:37. > :34:42.-- leading militantly clear. And our hard power is dwarfed by a

:34:43. > :34:50.phenomenon that the pessimists never predicted when we unbundled the

:34:51. > :34:54.British Empire, and that is our soft power, the vast, subtle, preppies of

:34:55. > :34:58.extension of British influence around the world that goes with us

:34:59. > :35:02.having the language that was invented and perfected in this

:35:03. > :35:12.country of ours and now has more speakers than any other language on

:35:13. > :35:23.earth. The gentle gunboats of British soft power, skippered by the

:35:24. > :35:28.likes of Jeremy Clarkson, or GQ rolling, who is worshipped by young

:35:29. > :35:35.people in some countries as a kind of divinity, or just the BBC. And

:35:36. > :35:40.the matter how infuriating and shamelessly anti-Brexit they

:35:41. > :35:47.sometimes can be I think... APPLAUSE I think the BBC is the single

:35:48. > :35:48.greatest and most effective ambassador for our culture and our

:35:49. > :36:03.values. APPLAUSE It was Sergi who told me he had not

:36:04. > :36:07.only wash our version of War and peace but also told me it was very

:36:08. > :36:11.well done and that from the Kremlin was praise. If you want final proof

:36:12. > :36:16.of our irresistible soft power I remind you that this country not

:36:17. > :36:26.only invented just about every sport or game known to humanity but this

:36:27. > :36:32.year it was our athletes who came second in the Olympic and Paralympic

:36:33. > :36:39.Games. APPLAUSE I hope all our friends in Beijing

:36:40. > :36:46.will not mind if I point out that their teams had 1.4 billion people

:36:47. > :36:50.to draw on. To wind up, yes it is true, as I have said, that the world

:36:51. > :36:57.is not as safe or as healthy as it should be. And it is true that in

:36:58. > :37:01.2016 we are afflicted by war and terrorism and the new perils of

:37:02. > :37:07.cyber crime. And by the painful refusal of many parts of the world

:37:08. > :37:12.to accept what you and I might see as common sense, that free markets

:37:13. > :37:17.and free societies go together. But in case you are tempted to display,

:37:18. > :37:20.I urge you not to look at the problems, but look at the successes

:37:21. > :37:27.that these three institutions have helped to engender. For all its

:37:28. > :37:30.difficulties, life expectancy in Africa has risen astonishingly as

:37:31. > :37:41.that country has entered the global economic system. In 2000 the average

:37:42. > :37:49.Ethiopian lived to only 47. It is now 64 and climbing. In Zambia the

:37:50. > :37:55.increase has been from 44 to 60. In 1990 37% of the world's population

:37:56. > :38:05.lived in poverty. Absolute poverty. That is now down to only 9.6% today.

:38:06. > :38:09.I think we with our commitment to 0.7% on development can take a large

:38:10. > :38:21.share of the credit and I pay tribute to what Priti Patel and her

:38:22. > :38:26.team are doing. It is our duty. But it is economic ideas and I believe

:38:27. > :38:32.in freedom, our values, that's continued to lift the world out of

:38:33. > :38:37.poverty. That has got to be our continued ambition. It has been an

:38:38. > :38:41.extraordinary experience for me to be Foreign Secretary for the last

:38:42. > :38:51.few months as together with my fantastic team of ministerial

:38:52. > :39:04.colleagues, Sir Alan Duncan, Tobias Ellwood, we have made literally

:39:05. > :39:14.hundreds of trips, the accumulation of air miles. I have confirmed to

:39:15. > :39:20.myself my primary observation that we have in our Foreign Office, our

:39:21. > :39:31.foreign and column of office, the finest diplomatic service in the

:39:32. > :39:33.world, covering more countries... Applause Mac covering more countries

:39:34. > :39:40.than the French with only 70% of their budget by the way. And I am

:39:41. > :39:41.giving nothing away when I say we have the most superb intelligence

:39:42. > :39:54.agencies in the world. When I make a speech in a foreign

:39:55. > :39:58.city. I look around the heaving room and I become aware of a phenomenon.

:39:59. > :40:06.I think people in this country are barely aware of. That is, that of

:40:07. > :40:11.the Brits now alive, and born in this country, fully one in ten is

:40:12. > :40:17.now living abroad. So, we talk about a population of 5 or 6 million, the

:40:18. > :40:23.size of Scotland, bigger. No other rich country, according to the World

:40:24. > :40:27.Bank has a diaspora on that scale. Never mind immigration, no other

:40:28. > :40:35.country, is such a formidable exporter of human talent. Business

:40:36. > :40:38.people, lawyers, teachers, prospectors, adventurers, poets,

:40:39. > :40:43.painters, whiskey sellers. French nicker sellers, by the way, which we

:40:44. > :40:47.sell in ever-growing quantities to France and will continue to do, when

:40:48. > :40:54.we strike a deal in a Europe that works for everyone.

:40:55. > :41:03.No other country, no other country is turned so tanningably, physically

:41:04. > :41:10.outwards than into the world - t tangibly. And what they take with

:41:11. > :41:14.them is not only the cast of the Archers or which game has silly

:41:15. > :41:19.mid-off or Ant Dec, about whom I would not necessarily want to be

:41:20. > :41:26.interrogated myself, but they take an instinctive set of values. And

:41:27. > :41:34.whether they are retired teachers, working as monitors in the Ukrainian

:41:35. > :41:38.war zone, or Met police officers, training their counterparts in the

:41:39. > :41:44.parts of Syria held by the immoderate opposition, I find that

:41:45. > :41:50.these Brits are respected, and admired in sometimes unexpected ways

:41:51. > :41:54.by ordinary people around the world. And in an age of anxiety, and

:41:55. > :42:03.uncertainty, it is surely more obvious than ever that our values

:42:04. > :42:09.are needed. Though we can never be compliesent, I think we never take

:42:10. > :42:15.our position for granted. I think Winston Churchill was right, he was

:42:16. > :42:21.bound to come up, why not now. I think Churchill was right when he

:42:22. > :42:29.said - that the empires of the future will be empires of the mind.

:42:30. > :42:40.And next pressing our values abroad, I believe that global Britain is a

:42:41. > :42:43.soft power, superpower: I think we will be immensely proud of what we

:42:44. > :42:47.are achieving and what we will achieve in the years ahead. Thank

:42:48. > :42:51.you very much indeed. Thank you, thank you.