05/10/2016 - Live Morning Session Conservative Party Conference

The national Conservative Convention. Linda Arkley.

Good morning, conference. I'm Linda Arkley, Vice President of the

National Convention. I'm thrilled to be introducing this session.

Shortly, we are going to he`r from several people about why thdy wanted

to become MPs. And, they'll tell you about their

experiences in the House of Commons. When politician stock is low and

people feel that politics isn't always working for them, it is vital

to remember that there are dlective representatives doing a fantastic

job for their constituents dvery single day.

It's also important to remelber what a difference that politics can make

to people's lives. We have hundreds of MPs who take their job vdry, very

seriously. And we have many people in local politics who share it. I'm

one of them. I came interested in politics during the 1970s. H had

just finished my nurse's tr`ining when we had the winter of

discontevenlt I think many of you will remember that. Strikes,

tleet-day week, industry un`ble to function. Jobs being lost and many

of my fellow nursing colleagues who were unable to get a job. Btt it was

in the 1980s when militant tendency began to raise its head and the

left-wing infiltrated local councils and that's when I joined thd

Conservative Party. Like you all, the inevitabld

leaflets come. So I went off delivering leaflets. I stood as a

candidate in the local elections and third time lucky, I became ` ward

councillor which I carried on for 18 years. I then stood as the

Conservative mayoral candid`te in Labour's heartland of North Tyneside

in 20039 and succeeded in bdcoming the elected mayor and served for six

years. APPLAUSE - 2003 and 2009.

It was there I saw the power of politics first hand.

Improving council services while cutting costs. Boosting the local

economy with infrastructure, projects like the A19, the

Silverlink transport scheme and successfully lobbying for an

enterprise zone in the north-east. I can tell you those changes helped

the area for the better, giving people more money, more jobs, and

more opportunities. Our parliamentarians seek to make

sure that they have this impact every single day.

They do so through constitudncy surgeries, correspondence, visits,

case work, parliamentary debates, votes, committees, and sometimes

ministerial work. It is a privilege, but it is also

great responsibility. To hear more about what goes on and

from the MPs, I want to hand over to our MPs and the Chairman who is

known among constituents and colleagues as an exemplary LP and an

all-rounder. Ladies and gentlemen, all-rounder. Ladies and gentlemen,

the Chief Whip,p Gavin Willhamson. Thank you, Mullin da. Conference, it

is a great - thank you Lind`. Conference, it is a great privilege

to be here today. Indeed, it is rare for a Chief Whip to be let out, let

alone to address such a large crowd. It's usually one-on-one in truth.

As whips, we are more accustomed to operating in the shadows, as opposed

to being centre stage. But ht is with great pride that I serve as

Chief Whip for our great party. And for our great Prime Minister.

APPLAUSE I know there is a fair amount of

mystery surrounding the rold of a whip's office. I've heard that we

use special tactics to get our way, to make people do as we wish. I ve

even heard that we have a special black book, where we record all of

the misdeeds and mistakes and it is hard to imagine that any of our

colleagues would ever have ` small or minor indiscretion.

APPLAUSE But, conference, I've got to set the

record straight. As Chief Whip, I can categorically tell you that in

the whip's office we do not have a black book. It's blue.

APPLAUSE But, conference, over these last few

days, so little has gone into this wonderful blue book. Everyone has

been so incredibly well-beh`ved Well, most.

Instead, we have heard passhonate speeches on how we create a country

that works for everyone. Strengthening our economy in all

parts of our country, about our bright future, as a global trading

nation. But we can never, never forget the

challenges that we face. Sitting across from the despatch box every

day, we see the threat from the Labour Party. It maybe easy to

dismiss them as divided, a shambles, irrelevant to working peopld but,

conference, we know the dangers posed by socialism. More spdnding.

More tax. The threat to our national security.

We must never forget that they have done it all before and they will do

it all over again. In Parliament, debate by debate

vote by vote, they are determined to drag Britain down.

As our first great female Prime Minister once said - "They

denigrated our past, undermhned our present and had no faith in our

future." Today's Labour is no differdnt. They

want to return us to the fahled divisive, backward-looking socialism

of the 1970s, where the nathon was held to randsom by union barons by

Trotskyites, by militants. People who have no care or no love for our

country. We will not let thdm win. We cannot let them win. Stopping

them is our duty. Yet we Conservatives are building ` country

that works for everyone. Working to deliver this, we can draw on a huge

range of talent that is our parliamentary party. It is lore

diverse and impressive than it has ever been before. We have tdachers,

doctors, nurses, people who have built up their own businessds.

People who have worked in industry, standing up for our values.

Conservative values. We are the party of ideas, the energy `nd the

belief to build upon the success of a past six years. These are the

people who are leading our charge against Labour. So, conference,

first of all, let me introdtce you to a Member of Parliament who won a

seat that has never before been Conservative.

A seat that has only ever elected Labour MPs, since 1906. A sdat they

held for over 100 years, and that they took for granted. A se`t that

Ed Miliband thought that thdy could never lose.

But hard work, local connections, a total commitment to the are` and its

people led to history being made in May of last year. So, ladies and

gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to the first-ever,

Conservative Member of Parlhament for Gower, Byron Davies.

Gavin, thank you. Conferencd, so my upbringing was on the picturesque of

peninsula of Gower on the south west coast of Wales. For those of you who

know it, it is famed for its inland and coastal beauty, having been

designated as the UK's first ever area of outstanding beauty hn 1 56.

It is where I was born and brought up. It has always been a Labour

strongholds, with majorities that could be weighed as opposed to

counted. The northern part of the constituency includes opportunities

that formally supported minhng and heavy industry. It is a divdrse

community that I'm extremelx proud to represent.

I was educated under the old state grammar school system. My

contemporaries were drawn infrastructure families...

APPLAUSE My contemporaries were drawn from

families with a variety of both working class and professional

backgrounds. Their parents, hard-working people,

the national crime sqau.d ahd fascinating career, the latter years

based in Eastern Europe, managing counter-organised crime programmes.

Stluout my police career I had a constant longing to engage hn

politics buff course was prdvented from doing so by the very n`ture of

my work. I remained faithful to the

Conservative course. My wifd was delighted when I told her I was to

#colourcyan leaving the polhce and looked lovingly into my eyes,

expecting me to announce a love to France or to space. But the look

morphed into stunned silencd as I announced we were going to return to

Wales where I saw my next challenge which was converting Wales to the

Conservative way. You will be delighted to he`r that I

am still married to the samd person. My eyes were firmly set on winning

the Parliamentary seat of Gower I was elected in 2011 to the National

Assembly of Wales but after ten years of campaigning, success came

in May 2015 when I had the opportunity to work with thd most

brilliant of campaign teams, made up of the Swansea and Gower

Conservative future and the energetic Tower Association

volunteers. So why am I a Conservative? Simply becausd I

believe in opportunity for `ll. Be it in education, business, `nd I

have a very, very strong belief in social justice. My life expdrience

has taught me that given thd right conditions which I am convinced and

it is now evident only the Conservative Party can put hnto

place and everyone irrespective of their background and have a fair

chance and make a success of their lives. And with our Prime Mhnister,

conference, we can look forward to all of these things. Thank xou.

Thank you, next we have a l`dy who is a fellow member of Parli`ment

here in the Midlands, who shows that with tenacity and resolve you can

achieve great things, a gre`t advocate of conservative values who

took a seat from the Labour Party that we lost in 1997. Again, that

helped us form a majority government for the first time in 20 ye`rs. She

is a great champion of Derbx and I am proud that she is part of a team.

Ladies and gentlemen, pleasd welcome Amanda Soloway.

Well, good morning, conference. I first became fascinated by politics

when I was nine or ten and Ken Clarke was at a garden partx. I

remember being so impressed by this statesman who spoke so eloqtently.

Then a few years later, I joined the Young Conservatives. Admittddly it

was my friend who persuaded me to join as she assured me you could

find a eligible young men there Sadly all I found was a load of

literature that needed to bd delivered. Then life just hhjacked

me. I was working long hours at Sainsbury's, my husband had a major

motorbike accident and I had my two daughters and I seem to havd no

spare time and any thought of politics was cut to the back of my

mind and honestly, I didn't believe I could become an MP. I lacked self

belief, had no qualifications of note, to give me merit, apart from a

passionate belief in doing the right thing. But still, I kept it on my

to-do list. For years actually. And finally as I approached 50, I

thought, it's now or never. So I wrote to Theresa May, as yot do She

pointed me expertly to women to win and from then, I contacted ly MP,

the amazing Pauline Latham, who have me in so many ways. I foolishly put

myself forward for my Parli`mentary assessment too early and I failed.

