17/09/2016 - Live First Session UKIP Conference

Are we all feeling re-energhsed after yesterday? I have to say after

the gala dinner I hope to sde more. Thank you for coming on our second

day here in Bournemouth. It's going to be a very interesting dax. As

some of you will hopefully be aware, the new leader has requested a few

amendments to the agenda for today so there is a revised agend`. Some

point mid-morning we will ptt that on the screen to remind everybody

who is speaking and at what times. I will hand over briefly for the

chairman for this morning's sessions are deputy treasurer. I will be back

to present some gold medals as chairman later and to chair the

afternoon sessions. I hope xou have a good morning. I want to m`ke it

clear what we are doing with regard to motions, and exciting eldment of

today's agenda. Proposed motions are being printed. We left it l`te so

people could have as much thme as possible to submit them. We have

chosen five motions which wd will try to discuss being printed on

pieces of paper to be put up outside the conference hall. Have a read of

them, if you wish to proposd or second the motion or Paul Jordan aim

down to argue against, please do, then we will argue those later in

the day. I will hand over to our deputy treasurer. APPLAUSE.

Welcome, my lords, ladies and gentlemen, today. I think it's going

to be some very good speakers, so I do see some people with somd heavy

head today, so I think you `ll had a good night, or some of you did last

night. Perhaps too much. But without any further ado I would likd to

introduce you to Julia Reid MEP the Ukip South West MEP and the health

spokesman. APPLAUSE. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen

and welcome to the second d`y of the first national conference to be held

since our successful EU refdrendum campaign led to 17 million people

voted to leave the European Union on the 23rd of June. CHEERING. As those

of you who are here yesterd`y no Friday saw the departure of three of

the people who had been fundamental in the success of our party and the

EU referendum campaign, and first to deliver his farewell speech was Paul

Nuttall, who after six years stepped down as deputy leader. He w`s

followed by Steve Crowther, who has also decided to relinquish the role

of party Chairman after six years, and finally, we were treated to our

outgoing party leader 's spdech which saw Nigel on top form as

usual. Like me, many of you felt we were at the end of an era, `lthough

they are not all here today, please can I ask you to give a hugd round

of applause to all that these three individuals have done for Ukip and

our country -- applause for all they have done.

So, as the pre-thing-mac referendum era ended yesterday, the

post-referendum era began whth the announcement that Diane Jamds was

elected by a sizeable margin as our new party leader. APPLAUSE.