Like many people, I hate fahling and I felt absolutely deflated but then

I thought, I really, really want this. So I became more determined to

increase my political experhence. I had already had a role on the

association and then I was lucky enough to get selected as a borough

council candidate. A parish councillor, area team officdr and

then an officer for regional and subsequently National conservative

women's organisation. I then asked if I could redo my Parliamentary

assessment board and thank goodness, they agreed, and I passed. @nd then,

as many of you know, I was dlected as a candidate for Derby North.

The first 18 months have flown by and I have to say I have enjoyed

every single second, from gdtting lost in the House of Commons to

being being appointed on thd joint committee on human rights. @nd most

recently appointed the PPS for International development btt most

importantly I enjoy the timd I spend in Derby North and I like going out

with the street pastors, visiting small businesses and actually making

a difference to people's lives. I have made no secret of the fact that

my mother suffered from mental health issues, my cousin took his

life at 36, and what I wouldn't give to have them here today. Wh`t I can

do is to support this government as it brings mental health and other

issues to the forefront. I `m proud to be a conservative becausd

everyone regardless of background should be afforded the chance of

success, to stand on their own two feet and to show the world who they

are because if a blonde, and sometimes slightly silly person from

the Midlands can stand here as the MP for Derby North, there is hope

for anyone. My dad lives in a council house and

I take... I go and visit hil and when I go and visit him, he takes me

out to show me off to his friends because he is just so proud I am an

MP. Me? I am proud to be a conservative, thank you.

Amanda, thank you for such `n inspiring speech. I don't know about

you but in May 2015, there were so many highlights on that night but I

rather enjoyed watching that sea of blue advance across the electoral

map of the South West. In mx mind, there is nothing or few things more

satisfying than beating a Lhberal Democrat. I find it is good for

lifting the spirits. Our next speaker turned a Lib Dem majority of

over 7000 into a conservative one of 1500. Ladies and gentlemen, please

welcome the member of Parli`ment, Luke

Hall. Gavin, thank you so mtch. In the last 18 months, I have... Turned

30, and most importantly got married just a few weeks ago. I am

absolutely honoured to be ending the busiest year of my life by speaking

in conference today. I grew up in South Gloucestershire and started my

career working on the shop floor. I have stacked shelves and sat on

tills. I genuinely believe there is no better training ground for any

modern politicians and workhng in a supermarket for a decade. Btt it is

a big jump for anybody living into public life. I was extremelx nervous

about standing for Parliament. I was out canvassing, and a man answered

the door, looking thoroughlx unimpressed, I started to vdry

politely explain who I was `nd what I was doing there and he stopped me

mid-speech and said all right, I will vote for you, I will vote for

you if you tell me how much... And it was in that moment I completely

froze. Knowing he could havd asked me absolutely anything. I whll vote

for you if you can tell me how much, and I kept thinking I am just a

supermarket manager, how much a pint of milk costs.

Of course, I said, but first let me tell you the bar code of milk and

the product number of milk. The best value milk is in the shop at the

corner. Is there anything else you want to know about milk, sir? And he

looked me in the eyes and s`id, you smug Tory and slammed the door. I

could not be more proud to be an ex-retailer now chair of yotr

Parliamentary group on retahl and the local MP for the store H used

stacked shelves in. I believe that education and ability provide

opportunity that will only dver take you so far because it is our

determination and a burning desire in front of us that drives ts to

excel. And I am doing this job because I want that opportunity to

reach every caretaker at a hotel worker and shall step in all corners

of our great country. Collins and friends, it has been an incredible

journey from little to Westlinster. I do want is to wait a second.

Arguments. Thank you. I should probablx add at

this stage there are other retailers out there as well. We are an

impartial party when it comds to that. Next we have a lady who grew

up in this great city. She stood for Parliament here in Birmingh`m in

2010. She fought a seat, it is fair to say the seat fought back but she

was selected by an open prilary and was elected for the Wealden

constituency in 2015. She h`s made a great start to her career in the

comments, ladies and gentlelen, please welcome...

Good morning. I am the MP for Wealden in East Sussex and ly part

of the world was perfectly described by GK Chesterton as the place where

London ends and England can begin. It is home to the oldest

Conservative Association in the country and without labour style

tokenism made history by eldcting our first female Muslim member of

Parliament. But you are probably thinking, she must be from `n

oppressed minority. And you are right. Before I was elected, I was a

Conservative at the BBC. My pastor Parliament should not be

unusual but is. My mother h`d never gone to school and to be honest

there was pressure on me not to finish my education and I'm sorry to

say that remains the case for too many girls across our communities in

our country today. My parents migrated here to Birmingham with my

father exchanging his headm`ster 's gown for biscuit factory ovdralls

and my story should and could have stayed there and for many of my

contemporaries their stories did. Growing up in a Labour stronghold,

there were no role models, hnstead, there was a bigotry of low

expectations. I was told th`t people like me would be limited by our

circumstances, that my life 's course would be managed and even

decided by the state. I rejdcted that and we Conservatives rdject

those assumptions. We are the true reformers, as our Prime Minhster has

demonstrated time and time `gain. We are the only party that strhves for

the whole of Great Britain, which is why it should be our mission to win

the hearts and minds of every part of our country and that includes

here in Birmingham, where chvic conservatism has its origins and

where we are going to get otr great candidate Andy Street electdd as the

first Mayor of the West Midlands. It is our responsibility to ensure

that people have a chance to earn their living and not depend on

hand-outs. I have seen, first hand, how welfare can stunt opportunity.

In reality, education and aspiration are where it starts. Choice and

rigour are our watch words. But to empower individuals, to truly

empower individuals, our colmunities need to feel safe and securd and our

tolerance and open society needs to be protected from the threats posed

by extremism and insidious intolerance. As a member of the Home

Affairs Select Committee, I have seen all the evidence I need to

justify our strong, clear shghted response. Conference there, has

never been a more important time to be a Conservative and there has

never been a more exciting time to be a Conservative. I'm proud to be

working with all of you, as we help create a country that works for

everyone. Thank you. APPLAUSE

Thank you. Our next speaker was a highly successful QC before her

election to the Commons much she is a great champion of equalitx and

opportunity, who comes from a rich tradition of public service. The

daughter of a teacher. The granddaughter of a headmastdr who

set up a technical college. She has, conference, been tipped as ` rising

star. Now this is usually the death of any politician's career. But in

this case, I have no doubt ht is not going to be the case.

Ladies and gentlemen, pleasd welcome the Member of Parliament for South

East Cambridgeshire, Lucy Fraser. APPLAUSE

Thank you. I was born in Ledds. As a child I spent many weekends in

Leicester with my child I spent many weekends in

Because I belong to a party that values hard work, that encotrages

children to dream, to aspird, to succeed. That seeks to build an

education system that levels up not down, and does so because it has

faith in people's abilities. It should never be the case th`t the

circumstances we are born into define our future. That our

background is a barrier to success. It doesn't need to be. My great

grandparents came to this country as refugees. They were fortunate, they

worked hard, and they made ` life for themselves. We must enstre that

everyone has the same opportunities, whatever their background and

wherever they come from. We need to do even more than that. Somdtimes

those who need the most help ask for it the least or never ask at all. It

is our job to seek those people out and give them the support and step

up they deserve. Last month I worked with thd

debating charity in my constituency. This charity helps schoolchhldren

from a variety of backgrounds to improve their confidence. Some of

the students had never debated before. I noticed that one xoung was

so shy that at the beginning of the session she sat silently in the

circle. By the end of the d`y she was confidently addressing the group

on military defence. Helping children understand their own

potential and giving them the skills to use it, is a fundamental part of

their education. On every vhsit as I was leaving her house in

Leicester, my grandmother would repeat to me the words of Robert

Browning. "A man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's the

heavens for." If we can instill ambition and hope into everx young

person, we can build a great future for us all. And that's why H'm a

Conservative. APPLAUSE

Thank you, Lucy. We now comd to the last of my colleagues, a man who,

like Luke, beat the Liberal Democrats. A man who was born and

raised in Cornwall, who served as a councillor before he was eldcted as

a Member of Parliament. He hs a proud Cornishman who is standing up

for the rural way of life, the tourism and the fishermen in his

constituency. He has gone from delivering post to delivering for

North Cornwall. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Scott

Mann. APPLAUSE

Thank you very much for that warm reception. 19 months ago I swapped

my red post van for the gredn benches in Westminster.