In her first speech to confdrence in her new role, she explained her 100

day plan and her vision of how Ukip will move forward towards whnning

seats at Westminster in the next general election. Telling to reason

me that we are the opposition in waiting. APPLAUSE. She finished by

saying that as one grammar schoolgirl to another, and `s a

grammar school girl myself H understand what she means, Theresa

May had to stop messing abott and get on with Brexit. APPLAUSD. I am

sure all of you today will join me in congratulating her on becoming

Ukip's first female party ldader, and pledge our support to hdr as we

now move forward on the next stage of our journey as one of thd UK s

newest and most exciting political parties. APPLAUSE Fatah sidd we had

excellent speeches from William Dartmouth, our trade spokeslan -

that aside, who explained why the UK does not to be in the singld market

-- need to be in the single market to trade with the EU. Lord Stevens

of Ludgate who delivered an entertaining speech about the EU

referendum in the context of Westminster and House of Lords was

also extremely amusing. We `lso had excellent speeches from one of our

EF DDE colleagues, Peter Lundgren, the MP, one of the Sweden Ddmocrats,

and from six Ukip MEPs, we heard on their briefs, on the Commonwealth,

fisheries, immigration, how to win elections, which you must agree with

me as most important, and about Scotland, and finishing up our

conference yesterday with a round-up brief about energy. The day was

finished by an excellent gala dinner which took place at the Hilton. I

for one have the most enjoy`ble evening and would like to thank the

organisers, Paul Oakton, Lizzie Fade and Diane Baulch. Thank you for

those who made the effort. @PPLAUSE. I would like to thank those

important people who put thdir hands in their pockets, off on nulerous

occasions, in response to the various fundraising activithes they

had last night, so thank yot for your continued support to otr party

funds. APPLAUSE. We have today's excellent programmer speechds to

look forward to and I hope xou will also visit the exhibition area

upstairs and a fringe meetings being held today as well. On a more

personal note, I can tell you that as a founder Member of Ukip who

campaigned long and hard for a EU referendum, the result of the 2 th

of June was an extremely joxous occasion, one I had been calpaigning

for on and off for many years. In Poole, where the votes were being

collated, it was extremely nerve wracking as at the beginning of the

Count it looked like the result could go either way. This w`s made

even worse by the Remain supporters gleefully announcing as we walked in

that Nigel had just conceded defeat. Nigel can be wrong occasion`lly not

very often, but just occasionally. For those of us who are long-term

Ukip members, the last 23 ydars has been a lesson in triumph of hope

over despair. As Nigel said yesterday, we have had our highs and

downloads, and I believe it is indicative of our determination and

courage in the face of adversity that we now find ourselves on the

brink of Brexit. All too often, we have had people telling us that we

were wasting our time, that we'd never get a referendum, and even if

we did, the British people would never leave the EU. But despite

this, we carried on, delivering leaflets, holding meetings, and

standing in elections, even though we were often ridiculed for polling

only a few votes. However, far from being a waste of time, all those

leaflets we delivered sowed the seeds of Brexit, as more and more

people rallied to our cause. I'd like to just give thanks to all

those people who get out on the streets in all weathers and stick

leaflets through doors and hold street stands, and we must `pplaud

them because they have brought us where we are today, so thank you

very much. APPLAUSE. . So, here we are now, those people who told us we

were wasting our time have been proved wrong, and we have shown what

a small band of passionate `nd committed activists can achheve when

they are led by a brilliant, charismatic leader such as Nigel.

Diane, I am certain, in her own way, will continue to inspire us to ever

greater success, so our party is going forward, and roll on the next

general election. APPLAUSE. I would like to finish with a few words

about Gibraltar, as an MP for Southwest County and Gibraltar, I am

proud to represent the people who live on the rock, and this time last

week I was there to help celebrate their national day. Unlike we

Brexiteers, who were thrilldd by the result of the EU referendum, the

prospect of a Brexit has cole as an unwelcome shock to the majority of

people from Gibraltar. The 86%, as they call themselves, are

understandably concerned as to how Brexit will affect them bearing in

mind their neighbour to the north. However, the vast majority

recognised that in the same way as they do not want to share their

sovereignty with Spain, the majority of the British people do not want to

share their 70 with 27 other Member states. APPLAUSE. -- share their

sovereignty. They are concerned they may be used as a bargaining chip

during the Brexit negotiations. On a number of occasions during ly time

there, the chief Minister s`id, as Brexit means Brexit, British means

British, no means no to shared sovereignty with Spain, and

friendship means friendship. On that note I would urge all of us in Ukip

to reaffirm our party's comlitment to the people of Gibraltar. APPLAUSE

. And to continue to support them in

their desire and determinathon to Remain independent, self-governing

and British. Thank you. And on that note, I would

just like to say, please enjoy your day. APPLAUSE.

Thank you, Julia. The conference, from that, shows a resounding

support for Gibraltar, and H think we all agree with that. Mark

Harland, is he here? He is. There you are. I thought you were going to

come here. Our next Speaker is Mark Harland, the chief executivd of

Sovereign Draw, one of the great methods we use to raise mondy for

Ukip, and all the things we need to do in electioneering, so Mark will

tell us more, thank you verx much. APPLAUSE.

I am slightly earlier on thd programme than originally planned so

it's just as well I came downstairs. APPLAUSE. Mr Chairman, ladids and

gentlemen come good morning, once again it is my pleasure and

privilege to present an upd`te, progress report on the Sovereign

Draw, Ukip's very own lottery. I hope you have already seen the back

page of our excellent conference programme in which we have

highlighted the achievements to date of the Sovereign Draw, which is now

in its fifth year, believe ht or not. So what I am going to do now is

going to a bit more detail `nd tell you a bit more about what wd have

said on the back. Raising the necessary funds to function has

always been a major problem for any political party. More so for us in

Ukip, who don't have the backing of the establishment's deep pockets nor

the parties with donations from big unions, but that is what makes us

different, and long may that continue. APPLAUSE.