You know the left, they really like to pigeon hole members of otr party.

They like to portray Conservatives in the same way to suit thehr

political narrative. They accuse us of being toffs, of lacking

understanding of working men and women in their country. We have seen

that myth well and truly busted today.

APPLAUSE With less than a week to go before

the general election last ydar I continued to work for the Royal Mail

as a postman. In fact, I had to deliver my opposition's leaflets,

before I had to return in the afternoon, to deliver my own!

APPLAUSE I had no interest hn politics or Government until I tried

to purchase my first house `t 2 years' old. I couldn't afford an

open market property in my home town. Then an opportunity presented

itself to buy a shared ownership property. 200 people applied for the

house I was lucky enough to secure. 200 working people applying for one

house. The estate was split between socially rented properties `nd part

buy, part rent. At the time we had a Labour Government. I know that seems

like a long time ago. They seemed preoccupied for providing houses for

people that weren't working. Working two jobs like many people in

Cornwall do, to get bi. It was then that I realised that Labour

governments doesn't give a stuff about working people.

APPLAUSE #

So I sat at home one evening stood after inrealised I needed to do

something. I stood for council. The Prime Minister on the steps of ten

Downing Street spoke fear the that will work for the many, not the few.

She spoke of people just getting by. Well me and my friends and huge

swathes of the working Popovlation - population and it is that that we

must address in this Parlialent and beyond.

APPLAUSE #

I get asked why, why are yot a Conservative? Well, I believe in

giving people the ability to climb the ladder.

I believe in providing people with a plot so they can build their own

homes. I believe in a low t`x system that encourages growth and `llows

people to make freedom and choice. I want policies that support working

families. I want an education system that unshackles our brightest and

best. I want us to continue to tackle the social issues of debt,

alcoholism and mental health. Ip want a country that helps pdople who

fall on hard times but does not neglect the tax-paying, working

populations that governments in the past have left behind.

APPLAUSE I want a country that works for

everyone. Thank you. APPLAUSE

I have to confor example as Chief Whip I am glad that everyond has

remembered the phrase. To those MPs in the hall, if you can notd it down

to include in your speeches, when you return, it'll be greatlx

appreciated. Conference, I am sure that xou will

agree with me that we have had some fantastic contributions frol all of

our speakers today. APPLAUSE

But what is so interesting hs the real diversity of backgrounds, that

they are people who have done real jobs in the real world.

APPLAUSE Contrast this with Labour. They want

to de-select their MPs. Thex are fighting their internal battles

They are squabbling over socialist dogma, like a Sixth Form debating

society. But we, we, conference, are

different. I am proud that we are a mature

party of government. We know that government and the choices `re not

easy. There are going to be many, many challenges to come. And we all

have to work together. Confdrence, we are a Conservative familx, the

parliamentary party, the voluntary party, united in purpose, whth a

commitment to working together. To face down the Labour threat, to

deliver our manifesto, to btild a country that works for everxone

building a better, a strongdr, and a greater Britain.

APPLAUSE Ladies and gentlemen, pleasd welcome

the Chairman of the Conserv`tive Party, Sir Patrick McLaughlhn.

Conference, what a few days you ve had. Anybody need a holiday?

Well, forget it - we've got work to do.

As I said on Sunday, I love conferences in Birmingham. The city

has always been so welcoming to us and I look forward to being back

here in 2018. APPLAUSE

And I hope we have a Conservative mayor in Andy Street to welcome us

back! APPLAUSE

It is time to thank some of the people who have made this conference

happen. I particularly want to thank the staff at the Hyatt, the Symphony

Hall here and the whole of the ICC. Thanks again for looking after us so

well. And can I also say, a very big

thanks to the West Midlands Police force and G4S.

This conference has really been effectively policed this tile. I

thank everybody involved in it. APPLAUSE

Thanks also to to Gerry, thd Chairman of our conference for what

they have been doing during the week. We wouldn't be here whthout

the extremely exceptional h`rd work of the staff, particularly David and

his team, David, Laura, Eden, Lara and Kate. Well done, you ard nearly

there! APPLAUSE

When I first was appointed `s Chairman of the party by thd Prime

Minister, I went across to C kr PHQ and I saw this note above's David's

desk saying - # 2 days. I s`id what's that to "The start of the

conference." Well, David, "361 to go." Conference, over the p`st few

days, we have heard how the Conservative Party is making our

mission to deliver the changes people want in this country. Our

members, friends and supporters I'm so thankful for all that yot are

doing in getting the messagd out. Whether it is on the doorstdps

campaign, fund-raising to p`y for our new city managers, or ddlivering

leaflets up and down the cotntry, I want to say a really hearty thank

you. APPLAUSE

But, as always in politics, there is so much more still to do. Wd have a

very important by-election hn just 15 days' time. Next year thdre will

be crucial elections in Scotland, Wales and in councils across

England. We cannot be compl`cent. I know you won't be.

APPLAUSE Over this conference, our p`rty has

set out clear plans to build a country that works for everxone The

Prime Minister has set out ` timetable for exiting the Etropean

Union. Laying out the Government's plans for a fully independent

Britain. That is our vision and we are going

to make it happen. Cabinet delegs have laid out plans

that continue to make work pay, whilst supporting those most in need

- Cabinet colleagues. To kedp our economy strong in the years to come.

To reduce net migration, whhle continuing to ensure that wd attract

the very best and to deliver a self-sufficient NHS. Shortlx we will

hear from the Prime Minister, a leader with a determination to

secure the right deal abroad and a better deal at home.

And I know that every one of us are backing her all the way.

APPLAUSE But first, it is my pleasurd to

introduce the youngest woman in the Cabinet, and until next week, the

youngest woman in the House of Lords. She's doing one of the

toughest jobs in politics. Conference, please join me hn

welcoming Baroness Natalie Dvans, Leader of the House of Lords.

APPLAUSE Thank you Patrick. And good morning.

It's a huge honour to be spdaking to you today as a member of thd Cabinet

and as Leader of our party hn the House of Lords. Growing up hn

Finchley in the 1980s, we h`d a ground-breaking local MP. Someone

who won the big arguments on the economy and put the great b`ck into

Great Britain. APPLAUSE

As Britain's first female Prime Minister, she inspired me. So, it is

a huge honour to be here serving Britain's second female Prile

Minister, Theresa May. APPLAUSE

There is no-one better qualhfied to lead our country, as we forge a new

role in the world. Another formidable woman, another

Conservative. APPLAUSE

I joined the party because H believe in Conservative values, that our

country should stand as a bdacon for freedom, tolerance and the rule of

law. That hard work and talent should be

rewarded and, that whatever your background, whatever your gdnder or

your sexuality, you should be able to go as far as your talents can

take you. APPLAUSE

Because, like our Prime Minhster, I believe in a country that works for

everyone. But I also know gdtting on, getting ahead, it is not

something that any of us can do on our own. We need family. We need

friends, inspirational teachers to believe in us and back us. @nd we

need to be given opportunithes to thrive and an excellent education is

key to that. Having led the New Schools Network,

I have seen first hand what difference a great education can

make. It really does change lives. Which is why I'm proud to h`ve

played a part in helping ovdr 3 0 free schools to open, giving

thousands more children, often from the most deprived backgrounds, the

best start in life. Giving them the opportunity to go as

far as their talents can take them. And meeting these children, their

teachers, their parents, it's clear why a strong Conservative Government

is so important. Because it allows us to help shape our countrx for the

better. In our nation, the will of the people is ultimately represented

by MPs in the House of Commons. But the House of Lords also has a

vital role scrutinising and revising legislation. It means that `ll peers

have a responsibility to improve the laws which govern our country.

Every day, I see the commitlent and dedication members of the House of

Lords from all sides bring to this role. They work hard to use their

wealth of experience and expertise to the benefit of this country. But

the Conservative Party doesn't have a majority in the House of Lords. In

fact, it isn't the only place where there are still lots of Libdral

Democrats. Any of you remember them? So we have to work harder to secure

our governments agenda and to deliver our Prime Minister hs vision

of a country that works for everyone. Conservative peers are

committed to this vision of a better Britain and those on our bench is

culled from all backgrounds. They are a testament to the breath and

openness of our party. We h`ve senior business people, leaders of

local and national government, health care experts, top legal and

creative minds, strong and experienced Conservative talent led

by an impressive front bench. From all walks of life, from all fields

of expertise. And it is a great time to be a conservative but also a time

when we bear a great responsibility because frankly, we are the only

party able to provide our United Kingdom with the strong leadership

it needs. And that means every part of our

United Kingdom. Earlier this year, one of our party 's rising stars

caused a political earthquake in Scotland. Not content with taking

seats from the SNP, labour `nd the Liberal Democrats, winning Ddinburgh

Central herself, taking us from fourth to first, and more than

doubling the Conservative share of the vote, she also became the

first-ever Conservative leader of opposition in Hollywood. --

Holyrood. Ladies and gentlelen, it gives me great pleasure to hntroduce

the leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist p`rty

Ruth Davidson. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very mtch.

Friends, five years ago, I first came to this conference seeking to

win the leadership of the p`rty in Scotland. We had just had otr worst

ever Scottish election result on the back of two decades of declhne. As

career moves went, the omens didn't look exactly ideal. We were being

kicked around by our opponents, the media was calling as a corpse that

wouldn't twitch and that was on a good day, but conference, you always

kept the faith and when I argued that we could win again as

Conservatives, you granted le the privilege of allowing me to lead. We

weren't being credited with much of a chance in the way of prospects but

we had our values and we had heart and we had belief. And five years

on, I am here to give you the good news that the Scottish Consdrvatives

are back as a fighting forcd once again.

More than double our number of MSPs, leapfrogging labour and consign them

to third for the first time in six decades, standing up to the SNP

Standing up to the SNP and being the strong opposition that Scotland so

desperately needs. From the Borders to Banff, we are showing thdre is

another way, a better way, one which seeks not to stop division or split

our country but one which knuckles down and gets on with the job. And,

conference, where not done xet. Not by a long shot. Next year, dvery

council seat in Scotland is up for grabs. And we will deliver the best

Conservative results since devolution and we be satisfhed until

we have Conservatives in and working on the ground in every commtnity in

Scotland. It is not leaders that turn a team around, it is not a

leader that turns results around, it is the teams that we build `nd I am

so proud of the team that wd are building in Scotland, the torch is

passing to the next generathon. Give them a cheer. In Parliament, we ve

now got everyone from Olymphc athletes to University profdssors,

sold years, farmers, teachers, third sector workers, and we want that

same spread from every walk of life in our town halls. We are not hiding

any more, conference, we ard out and proud and we are winning support in

all parts of Scotland. And I'm aware, I'm aware how

Scottish politics can somethmes look. You have seen Nicola Sturgeon

on the television most weeks telling you that Scotland is up in `rms

again, threatening the break-up of Britain, asserting that inddpendence

is closer now than it ever was before. Declaring that separation is

somehow inevitable. Today, speaking to people across the UK, I want to

make this clear, don't belidve a word of it. There is nothing...

There is nothing inevitable about the break-up of this great nation

and I for one will fight it every inch and soul of thousands of Scots

with me. -- so will. Because the SNP doesn't spe`k for

all of Scotland and nor does it have the right to. Every nation hs bigger

than one party, bigger than one person. And Scotland is bigger, more

varied, more complex, than the nation that the SNP would lhke to

pretend. So next time you sden Nicola Sturgeon picking a fhght or

trying to claim that the Unhted Kingdom is over, remember, she

doesn't speak for the country. And when she threatens to put ydt

another divisive referendum back on the table, she is not speakhng for

the majority because the majority want us to move on. The majority

have no wish to return to the divisions of the past and wd want to

seize the opportunities of the future. Scots are telling hdre, for

pity 's sake, First Minister, let this go.

And the problem is of coursd that the SNP isn't listening. Instead,

they are determined to keep the divisions over the last few years

alive. Now, I am often accused by those same opponents, those ardent

separatists, that I bang on about independence and the union `s much

as they do. Well, for so long as the SNP keeps this alive, then so be it

because the union matters so much. It matters for economic stability

and jobs, it matters for thd defence and security of our country, it

matters because of the common bonds we share right across the United

Kingdom, and it matters perhaps even more so now that we are leaving the

European Union. You all know where I stood on the referendum in June but

I tell you this, I did not vote remain to see my vote co-opted into

a fresh SNP independence strike And I can tell you something else,

whatever questions Brexit r`ises, none of them, not a single one, is

answered by destroying our own union of nations. So I urge the SNP

government is said focusing on a second referendum that is not

wanted, why not get back to the day job instead? First Minister, instead

of picking endless fights whth Westminster, pick a fight whth poor

literacy and numeracy stand`rds in Scotland's schools. Pick a fight

with the health gap between our richest and our poorest comlunities.

Pick a fight with the absence of mental health services for our young

people. Pick a fight with the dealers. You are the governlent of

Scotland and you are elected to improve the lives of people of our

country and that is the fight that matters so get on with it.

And be in no doubt that we will be there watching you, pushing you

holding you to account becatse the Conservatives are back wherd we

belong, back in the mainstrdam of Scottish politics and we ard here to

stay. But all around us, thd Sands of politics are shifting, old

certainties are being swept aside from old alliances are crumbling.

And last week in Liverpool, it was there for all to see. The once broad

church of the Labour Party had shrunk to a single GPU. The

remaining... The remaining true believers were belting out the hymns

of yesterday, higher taxes, renationalisation, finding dver more

ways to spend other people's money. But they will all preaching to the

choir. Labour are a party that once spoke to the hopes of a nathon, but

now speak to an ever smaller fraction of itself. I'm gentinely, I

don't think Labour has any hdea how ludicrous it looks to the whder

world. Last week in a ghettoised women's conference tacked onto the

front of the main event, spdaker after speaker rose to denounce the

Prime Minister as not a real feminist. Harriet Harman declared

that Theresa May is a woman but she is no sister. Well, Harriet, while

Labour was bathing in its own left-wing sanctimony, here hs

something you might have missed Theresa May has broken barrhers her

entire life, the first female Conservative Party chairman, the

longest serving Home Secret`ry, male or female, since Henry Matthews in

1892, and only the second fdmale Prime Minister in our country's

history. And the thing is, conferencd, that

along the way, she has helpdd women as she goes, increasing fem`le

participation in politics, cracking down on domestic abuse and passing

new laws on Modern Slavery Bill on female genital mutilation, `nd on

forced marriage. She has done more for women than any pink busds that

Labour can launch. And right now, and this is important, right now,

there are girls and young women across this country that ard looking

to number ten Downing St and who see that gender is no barrier to

advancement and that with h`rd work and application and commitmdnt,

there is nothing that they can't do. What are the Conservatives doing for

women? We empower them to bd leaders and Theresa May is exactly what a

sister looks like. Now, conference, I know that the

temptation to celebrate what could be the effective demise of labour as

a functioning political party.. It is tempting and I do understand it

but it would be utterly wrong because the truth is that L`bour's

retreat from reality under Jeremy Corbyn has left millions of people

across our country feeling disenfranchised. Ordinary pdople who

don't expect miracles, just a job that pays fairly, a good local

school, a neighbourhood that is free from crime and drugs. Labour has

turned its back on these ordinary, decent people, so it is up to us to

act, it is our job to show that we understand their anxieties, that we

share their concerns. That we have got a plan to improve lives and we

have the conviction, the drhve and the determination to see it through.

And we mustn't do it to fulfil some cynical electoral tactic. It is much

more important that we want to learn that most precious thing, of trust,

we need them to know that they have a voice that will be listendd to,

that when we speak it is with them in mind and that when we act, it is

with their interest at heart. And we need to rise to this challenge

because that is what it is to be a truly national party and we've made

a good start, we can take pride in achievements so far from our six

years in government. 2.7 million more people in employment, lore than

700,000 of unemployment bendfits, more than half a million fewer

children in workless households and what a fantastic figure that is It

is a solid record of achievdment. And one recognised when the people

of Britain chose to put thehr trust in the Conservatives at the last

general election with a majority government. But we must also

understand that in the eyes of many people these are just a list of

statistics that bear no rel`tion to their lives because for the last few

years they have felt that the system is simply stopped working for them.

When the deck feels stacked against them, I am a conservative and I

belief in hard work and just rewards that too often that has not been

enough. The mother trapped `t home because she cannot afford the cost

of childcare, the older worker looking to change career, hhtting a

barrier when it comes to tr`ining opportunities. The tenant ilprisoned

in a drug riddled neighbourhood They are not strangers to us. They

are our neighbours, familiar lanes friends much these are people who

play by the rules. - our falilies. But it is still not enough. So,

conference it is up to us to change the rules, to make sure we have real

equality of opportunity, to drive social and economic mobilitx that we

need and that means tackling the causes of poverty, like poor

education, addiction and dependency. Not forever mopping up the

consequences. It means a house-building revolution so couples

in their 30s have the chancd of buying their own home, not renting

out forever and it means behng unashamedly pro-family, givhng

parents the support they nedd to bring up their children so they can

do what everyparent wants. That is ensuring a better life than they had

for themselves. All of this is easy to say, and none of it is e`sy to

do. But, conference, you know the old saying - if you want solething

said, ask a man. If you want something done, get a woman.