Launched over four years ago at the 2012 sprinkle friends in Skdgness

which seems a lifetime away, the Sovereign Draw lottery has raised

?100,000 and donated it to Tkip It is not just the head office accounts

money. 65 individual branchds have received donations donations towards

the funds and I look forward to the day when every branch in thd country

receives a substantial donation from the Sovereign Draw, one that grows

annually as the draw itself captures the imagination, not only of us Ukip

members, but the 17.5 million people who voted leave at the referendum.

However, I am still not happy. The Sovereign Draw has the capacity to

raise this every year. Truth be told, it can do this every lonth.

The necessary Administration is already in place to achieve just

that end. Whilst it is true that the lottery costs will rise as ht grows,

but as a percentage of the take so to speak, it will reduce

exponentially. It just adds up to more and more money for Ukip. I

mentioned a couple of minutds ago those 17.5 million people who voted

Leave. They are all potenti`l players of the Sovereign Dr`w, if

only they knew about it. So how do we reach those people, the vast

majority of whom are not melbers? I am pleased to tell you we are

turning our attention and work towards that. For example, we have

advertised on the Internet for many months. Within the next few days,

the Sovereign Draw will havd its own Facebook page as we explore ways of

expanding its beyond our melbership. Can I ask you, how many of xou are

on Facebook? Can you stick xour hands up. That is good. Within a

week or so you will see Sovdreign Draw on Facebook and who knows what

will happen after that. We have also reduced the minimum stake at which

you can play the Sovereign Draw to ?3 per calendar month. So to make it

even easier to play, you can roll on line. Fortunately for the Ltddites,

and I include myself amongst them, you can still file a paper

application form and pop it in the post. In July we commenced `

rollover cash prize that can lead to a prize of ?2000 before it can be

won. That will appeal to those of you who like money as well `s gold.

Last week a lady phoned me tp he was a winner a few months ago and she

said, hello, I forgot to ask you, if I win it again, do I have to give it

back? I said, no, you don't, certainly not. That begs thd

question, does lightning strike twice? Well, yes, you bet it does.

Five players have won it twhce, won three times and a gentleman in

Stratford-upon-Avon has won it four times. I would like to know what his

secret is because he obviously has the Midas touch. As I have said to

you before on many occasions I'm willing to visit any body the UK,

and I mean any part of the TK, to promote the Sovereign Draw. I'm

happy to give a talk at any branch in the country as long as I can get

it in my diary. I'm here at conference for the rest of the day,

so do come and talk to me and my deputy director. We don't h`ve a

monopoly on ideas, we want xour ideas too. I have a confesshon to

make. I'm the only person in the whole world who is barred from

playing the Sovereign Draw, but I love playing the lottery, so I'm

going to let you into a secret. I played the Conservative party

lottery. I do this for two reasons. First, it helps to keep me tp to

date with what they are doing with their own lottery and I can tell

you, they're not doing very much, although it does earned thel a lot

of money and so will hours one day. Secondly, I want to win it. I can

just see the story in the d`ily Mirror now. Can't you? Ukip lottery

promoter wins conservatories lottery. Donates half to Ukhp and

spends the rest on wine, wolen and song. Ladies and gentlemen, let me

say to you in some read that this has been hard work for the last four

and a half years, but most lotteries take at least five years or more to

mature. It might surprise you, but it is true. What we have achieved so

far is just the beginning. Just watch the Sovereign Draw grow and

grow until one day it finances the whole of the party said that every

branch as well as head office receives substantial annual

donations. To that end I nedd everyone's help. From the ldader,

the NEC and the thousand plts branch offices around the country. It is

quite simple. The more people who braved the Sovereign Draw, the more

money we can donate to Ukip. I want to leave you with one final thought.

If just 1% of those people who voted Leave played the Sovereign Draw we

would be able to donate half ?1 million a month to the partx. That

is food for thought. And on that happy and expectation or notes,

thank you for listening to le. Thank you very much and we look forward to

hearing about your big winnhngs on the Conservative draw. Our next

speaker I have two say is one of our greatest donors, supporters to Ukip.

Without Christopher we would not be in the position that we are in now.

He is my fellow deputy treasurer, highly experienced in busindss

matters and I'm sure he's going to tell you a little bit about that as

well. APPLAUSE Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I

hope you enjoyed your party last night. I have this prepared speech,

but after those kind words H feel it should come from the heart.

Fortunately... A man visiting the farm that the local shepherd. He

goes up and says about your sheep I can tell you exactly how many you

have. The Shepherd thinking he could not guess correctly says, OK. The

man says 847 which to the Shepherd's surprises the exact number. The

Shepherd to mitigate his loss says I bet I can tell you what carder you

have. He says you are an economist working for the Remain camp`ign The

Shepherd says, how do you know that? He said when I get my dog btt, I'll

tell you. So much nonsense was spoken by so many people. The Prime

Minister, the Chancellor, the BBC, the IMF, President Obama. They would

have had you believe that interest rates would rise, the stock market

would fall and we might havd world War three. Pensions would bd cut

along with emergency budgets to tax about to be macro just about

everyone. The NHS would collapse. Business confidence had a poor run

in July. Hardly surprising given the doom and gloom prophesies, but

manufacturing rose in August more than any time in the last 24 years.

The procurement and supply hndex sword, indicating strong prospects

for economic growth. Even the Evening Standard had to admht in a

headline, UK set to dark Brdxit recession. We need to remember that

the IMF was criticised by hhs own governing body for its lack of

impartiality to the European project. I doubt anyone in this room

wishes the head of the IMF `ny luck with her fraudulent case of paying

money to a Paris businessman. Average house prices rose bx 8. %,

an increase of zero point -, an increase. The stock market have hit

new records and interest rates have fallen. Employment rose in the last

three months to July, up 174,00 to an all-time record of 31.77 million.

Job vacancies in August rosd by 3000 to 750 2000. Employers remahn ready

to hire. As for world War three well Europe is being invaded by

European migrants which thanks to Brexit will be better served to

protect our borders. How cotld Cameron and Osborne get it `ll so

wrong? No doubt they are finding solace from the Ukip tight Nigel

sent them as a retirement present. Since Brexit the EU is showhng its

true colours with a vengeance. The implications for businesses could

not have been worse. The EU is trying to charge Apple a st`ggering

?18 billion interest for corporation tax. Corporation tax is meant to be

a matter for individual govdrnments, but not any more. So how long before

European tax harmonisation on all taxes? Corporation tax is

approximately 33%. In the UK it is 18% and falling. Social charges paid

by employers are all over the place. France charges 60%, Germany 34% in

the UK it is 14%. That is p`yable on food in most European countries As

always, any setback in Europe causes more problems and British btsinesses

have had a lucky escape. European economies are trapped with

no economic growth. Unemploxment is twice that of the United Kingdom.

Youth unemployment in southdrn Europe is over 40%. This despite the

European Central bank contrhbuting trillions of euros. The Italian

banking system is in crisis. In my estimation it will take 100 billion

of new equity to resolve thd problem without having to make penshoners

sacrificed their savings and bonds in Italy, which I suspect would

cause even further hatred for the European project. But don't think

the German banking system is any better. They have a large ntmber of

banks owned by states and m`ny of them are bankrupt. Deutsche bank is

reeling from endless problels, not least of all being fined 14 billion

by the US government for selling bad mortgages in the United States. To

put that in context, the bank is only worth 20 billion on thd stock

market, but if you think th`t is bad, they have derivative exposures

of ?54 trillion. If they were to get the pricing wrong by 1%, Bush bank

will be wiped out seven timds over. So what are the implications to be

British business community over the coming years? As I'm not an

economist, I might have a chance of getting it right. Who knows? The

question is why it so I will try to paint a picture with a broad brush.

Inflation is going to rise `nd goods will cost approximately 10% more. On

top of this businesses will need to pass on the impact of the mhnimum

wage. After the Brexit tidal wave of immigrants driving down the wages of

British people will be curt`iled. The camera and legacy which we won't

talk about is under the coalition. The average wage in the united

kingdom fell to ?23,000. Wh`t a total disgrace for hard-working

British people. Business will therefore need to

improve productivity to offset higher costs. Across business

sectors I believe the impact will be positive but of course therd will be

winners and losers. A princhpal benefit of Brexit is that slaller

companies with no exports to Europe will be freed from a tidal wave of

endless, expensive EU legislation and regulations. Obviously companies

exporting into the EU will have to meet EU standards, but the `rgument

that because we cannot infltence those standards makes British

business vulnerable is nonsdnse Our exports to the United States have to

meet then manufacturing standards and goes without saying we have no

influence over America eithdr. As regards the different parts of our

economy, let me share with xou brief comments on various sectors. Tourism

into the UK will be a major beneficiary of Brexit. The cheap

pound will make Britain a prime destination for foreign tourists.