APPLAUSE and in Theresa May, we have a Prime

Minister that I know is absolutely determined to act, to face down

these challenges and she is just the woman for the job and when H backed

Theresa May to be our new Prime Minister, I did so, because I saw

someone who had the experience, understanding and resolve to drive

forward the change we need `nd when she first spoke from the stdps of

Downing Street on that mornhng on July 13th, my faith in her was

repaid in full. We will makd Britain a country that works, not for the

privileged few, but for every one of us.

That is noble. That is right. And that is true. And in the months and

years ahead it must be our guiding principle. More than that, ht is our

duty. In the absence of a functioning Labour Party, a rump of

Liberals and an SNP that is more concerned with partition th`n

policy, it is up to us to sdize the centre ground and to act for all. At

our best, the UK is a shining light of democracy, liberty and hope and

one of the reasons I love this country so much and I have fought so

hard to keep it together, is because I know that it is a force for good

in the world. I've seen, up close, British troops protect civilians in

war. I have met Scottish ch`rities who are working to make the world

landmine free. I have watchdd our businesses trade and support nations

abroad and seen our univershties collaborate the world over to make

vital breakthroughs in medical science. That's strong, protd,

virtuous internationalism that has so shaped our international

character and it cannot be cowed by the challenges of the day. We are a

great nation precisely becatse we support our Allies, value otr

neighbours and shoulder our burden in the world. I am proud of our

past, but I believe, I firmly believe, that our best days still

lie ahead. APPLAUSE

Now, conference, that internationalism abroad must find

its echo at home. We must not forget our own party's history and values.

I once listened to Sir John Major tell of his childhood in Brhxton,

there an area where many new arrivals to Britain set up their

first new home. He talked about his Conservative values and those of his

neighbours. He said there is nothing as Conservative as pulling xour

loved ones close and striking out to build a better future for your

family. So, as we have diffhcult but necessary debates about how we

manage borders and if you tours let us not forget that - and futures.

Let's not forget behind the discussions of numbers, rulds,

criteria, there lies people, homes and families and for those who have

already chosen to build a lhfe, own a business, make a contribution I

say this is your home and you are welcome here.

APPLAUSE The Conservative Party I know is

optimistic in spirit and it is internationalist in outlook. We are

an outward looking people and so we must remain. Conference, I'l an

old-fashioned Tory, I believe unself-consciously in God and

country and community. I believe in personal freedom and person`l choice

and personal responsibility. I believe in small but effecthve

government. In service, in duty in decency, in Britain. We are about to

enter a period of great uphdaval and there will be obstacles to overcome

and orthodoxes to challenge and yes, even some old thinking to bd set

aside but the prize will justify the journey. I want us to be able to

look back, five years from now and say - we did all we could and we did

it for the right reasons. Wd were guided by the values we old dear, to

know that we reached out across this country to river town, stain

community, to those who share our beliefs and don't, that we shed a

light on darkness, we brought hope, created opportunities and whdened

horizons, that we made life better for those with little and everyone

felt the country could work for them. Conference, that's whx I'm in

politics. It's why Theresa Lay is in politics and it is why you `re, too.

Not for my own ambitions or goals but because I believe that ht is our

values, our mission and our belief that will make this country a better

place. So, our goals are cldar, our resolve is firm. And togethdr, every

one of us, let us get down to that work and build that better future.

Thank you so much, conference. Thank you.

APPLAUSE When we came to Birmingham this

week, some big questions were hanging in the air. Do we h`ve a

plan for Brexit? We do. Are we ready for the effort it will take to see

it through? We are. Can Borhs Johnson stay on message for a full

four days? Just about. But I know therd's

another big question people want me to answer. What's my vision for

Britain, my philosophy, my `pproach? Today, I want to answer that

question very directly. I w`nt to set out my vision for Britahn after

Brexit. I want to lay out mx approach that things I belidve, I

want to explain what a country that works for everyone means. I want to

set our party and our country on the path towards the new centre ground

of British politics. Built on the values of fairness and opportunity.

Where everyone plays by the same rules. And where every single person

regardless of their backgrotnd or that of their parents is given the

chance to be all they want to be. And as I... And as I do so, I want

to be clear about something else. That division is nothing without the

determination to see it through No vision ever built a business by

itself, no vision never closed a family or fed a hungry child. You

need to put the hours in thd effort to.

But if you do, great things can happen. Great changes can occur And

be in no doubt, that is what Britain needs today. Because in Jund, people

voted for change and a change is going to come. Change... Ch`nge has

got to come because as we ldave the European Union and take control of

our Rome destiny, the task of tackling some of Britain's

long-standing challenges, lhke how to train enough people to do the

jobs of the future, becomes ever more urgent. But change has got to

come to because of the quiet revolution that took place hn our

country just three months ago. A revolution in which millions of our

fellow citizens stood up and said they were not prepared to bd ignored

any more. Because this... Bdcause this is a turning point for our

country, a once in a generation chance to change the directhon of

our nation for good, to step back and ask ourselves what kind of

country we want to be. And let's be clear, we have come a long way over

the past six years, we've brought the deficit down, got more people

into work than ever before, taken the lowest paid out of incole tax,

established a new national living wage, helped nearly a million new

businesses to set up and grow, got almost 1.5 million more children

into good or outstanding schools, put record investment into the NHS,

created nearly 3 million new apprenticeships and brought crime

down by more than a quarter to its lowest ever level. That is ` record

of which we should all be proud And... And this morning it's right

that we pause to say thank xou to the man who made that possible, a

man who challenged us to ch`nge and told us that if we did we would win

again. And he was right. We did change, we did win, the first

majority Conservative government in almost 25 years, a great le`der of

our party, a great servant to our country, David Cameron, thank you.

But now, we need to change `gain. For the referendum was not just a

vote to withdraw from the Etropean Union, it was about something

broader, something that the European Union had come to represent. It was

about a sense deep, profound and let's face it, often justifhed, many

people have today that the world works well for a privileged feel but

not for them. It was a vote not just to change Britain's relationship

with the European Union but to call for a change in the way our country

works and the people for whom it works for ever. Knock on allost any

door in almost any part of the country and you will find the roots

of that revolution laid bard. Our society should work for everyone but

if you can't afford to get onto the property ladder or your child is

stuck in a bad school, it doesn t feel like it's working for xou. Our

economy should work for everyone. But if your pay has stagnatdd for

several years in a row and fixed items of spending keeps going up, it

doesn't feel like it's workhng for you. Our democracy should work for

everyone. But if you've been trying to say things need to changd for

years and your complaints f`ll on deaf ears, it doesn't feel like it's

working for you. And the roots of the Revolution run deep. Because it

wasn't the wealthy who made the biggest sacrifices after thd

financial crisis. But ordin`ry working class families. And...

And if you're one of those people who lost their job, who staxed in

work but on reduced hours, took a pay cut as household bills rocketed,

and I know a lot of people don't like to admit this, or someone who

finds themselves out of work or on lower wages because of low skilled

immigration, life simply dodsn't seem fair. It feels like yotr dreams

have been sacrificed in the service of others. So change has got to

come. Because if we don't respond, if we

don't take this opportunity to deliver the change people w`nt,

resentments will grow, divisions will become entrenched. And that

would be a disaster for Britain because the lesson of Britahn is

that we are a country built on the bonds of family, community,

citizenship. Strong institutions and a society. The country of mx

parents, who instilled in md a sense of public service. And a public

servant everywhere who want to give something back. The parent who works

hard all week but takes timd out to coach the kids football teal at the

weekend. The service men and women either met last week who we`r their

uniform proudly at home and serve our nation with honour abro`d. A

country... country of decency, fairness and

quiet resolve. And a successful country, small in size but larger in

stature but with less than 0% of the world population boasts mord noble

laureates than any country outside the United States. With thrde more

added again yesterday, two of which worked here in this great chty. A

country... A country that boasts three of the top ten universities in

the world, the world's leadhng financial capital, and insthtutions

like the NHS and the BBC, whose reputation is echoing some of the

farthest corners of the globe. All possible because we are one United

Kingdom. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and I will

always fight to never let dhvisive nationalists drive us apart.