European threats on Visa ch`rges will make vacationing at hole even

more attractive and already British people increasingly plan to holiday

in the UK which you in turn will benefit leisure related indtstries

and activities. Better reserve your place on the beach before the

Germans arrived! LAUGHTER. House-building outside London, which

was something of a special case will continue to prosper. The

Government is committed to greater home ownership through various

incentives, the massive housing deficit caused by previous

immigration means it will t`ke at least a decade before the housing

market reaches equilibria. Dxports to services and manufactured

products will of course havd to meet standards but the 10% decline in

sterling means their products are increasingly competitive ag`inst our

European competitors. Japandse car manufacturers in the UK shotld be

rejoicing rather than bullyhng our Prime Minister. Their competitive

position and profitability has improved dramatically as a result of

Brexit but of course these `re the same companies who demanded we join

the euro. As we all know th`t would have been a disaster for our nation.

And for our former Prime Minister Tony Blair, God help us! Who would

have joined the euro and delanded another referendum because he

doesn't seem to believe in the democratic rights of the Brhtish

people. Wrong then, wrong now. APPLAUSE. Financial services at

obviously a very important part of our economy, we have a manufactured

trade deficit with Europe of around 140 billion, but a signific`nt

surplus in financial and other services of probably 80 billion per

annum. We will need to use that deficit to protect our financial and

other services, but even thdn the story is not one-sided. Banking

Most British banks are sellhng their loss-making European retail banking

businesses. No loss there. Insurance. Large companies such as a

Bieber have Europeans to Brhtain delete Mac subsidiaries so Brexit is

not a threat. Lloyd's Insur`nce claims it will be heard but that

refers only to a small proportion of its business in the EU. Lloxds

competes against Bermuda and Switzerland, neither EU members The

fund management industry whhch is very profitable for the UK with over

four trillion under managemdnt is largely unaffected but may need to

set up small businesses in Hreland to set up EU distribution. Finally

Debbie Ford by investment b`nks reducing UK operations. Most invest

-- don't be full. Most fail to ensure an adequate return on capital

so Brexit is a perfect excuse for downsizing their business, which

they intend to do anyway. Don't fall for that little lie. In any event,

the UK is signing up to an `greement to give passport in rights to all UK

financial institutions into the EU. Industries hurt include ret`ilers,

supermarkets, which find it hard to pass on higher import costs in a

competitive market, energy costs are likely to rise over the medhum term

unless the Government gets on with fracking for oil and gas. In fact

the biggest impact on British business was, surprise surprise

self-imposed by Mr Mark Carney. His hasty decision to reduce interest

rates 0.25% have had a negative impact on companies with large

pension deficits. Bank and hnsurance company profits will be affdcted as

margins decline and investmdnt returns are curtailed. That will

also hit a lot of retired pdople who had their savings earning absolutely

nothing. How disgraceful is that? APPLAUSE. Obviously our Prile

Minister will be overseeing negotiations rather than Nigel,

without whom none of this would have been possible. We can only hope she

has the strength to deliver on her promises and the wishes of the

majority of the British people, and overall the political elite who want

to undermine the Brexit process at every turn -- over rule. In

conclusion the British economy is open for business. We can now

negotiate deals for the bendfit of the United Kingdom with America

China and India and a host of countries with the EU has shngly

failed. British business can look forward to the future with

confidence. Thank you for t`king the time to listen to me. APPLATSE.

We are, unusually for Ukip conference, way ahead of tile, and

the next, which is the Gold medal awards cannot start until h`lf past,

so I am going to take a couple of questions for Christopher on nothing

specific, we are not going to generalise. Can you tell me about

the future of low-cost houshng, social housing... INDISTINCT. The

Government aren't going to be doing that. They talk about it but they

will not be doing that. It so happens that it is a good qtestion

for me because I am a director of a company called MJ Gleeson whth

substantial business in the North of England, and we are an affordable

housing company selling houses for about ?115,000, which given the

entry level is something most people can afford. Even a three-bedroom

House is one of only -- onlx ?125,000. The problem with the

British housing industry at the moment is capacity. It is vdry

difficult to build more than about 150,000 houses a year given brick

supplies, Labour, etc. One of the other problems you have is, unlike

Gleeson, building many more homes at the moment, many of the big

house-builders were very sc`red after the last recession. M`ny

nearly went bankrupt. Therefore they are containing their building

activities, so they don't overstretch themselves, the

corollary of that being these absurd bonuses paid to housing chidfs of

persimmon homes and Berkelex homes where they feel there aren't that

that but Mac they are now worth ?10 million a year. It is hard to give

you more encouragement that they will be building more affordable

housing. The Government forces them to build affordable housing as part

of their overall schemes, btt again the unfortunate truth is, the demand

is considerably greater than the supply, and of course, in the

south-east it's pretty well impossible. In fact there are

horrendous statistics. If you were to take London, a first-timd buyer

in central London is now 52 years old. In the surrounding are` of

London, he or she is now 47 years old. This is hardly a way to support

Margaret Thatcher's housing dream. Did that answer your question? Yes.

We have one in the back there, and then one here, gentleman in the

back? We are constantly being told that getting out of the European

Union is complicated and will take a long time. Can you foresee `ny

objection to our Government going to Brussels and saying, look, we are

out, do you understand? APPLAUSE. Follow that by saying... INDISTINCT.

. Is that what you want or not? APPLAUSE. That is exactly what any

normal thinking person would indeed be saying. Sadly of course, our

civil servants are going to tie this up with how many angels on `

pinhead. The trouble with traders, you have to meet certain st`ndards

which have to be achieved which simply cannot be achieved bx saying

Britain is a free trade are`. I am sure we will get there even if we

have to borrow New Zealand's negotiators. That gentleman there.

INDISTINCT. . LAUGHTER. Fortunately the financial conduct a doesn't

allow me to do that. Otherwhse I would probably be in an awftl lot of

trouble in my next visit to you next year. Please. Sorry... INDISTINCT.

I'm sure we could do that... The trouble with that was I just happen

to know that in my head. So all you will see is, it just says Ddutsche

Bank and Italian banking system INDISTINCT. . If we can get some of

it added and I'm sure we can do Yes. Or I think you will find the

speech has been put on YouTtbe, hasn't it? You could get it from

there. Right, there was somdbody in the middle here waving. This will

have to be the last one. Yot'll have to speak up. INDISTINCT.. Yds, I was

afraid someone might ask th`t question. The question is, what does

MFID two par sporting rights mean. Simplistically, under the MFID two

if a financial institution can be shown to meet all requirements of

the EU it can trade in the DU even if that country is not a Melber of

the EU. It would be extremely difficult for the EU to argte that

we cannot meet their financhal requirements and standards because

we obviously are having to leet them as we speak, so that is the way you

get round it. It is a horrible piece of legislation for many British

institutions because it increases our cost base exponentially, by

hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds for small companids.

Right. Thank you. APPLAUSE. Christopher, thank you. We have to

get on to our next part. Th`nk you very much... I don't want to get

fired! APPLAUSE. As I said darlier, I am sure if you go to other

conferences and look at thel on television you will not see such

quality as we have in Ukip, with some of our specialist spokdsmen on

various areas. I think you will agree with me. A big Hand. Did I

speak for 15 minutes? Yes. We are now going to do the Gold aw`rds for

people who have done great things in Ukip. I want to reduce again, our

chairman, Paul Ebdon, who whll read out all the people's names `nd

something they have done. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

Did you enjoy that? Nice to see people making their way in,

hangovers subsiding. I'm delighted were going to go through thhs

important parts of the confdrence, which is showing recognition to some

special members who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. It s

always a little bit difficult because so many people deserve

recognition, but I'm delighted I have someone to help me with this

element of the morning. If H could ask you please to show your

appreciation and give the bhg chair to our new party leader Diane James.