Yet within our society todax, we see division and unfairness all,around,

between a more prosperous older generation and a struggling younger

generation. Between the wealth of London and the rest of the country.

But perhaps most of all between the rich, the successful and thd

powerful and their fellow chtizens. Now, don't get me wrong, we applaud

success, we want people to get on. But we also value something else,

the spirit of citizenship. That spirit that means you respect the

bonds and obligations that lake our society work. That means a

commitment to the men and women who live around you, who work for you,

who by the goods and servicds you sell. That spirit that means

recognising the social contract that says you train up local young people

before you take on cheap labour from overseas. That spirit that leans you

do as others do and pay your fair share of tax. But today... But today

to many people in positions of power behave as though they have lore in

common with international elites than with the people down the road,

the people they employ, the people they pass on the street. But if you

believe you are a citizen of the world, you are a citizen of nowhere,

you don't understand what the very word citizenship means. So hf you

are a boss who is a fortune but doesn't look after your staff, an

international company that treats tax laws as an optional extra, a

household name that refuses to work with the authorities even to fight

terrorism, a director who t`kes out massive dividends while knowing that

the company pension is about to go bust...

I'm putting you on warning , this can't go on any more. A change has

to come and this party is going to make it.

APPLAUSE So, today, I want to set out my

plans for a Britain where everyone plays by the same rules, and every

person has the opportunity to be all they want to be.

It's a plan to tackle the unfairness and injustice that divides ts. So

that we may build a new, Unhted bring, rooted in the centre ground A

plan that will mean Governmdnt stepping up, righting wrongs,

challenging vested interests. Taking big decisions, doing what wd believe

to be right. Getting the job done. Because that's the good that

Government can do. And it's what I'm in this for - to stand up for the

weak, and it stand up to thd strong. And to put the power of Govdrnment

squarely at the service of ordinary working class people.

Because too often that isn't how it works today. Just listen to the way

a lot of politicians and commentators talk about the public.

They find your patriotism distasteful. Your concerns `bout

immigration parochial. Your views about crime ill-libradio, your

attachment to your job security inconvenient. - ill Liberal. They

find the fact that more than 17 million voters decided to ldave the

European Union, simply bewildering, because if you are well-off and

comfortable, Britain is a dhfferent country and these concerns `re not

your concerns. It's easy to dismiss them. It is easy to say all you want

from Government is for it to get out of the way. But a change has to

come. It is time to remember the good that Government can do. Time

for a new approach o that s`ys while Government doesn't have all

the answers, Government can and should be a force for good. That the

state exists to provide what individual people, communithes and

markets cannot. And that we should employ the power of Governmdnt for

the good of the people. Timd to reject the ideological templates

provided by the socialist ldft and the libertarian right and to embrace

a new centre ground, in which Government steps up and not back to

act on behalf of us all. Providing security from crime but frol

ill-health and unemployment, too. Supporting free markets but stepping

in to repair them, when thex aren't working as they should. Encouraging

business and supporting fred trade but not accepting one set of rules

for some and another for evdryone else.

APPLAUSE And if we do, if we act to correct

unfairness and injustice and put Government at the service of

ordinary, working people, wd can build that new, United Brit`in, in

which everyone plays by the same rules and in which the powerful and

the privileged no longer ignore the interests of the people.

Only we can do it. Because the main lesson I t`ke from

the conference last week, is that the Labour Party is not just

divided, but divisive. Determined to pit one against another. To pursue

vendettas and settle scores and to embrace the politics of pointless

protest that simply pulls pdople further apart. That's what Labour

stands for. Fighting among themselves, abusing their own MPs,

threatening to end their careers, tolerating anti-Semitism and

supporting voices of hate. You know what some people c`ll them

- the nasty party. And with Labour divided, divisive

and out of touch, we have a responsibility to step up, represent

and govern for the whole nation APPLAUSE

So, where Labour build barrhers we will build bridges. That me`ns

tackling unfairness and injtstice and shifting the balance of Britain

decisively in favour of ordhnary working class people. Giving them

access to the opportunities that are too often the preserve of the

privileged few. Putting fairness at the heart of our agenda and creating

a country in which hard work is rewarded andat thattent is welcome.

A nation where - and talent is welcome. A nation where contribution

is welcomed. Merit matters lore than wae. A confident, global Brhtain,

that doesn't turn its back on globalisation but ensures the

benefits are shared by all. A country that is prosperous `nd

secure, so that every person may share in the wealth of the nation

and live their life free from fear. That's what I mean by a country that

works for everyone. And if we believe in the good that

Government can do, it's important for people to trust us to ddliver

the change they need. We can start, as I said on Sunday,

by doing something obvious. That is to stop quibbling, respect what the

people told us on 23rd June and take Britain out of the European Union.

Because it took... APPLAUSE

It took that typically Brithsh quiet resolve for people to go out and

vote as they did, to defy the establishment, to ignore thd threats

to make their voice heard so. Let us have that same resolve now `nd let's

be clear about what is going to happen. Article 50, triggerdd no

later than the end of March. A Great Repeal Bill to get rid of the

European Communities Act, introduced in the next parliamentary sdssion.

Our laws, made not in Brussdls, but in Westminster.

APPLAUSE Our judges sitting not in

Luxembourg, but in courts across the land.

APPLAUSE The authority of EU law in this

country ended forever. The people told us they wanted...

APPLAUSE The people told us they wanted these

things and this Conservativd Government is going to deliver them.

APPLAUSE It is, of course, too early to say

exactly what agreement we whll reach with the EU. It's going to be a

tough negotiation. It will require some give and take. And while there

will always be pressure to give a running commentary, it will not be

in our national interest to do so. But let me be clear about the

agreement we seek. I want it to reflect the strong and mature

relationships we enjoy with our European friends. I want it to

include cooperation on law enforcement and counter-terrorism

work. I want it to involve free trade in goods and services. I want

it to give British companies the maximum freedom to trade with and

operate within the single m`rket and let European businesses do the same

here. But let's state one thing loud and clear - we are not leavhng the

European Union, only to givd up control of immigration all over

again. And we're not leaving only to return to the jurisdiction of the

European Court of Justice. That s not going to happen. We are leaving

to become, once more, a fully Sovereign and independent country,

and the deal is going to have to work for Britain. And that

Britain... APPLAUSE

And that Britain, the Britahn we build after Brexit, is going to be a

global Britain. Hear, hear.

APPLAUSE Because while we are leaving the

European Union, we will not leave the continpent of Europe. Wd will

not abandon our friends and Allies abroad and we will not restreet from

the world. In fact now is a time to forge a bold new confident place for

ourselves on the global stage. We need it take the lead on cr`cking

down on modern slavery wherdver it is found. Ratifying the Parhs

agreement on climate change. Always acting as the strongest and most

passionate advocate for fred trade right across the globe and `lways

committed to a strong, national defence, and supporting the finest

Armed Forces known to man. APPLAUSE

And this week our excellent Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon, proved

not only that we will support them with our heart and soul, not only

will we remain committed to spending 2% of our national income on

defence, but we will never `gain, in any future conflict, let those

activists, left-wing human rights lawyers, harangue and harass the

brave of the brave, the men and women of our Armed Forces.

APPLAUSE It's about restoring fairness.

Something that must be at the heart of everything we do.

Supporting those who do the right thing, who make a contributhon.

Helping those who give something back and that's at the heart of my

plan for our economy, too. An economy that's fair and where

everyone plays by the same rules. That means acting to tackle some of

the economy's structural problems that hold people back. Things like

the shortage of affordable homes. The need to make big decisions on

and invest in our infrastructure. The need to rebalance the economy,

across sectors and areas, in order to spread wealth and prosperity

around the country. Politichans have talked about this for years but the

trouble is that this kind of change will never just happen by itself. If

that's what we want, we need the vision and determination to see it

through. And that's why Philip Hammond and Greg Clarke are working

on a new industrial strategx to address these long-term strtctural

challenges and get Britain firing on all cylinderses again.

It is not about picking winners propping up failing industrhes or

bringing old companies back from the dead. It's about identifying the

industries that are of strategic value to our economy and supporting

and promoting them, through policies on trade, tax, infrastructure,

skills, training and research and development.

It's about doing what ever H other major and growing economy in the

world does. Not just sitting back and seeing what happens, but putting

in place a plan and getting on with the job.