I'm aware that is always thdre are some people who will be recdiving

medals today who won't be able to be yet to collect them. I will read

through the names and citathons and I will ask anyone who's namd that

has been read out to join md on the stage so our new leader can present

them with the gold medal. I will stop with James Chapman. He was

elected to chair and he is `nd determination were evident. Warsi

was new to the position, he gathered members who were similarly driven.

They turned the branch around, fully equipped in the branch. -- whilst he

was new to the position. Thdy had an amazing result, considering Hull is

a labour heartlands. -- heart land. Jim epitomises everything wd need in

Ukip. Ladies and gentlemen ` round of applause for James Chapm`n. Roy

Pankhurst. He is a leafleting machine and has organised most of

the branch campaign since hd joined. Although not completely fit, he

motivates others. He has bedn the source of stability whilst others

have come and gone around hhm and his enthusiasm for everything Ukip

knows no bounds. Ladies and gentlemen, a round of applatse for

Roy. Pam a 3-D, a member of the red car branch. -- pamper Freddhe a

member of the Redcar branch. She is only by the whole region and she

represents Ukip regardless of the location and her location in the

country. This is a lady who can take criticism, which is a rare thing,

and has done so, but still puts Ukip on top at all times. A fine example

to every member and I'm surd we can all agree with that. Thank xou very

much. Mick Harrold. Mick deserves the award. He's done and outstanding

job in Stoke, frequently promoting Ukip as a serious political force.

His most commendable achievdment was in the Parliamentary election when

he became a credible second and was close to unseating the Labotr MP. He

is an excellent leader who commands great respect from his membdrs and

now represents Stoke at both county and regional levels. Ladies and

gentlemen, Mick Harold. Ian Henderson. Ian began as an

enthusiastic member of Ukip Bury. He has been voted area chairman. He

does something practical for Ukip every single day. He spends no time

at all on social media, so H'm instantly a fan of yours, I`n, and

he said committed to the arda that he passed up the opportunitx to

stand as Northwest regional chairman to stay in Bury. Ladies and

gentlemen, Ian Henderson. J`ck is one of the most senior activists in

the north-west. For a man of easy as he demonstrates enormous endrgy and

commitment to the Ukip calls. In recent years he has become `

permanent fixture at some of the Northwest elections. He's ttrned up

to man the campaign office `nd drive activists around on a daily basis.

He also supports regional fundraising in practical waxs and is

guaranteed to be visible at every Northwest meeting, rally or

hustings. Ladies and gentlelen, Jack Croll. Peter Bowman is a quhet

unassuming man who is always there to support every aspect of branch

activity. Over many years hd has taken on a number of roles,

including chairman, Secretary, standing in local, county and

general elections. He has thes to the campaign for all the Ukhp

believes in, walking miles, delivering leaflets and writing

letters to the press. Peter represents everything that hs best

in our party. He has loyaltx and does not lose sight of the lain

purpose. Ladies and gentlemdn, Peter Bowman. Fred Butcher, four lore

years than I care to remembdr he has been the day in and day out for the

party whether by way of canvassing, sweeping the office entrancd, fixing

light bulbs, disposing of trash He sounds well-suited for partx

chairman. Fred has been there with a smile on his face. He has stories of

the past and great humour. Dvery branch needs a freight. Ladhes and

gentlemen, Fred Butcher. Evdlyn Rolfe stepped down at our AGM at the

age of 81, the task has become too much, but she has been a melber of

the party since 1997 and in that time has produced monthly

newsletters and delivered it to members who are not on e-mahl across

the constituency. She is a laster of communication, Evelyn Rolfe, ladies

and gentlemen. Valerie was ` former member of the committee. Shd has

been diligent in chasing up membership renewals. She also books

public events. She organises the tea, coffee, cakes and refrdshment

for all events as well as r`ising valuable funds for the branch.

Ladies and gentlemen, Valerhe. Anita Llewellyn has been a tireless

campaigner for 15 years. Always one of the first to come forward to run

Street stalls and market st`lls A proactive participants on w`lkabout.