So, we will identify the sectors of the economy, financial servhces ye,

but life is sciences, tech, aerospace, car manufacturing,

creative industries and manx others, that of are of strategic importance

to our economy, and do anything we can to encourage, develop and

support thechl we'll identify the places that has the potenti`l to

contribute to economic growth and become the homes to millions of new

jobs. That means inspiring `n economic and cultural reviv`l of all

of our great regional cities and we've made a start. Thanks to George

Osborne's northern powerhouse over the past year foreign direct

investment in the north has increased at double the ratd as the

rest of the country. APPLAUSE

here in Birmingham, thanks to the incredible Jaguar Land Rover, the

West Midlands is the only p`rt of the country that runs a trade

surplus with China. APPLAUSE

And across the region, the Lidlands engine is on track to delivdr

300,000 more jobs by 2020. Now it is time to build on that success n

Birmingham, Manchester, and in other cities across the country. @nd as we

are here in Birmingham this weeks let's show our support for the

Conservative Party's candid`te for next year's mayoral election. A

success in business running John Lewis. An action man in Birlingham,

playing his part in transferring this city. A man to get things done.

The future mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street.

APPLAUSE An economy that works for everyone

is an economy where everyond plays by the same rules.

I understand the frustration people feel when they see the rich and

powerful getting away with things that they themselves wouldn't dream

of doing and they wouldn't get away with, if they tried. I understand

that, because I feel it, too. There is always an excuse, a reason why

something can't be done but when that is used as a basis for

inaction, faith in capitalism and free markets falls.

The Conservative Party will always believe in free markets and that is

precisely why it is this party that should act to defend them. From

Edmund Burke onwards, conservatives have always understood that if you

want to preserve something hmportant you need to be prepared to reform

it. And we must apply that same approach today. That is why we are

-- where markets are dysfunctional, we should be prepared to intervene,

where companies are exploithng the failures of the market in which they

operate, where consumer chohce is inhibited by deliberately complex

pricing structures, we must set the market right. It is just not right

for example that half of people living in rural areas and so many

small businesses cannot get a decent broadband connection.

It is just not right that two thirds of energy customers are stuck on the

most expensive tariffs. And it is just not right that the housing

market continues to fail working people either. Ask almost any

question about social fairndss or problems with our economy and the

answer so often comes back to housing. High housing costs and the

growing gap between those on the property ladder and those who are

not lie at the heart of falling social issues. We will do everything

we can to help people financially so they can buy their own home. But as

I Help To Buy and right to buy the right things to do. But as was said

on Monday, there is an honest truce we need to address. We need to build

more homes. This means using the power of government to step in and

repair the dysfunctional hotsing market. It means using publhc sector

land for more and faster house-building. It means encouraging

new technologies that will help us to get more houses built faster And

put in more government investment. It means stepping up and dohng

what's right for Britain. M`king the market work for working people.

Because that is what governlent can do. And something else we nded to,

take big, sometimes even controversial, decisions about our

country's infrastructure because we need to get Britain firing hn all

areas again. It is why we whll press ahead with plans for High Speed two,

linking London and Birmingh`m and eventually towns and cities in the

north. Why we will shortly `nnounce a decision on expanding Britain s

airport capacity and why having reviewed the evidence and added

important new national security safeguards we signed up to Hinkley

point. We will take the big decisions when they are the right

decisions for Britain. Becatse that is what government can do. @nd we

can make these big decisions because our economy is strong and bdcause of

the fiscal discipline we have shown over the last six years. And we must

continue to aim for a balanced budget. But to build an economy that

works for everyone, we must also invest in the things that m`tter,

the things with the long-term return. That is how we will address

the weaknesses in our econoly, improve our productivity, increase

economic growth and ensure dveryone gets a fair share. And that is not

the only reason. Because whhle monetary policy with superlow

interest rates and quantitative easing provided the necessary

emergency medicine after thd financial crash, we have to

acknowledge that there have been some bad side effects. People with

assets have got richer. People without them have suffered. People

with mortgages have found their debts cheaper. People with savings

have found themselves poorer. A change has got to come and we are

going to deliver it. Becausd that is what a Conservative governmdnt can

do. This party will always be the party

of business, large and small, but we must acknowledge that the w`y a

small number of businesses behave fuels the frustration peopld feel.

It is not the norm, I know that most businesses and the people who run

them are hard-working, entrepreneurial, and public spirited

at heart, but the actions of a few tardy reputations of the many. So

the party that believes in business is going to change things to help

support it. Too often the pdople who are supposed to hold big business

accountable are drawn from the same narrow social and professional

circles as the executive te`m and too often the scrutiny they provide

is not good enough. A changd has got to come. So later this year we will

publish our plans to have not just consumers represented on colpany

boards but workers as well. Because we are the party of workers. Of

those who put in the effort. Those who contribute and give of their

best. That is why we announced on Saturday that we are going to review

our laws to make sure that hn our modern and flexible economy people

are properly protected at work. That is right. Workers' rights. Not under

threat from a concerted -- Conservative common, workers' rights

in hand and protected by a Conservative government. And let me

say something about tax. We are all conservatives here, we all believe

in a low tax economy. But wd also know that tax is the price we pay

for living in a civilised society. No individual tycoon and no single

business, however rich, has succeeded on their own. Thehr goods

are transported by road, thdir workers are educated in schools

their customers are part of sophisticated networks taking in the

private sector, the public sector, and charities. We have all played a

part in that success. So it doesn't matter to me who you are, if you are

a tax dodger, we are coming after you.

If you are an accountant, fhnancial adviser, or a middleman who helps

people to avoid what they owe to society, we are coming after you. An

economy that works for everxone is where one where everyone pl`ys by

the same rules, so whoever xou are, however rich or powerful, you have a

duty to pay your tax and we are going to make sure you do. This is a

big agenda for change. But ht is necessary and essential. It is a

programme for government to act to create an economy that works for

everyone. An economy that is on the side of ordinary working cl`ss

people. And an economy that can support the vital public services

and institutions upon which we all rely to invest in the things we hold

dear. Like the NHS. One of the finest health care systems `nywhere

in the world and a vital national institution. An institution that

reflect our values, our belhef in fairness, and in which we all take

enormous pride. And I mean `ll. Because there is complete

cross-party support for the NHS for its status as a provider of free at

the point of use health card, for the thousands of doctors and nurses

that work around the clock to care for their patients. We all have a

story about the nurse who c`red for a loved one or the surgeon who saved

the life of a friend. So let us take this opportunity to say to those

doctors and nurses, thank you. The NHS should unite us. But year

after year, election after dlection, Labour tried to use it to dhvide us.

At every election since it was established, Labour have sahd the

Tories would cut the NHS. And every time, we have spent more on it.

Every election, they say we want to privatise the NHS. And everx time,

we have protected it. In fact, the party had expanded the use of the

private sector in the NHS the fastest was not this party, but the

Labour Party. The only party to ever cut spending

on the NHS is not this partx, but the Labour Party. That is what they

did in Wales. And at the last election, it wasn't the Labour Party

had pledged to give the NHS the many a task for cover to meet its

five-year plan, it was the Conservative Party. Investing an

extra ?10 million in the NHS, ? 0 billion, more than its leaddrs asked

for. And this year, more opdrations are being carried out by more

doctors and more nurses than ever before. That is a tribute to

everyone who works in the NHS. But also to one man, Jeremy Hunt, who is

one of the most passionate... Jeremy is one of the most p`ssionate

advocates for patients and were doctors, nurses and others who work

in our health service that H have ever known. So let's have no more of

Labour's absurd belief that they have a monopoly on compassion.

Let's put an end to their sanctimonious pretence of moral

security. -- superiority. Ldt's . They gave up that right when they

adopted the politics of divhsion. When their extreme ideological

fixation is led them to simply stop listening to the country. When they

abandoned the centre ground. And let us take this opportunity to show

that we, the Conservative P`rty truly are the party of the workers,

the party of public servants, the party of the NHS because...

Because we believe in public service. We believe in investing in

and supporting the instituthons that make our country great. We believe

in the good that government can do. Government cannot stand aside when

it sees social injustice and unfairness. If we want to m`ke sure

that Britain is a country that works for everyone, government has to act

to make sure opportunity is fairly shared. And I want us to be a

country where it doesn't matter where you were born, who yotr

parents are, where you went to school, what your accent sotnds like

what God you worship, whethdr you are a man or a woman, gay or

straight, black or white, all that should matter is the talent that you

have and how prepared you are the work.

But if we are honest, we will admit that simply is not the case for

everyone today. Advancement in today's Britain is still too often

determined by well of them stands, by an accident of... An acchdent of

birth, by privilege not merht. Balancing our economy is a start but

if we are serious about overturning solve the long-term injustices and

barriers that stopped working people from getting on we need that

economic reform to be allied with genuine and deep social reform.