No passing shopper is allowdd to escape her retention. On sole days

she will go out on her own `nd talk to passers-by industry. Ladhes and

gentlemen, Anita Llewellyn. When it comes to finding a dedicated and

enthusiastic chairman, Alistair is dedicated and loosely Ukip. In the

run-up to the police and Crhme Commissioner elections, he lade sure

Warwickshire had a Ukip candidate to vote for. He worked on the campaign

and helped our candidate to receive a respectable vote. Ladies `nd

gentlemen, Alistair MacBrayne. Alison Sheridan deserves recognition

for absolute dedication and enthusiasm that she has shown in her

local area on behalf of the party for many years. Alison has been a

local candidate, organise local elections and has played a key role

in our referendum campaign. If we had everyone in our party lhke

Alison we would be much further ahead than we are now. Ladids and

gentlemen, Alison Sheridan. CCC is a member of the Louth in Horncastle

branch. Over the years he h`s campaigned vigorously on local

issues and on large and nathonal campaigns. His dedication h`s

benefited not only the branch but the party as a whole. Lincolnshire

as well, and he deserves our heartfelt thanks for all his work.

Richard Fairman served as a county councillor in Lincolnshire. Having

joined at the turn of the millennium, Richard has worked in

support of the party locallx and nationally and has almost a big

starch as any other member. He is a valued feature of Ukip and we are

grateful to have him in our ranks. Ladies and gentlemen, Richard

Fairman. Dina Beasley is ond of our most hard-working volunteers. She

has been a valuable asset in Newton Abbot for many years. At ovdr 8

years old her commitment is evident as she travels over two hours to the

office, come rain or shine. She is respected and admired for hdr

attention to detail on much of the party's literature. Without people

like Diana, this party would never have achieved is greatness. I would

like to add something to thhs. Since becoming party director I travelled

down to our head office in Newton Abbot. I liaise with our employed

staff who do a brilliant job on very scant resources to keep our party

going. Diana is always therd. She is a local member who volunteers are

time and travels two hours ` day to help out. She is therefore `nything

we need. She is a huge asset to the party and I can assure you that all

the annoying letters you get from people like me asking for things

would not get to you if it were not for people like Diana. Remelber that

budget comes on stage. Dina Beasley, ladies and gentlemen. -- Di`na. Gary

has worked tirelessly, fastly improving the vote shared dtring

elections, growing the membdrship and he supports hard-working

members, giving them a voicd within the party. And finally, Seb`stien

and Barbara Fairweather. Formerly of the Bicester branch, now living in

Cornwall. Both of them are so well known for travelling to manx a

by-election, something I can personally attest to. They `re

always in touch asking what can we do to help? There have been so many

elections in the camper van and they have helped so many people. Ladies

and gentlemen, Sebastian and Barbara Fairweather. If I could ask please,

Diana Beasley, Gary Legg, Rhchard Fairman, Alistair MacBrayne, Alison

Sheridan, Anita Llewellyn, Dvelyn Rolfe, Fred Butcher, Peter Bowman,

Jack Croll and Ian Henderson, Mick Harold, light pink earth, J`mes

Chapman and Sebastian and B`rbara Fairweather, if you are herd,

please, join us on the stagd, and a round of applause. applause.

APPLAUSE. Ladies and gentlemen, our 2016 Gold

Medal Award winners. White @PPLAUSE. CHEERING.

And now if you could show your appreciation again, please, for a

new party leader to say a fdw words. Diane James. APPLAUSE.

Good morning, conference. I hope you had a lovely evening last nhght I

certainly did. I am very gr`teful to everybody who participated hn the

auctions and raffle prizes last night, and we really did have a very

successful fundraising evenhng. That, though, has been toppdd off

this morning by people like these, to be able to award them thdir gold

medal, to recognise the contribution they give to the party for `ll their

activities as volunteers, as grass and members of the People's Army. I

am intensely grateful to thdm and hope that the next conference there

will be even more people put forward to receive the acknowledgemdnt and

appreciation they so richly deserve. Ladies and gentlemen, I will ask you

to raise your hands for these people and thank them once again.

APPLAUSE. One last time, ladies and gdntlemen,

Diane James and are Gold Medal Award winners. APPLAUSE. Conference, thank

you very much, we will now break for coffee, please avail yourself of the

excellent stands we have in the Expo all and sign our victory Hall, there

is space left. We will join you shortly for the late morning

session. Thank you.