Because a society that works for everyone is a society based on

fairness and only genuine social reform can deliver it. Genuhne

social reform means helping more people onto the housing ladder, it

means making sure every child has access to a good school place. It

means never writing off people who can work and consigning thel to a

life on benefits but giving them a chance to go out and earn a living

and enjoy the dignity that comes from a job well done. But for those

who can't work, we must offdr our full support. Which is why ht was so

important that Damian Green announced on Saturday that we will

end the mandate of the retesting of those with chronic health conditions

that only induces stress -- mandatory. And genuine soci`l reform

means addressing historic injustices that hold too many people b`ck. Some

of my proudest moments as Home Secretary came when we began to

tackle deep-seated and long,standing problems that few had dared to

tackle before. I cut the police's use of stop and

search by almost two-thirds and reduced the disproportionatd

targeting of young, black mdn and I know our impressive Home Secretary,

Amber Rudd is committed to carrying on that work.

APPLAUSE But injustices remain. If you are

from a black, Caribbean backgrouped you are three times more likely to

be permanently excluded frol school than other children. If you are a

black woman, you are seven times more likely to be detained tnder

mental health legislation than a white woman. People in ethnhc

minority households are almost twice as likely to live in relative

poverty, as white people. But it's not just those frol

minority backgrounds who ard affected. White, working cl`ss boys

are less likely to go to unhversity than any other group in sochety

We cannot let this stand. Not if a country that works for

everyone is the principle that binds us altogether. That's why I've

launched an unprecedented atdit of public services, to shine a light on

these racial disparities and let us do something about them. Because

they are all burning injusthces and want this Government, this

Conservative Government, to fight every single one of them.

APPLAUSE A society that works for evdryone is

one of fairness and opportunity A society in which everyone has the

chance to go as far as their talents will take them. That's why, in one

of the first speeches I gavd as Prime Minister, I set out mx plans

to turn Britain in a great meritocracy. That starts in our

schools. I want Britain to be a country in which every child has

access to a good school place that's right for that individual child

Because Britain after Brexit will need to make use of all of the

talent we have in this country. We've come a long way. Thanks to the

free schools and academies programme, and the efforts of

teachers, heads and governors, there are now 1.4 million more chhldren in

good and outstanding schools, compared with 2010.

But we need to go further. Because there is 1.25 million children in

schools that are just not good enough. If you live in the Lidlands

or the North, you have less chance of attending a good school than

children in the south. This simply cannot go on.

That's why, Justine Greening and I have set out a new package of

reforms, building on Michael Gove's success, to increase the nulber of

good school places across the country. So there's not just a

school place for every child but a good school place for every child. A

school place that suits the skills, interests and abilities of dvery

single pupil. APPLAUSE

That's why we want more of our great universities to set up or sponsor

schools in the state sector. Just as the University of Birminghal has

done a few miles from here. It is why we are saying it the grdat

private schools that, in return for their charitable tax status, we want

them to do more, to take on children without the means it pay or set up

and sponsor good state schools. It is why we want more good fahth

schools for parents and puphls who want them. And it's why we have

said, where there is demand from parents, where they will definitely

take pupils from all backgrounds, where they will play a part in

improving the quality of all schools in their area, we will lift the ban

on establishing new grammar schools, too.

APPLAUSE And here we see the challenge.

Because for too long politicians have said to people in commtnities,

who are crying out for change that they can't have what they w`nt.

They've said we don't think you should have it, even though we might

enjoy those very same things for ourselves. And you end up in the

absurd situation where you stop these good, popular, life-changing

schools from opening by law. Imagine. Think of what it s`ys. If

you are rich or well-off, you can have a selective education for your

chie.d you can send them to a selective private school. You can

move to a better catchment `rea or afford to send them long distances

to get the education you want. But if you are not, you can't.

I can think of no better illustration of the problem, why

ordinary working class people think it is one rule for them and another

for everyone else, because the message we are sending them is this

- we will not allow their children to have the same opportunithes that

wealthier children enjoy. That is a scandal and we, the Conserv`tive

Party, must bring it to an dnd. APPLAUSE

So my vision is for Britain to be a great meritocracy. It is wh`t I have

always believed in. A country based on merit, not privilege is ` country

that's fair and when we overcome injustice and unfairness, wd can

build that new, United Brit`in that we need. And United we can do great

things. We saw that in the summer in Rio. We

saw how individual success was powered by collective effort. How

the dedication and talent of one was supported by a united team. And how

a Government's determination, John Major's Conservative determhnation,

to step up and back Britain's success, contributed.

APPLAUSE We were honoured to welcome four

members of the team, Helen Richardson, Dame Sarah Stordy, Vicky

Thorny, to our conference this morning and to them and every member

of our team and Paralympics GB, we say, thank you, you did your country

proud. APPLAUSE

It was a memorable summer for British sport. But one moment stood

out for me above all other. It wasn't from Rio. It happened later.

Just a couple of weeks ago on the sun-drenched street in Mexico, there

there our celebrated triathlon champion Johnny Brownlee was heading

for galory. The finishing lhne in sight, when he faltered, stopped and

was falling, exhausted to the ground. And just behind him, his

brother Alistair. A tough competitor, who typically yhelds to

no-one. He had the chance to run on and

steal the prize. But seeing his brother struggle, he didn't pass on

by. As other competitors ran past, he stopped. Reached out his hand and

gently carried him home. And there, in that moment, we saw,

revealed an essential truth - that we succeed or fail together. We

achieve together. Or fall short together. And when one among us

falters, our most basic hum`n instinct is to put our own

self-interest aside, to reach out our hand and help them over the

line. That's why the central ten dt of my

belief is that there is mord to life than individualism and

self-interest. APPLAUSE

We form families, communitids, towns, cities, counties and nations.

We have a responsibility to one another. And I firmly believe that

Government has a responsibility too. It is to act to encourage and

nurture those relationships, networks and institutions, `nd to

step up to correct injusticds and tackle unfairness, where it can

Because these are the things that drive us apart. That's why H say

today, as I have always said, that my mission and the mission of this

party is to build a country that truly works for everyone, not just

for the privileged few. It's why, when I stood on the steps of Number

Ten for the first time as Prime Minister, 84 days ago, I sahd that

the Government I lead will be driven, not by the interests of the

rich and powerful, but by the interests of ordinary, workhng class

people. And this week, we have shown the

country that we mean business. Not just protecting, but enhanchng

workers' rights. Building an economy that's fair, where everyone plays by

the same rules. Getting mord houses built, more doctors in the NHS.

Investing in things that will make our economy grow. Hundreds of great

new schools, universities and fee-paying schools helping state

schools to improve and, yes, where parents want them, and wherd they'll

improve standards for children, of whatever background, the first new

grammar schools to open in Britain for 50 years.

APPLAUSE This is a Boldewijn plan to bring

Britain together, to build ` new, united Britain, in the centre

ground. A Government for conservatism that understands the

good that Government can do, that will never hesitate to stand up to

the powerful that abuse thehr position of privilege. That will

always act in the interests of ordinary, working class people.

That's what this Government is about, action. It's about doing

something. Not being someond. About identifying injustices,

finding solutions, driving change, taking, not shirking the big

decisions. Having the courage to see things through.

It's not always glamorous or exciting. But at its best, ht's a

noble calling. And where many just see Government as the probldm, I

want to show it can be part of the solution, too.

And I know this to be true. So, as I leave the door of my office at scam

number Ten, I pass that famous staircase. The portraits of Prime

Minister's past lined up along the wall. Men, and of course ond

woman... LAUGHTER

... Of consequence, who havd steered this country through diffictlt times

and changed it for the bettdr, too. There is Disraeli who saw dhvision

and worked to heal T Churchhll had confronted evil and had the strength

to overcould. Attlee, with the vision to build a great nathonal

institution and Lady Thatchdr, who taught us we could dream grdat

dreams again. Those portraits remind me of the good that Governmdnt can

do. That nothing good comes easy but with vision, determination, you can

always see things through and as I pass them every day, I remelber that

our nation has been shaped by those who stepped up to be counted when

the big moments came. Such opportunities are rare. But we face

such a moment today. A moment that calls us to respond and to reshape

our nation once again. Not river generation is givdn this

opportunity. Not every generation called to step up in such a way But

this is our generation's molent To write a new future upon the page. To

bring power home and make ddcisions here in Britain. To take back

control and shape our futurd, here in Britain.

To build an outward-looking, confident, trading nation, here in

Britain. To build a stronger, fairer,