Skip to main contentAccess keys help

[an error occurred while processing this directive]
BBC News
watch One-Minute World News
News image
Last Updated: Tuesday, 2 October 2007, 18:39 GMT 19:39 UK
At-a-glance: Tory conference

All you need to know about Day Three of the 2007 Conservative Party conference in Blackpool.

CONFERENCE CATCH-UP

Ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith appeared close to tears as his speech on social justice got the longest ovation yet at this year's party conference in Blackpool.

Gordon Brown is accused of "cynical pre-election politics" over his visit to British forces in Iraq.

Immigration would be "substantially lower" under a Conservative government, shadow home secretary David Davis says

The Conservatives would change the law every time there was a proposal to hand more power to the EU, says William Hague.

Gordon Brown's fears for the UK economy will be behind any decision to call an early election, says former chancellor Ken Clarke

The Tories have "betrayed" working class children by refusing to create more grammar schools, says former chief inspector of schools Chris Woodhead

Shadow chancellor George Osborne pledges to cut inheritance tax in a speech to the Conservative conference in Blackpool.

The public "does not yet know if it can trust" the Conservatives on the economy and public services, shadow Treasury spokesman Philip Hammond says.

The UK would be among the first countries in Europe to introduce effective new cancer treatments, under plans unveiled by the Conservatives.

The Conservatives say they would scrap Home Information Packs, end "garden grabbing" by developers and cut stamp duty if they won a general election.

A Tory government would give teachers accused of abusing pupils the right to anonymity until the case is settled, the party's conference hears.

Sir Malcolm Rifkind says governments with a working majority in the Commons should serve a full term

As his party gathers in Blackpool, David Cameron urges Gordon Brown to call a snap election.

Action hero-turned-California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared in Blackpool via video link to add some stardust to the occasion.

Conservative community cohesion spokesman Lady Warsi has described claims she is pandering to the BNP on immigration as "ludicrous".

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has weighed into the credit squeeze debate, calling for financial prudence amid an imminent economic downturn.

William Hague opens the conference by saying that if Gordon Brown "ever summons up the courage to call an election we are going to beat him".

The Conservatives unveil a raft of new policies including the abolition of stamp duty for most first-time buyers.

The Conservatives are not "dumping Margaret Thatcher" and are the rightful successors of her legacy, shadow chancellor George Osborne has said.

CONFERENCE AGENDA

TUESDAY 2 OCTOBER

0945 -1100 BST:

  • National and International Security Debate - Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence Liam Fox, Shadow Security Minister and National Security Adviser to the Leader of the Opposition Dame Pauline Neville-Jones, Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion Sayeeda Warsi and Conservative Leader in the European Parliament Timothy Kirkhope MEP will lead a debate on the report of the party's National and International Security Policy Group.

    1115 -1230 BST:

  • Globalisation and Global Poverty Debate - Conclusions of the Conservatives Globalisation and Global Poverty Policy Group. Shadow International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell and guests will make a presentation highlighting the impact of our Party's inspiring social action programme in Rwanda.

    1430 - 1545 BST:

  • Fixing Our Broken Society debate - Following Monday afternoon's session which focused on the specific problems of the "broken society", this session will aim to show how only the Conservative Party has the long term solutions that will tackle the injustice and waste of entrenched poverty and stalled social mobility. This session will be led by Shadow Home Secretary David Davis.

    1600 - 1700 BST:

  • Rebuilding Democracy - How can we make politics more accountable and engaging? In this session, Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Herbert and Ken Clarke, Chairman of the Conservative Democracy Task Force, will lead a debate on the findings and recommendations of the Task Force.

    CONFERENCE DIARY

    Former leader Iain Duncan Smith received a three minute standing ovation for his speech on the broken society. There were tears in the quiet man's eyes, our spies in the hall tell us.

  • William Hague appeared to make a dig a the Conservative defector Quentin Davis, and the Tory MPs advising Gordon Brown, John Bercow and Patrick Mercer, at a fringe event. When mobile phone signals interfered with the microphones, Mr Hague said it could not be his phone because he had turned it off. "If Gordon Brown phones to offer me a job I won't be able to take it," said the shadow foreign secretary, hastily adding: "Of course, I wouldn't take it anyway."

    Conservative post card
    The saucy seaside post card is alive and well

  • Good to see the Conservatives have not abandoned all of the great traditions of the English seaside. The party may have cancelled its order for Blackpool rock with the words "David Cameron" running through it, claiming it was not "modern" enough - but they have revived another seaside favourite - the saucy post card. "Why don't we get married love," says a callow young man to his suitably buxom girlfriend on one card. "Not likely - no girl wants Gordon Brown getting his hands on her tax credits!" Oo-er, missus...

  • Rock update: There is David Cameron rock after all. It's just that it's not in stick form. The press office is handing out bite-sized pieces of rock candy with the party leader's name embedded in it. Perfect for the age of sound bite politics!

  • Another of the media team's wheezes is a beer mat spoofing the Stella Artois lager commercials. It says: "Gordon Brown: Disturbingly expensive". There are also "Same Old Labour, Same Old Spin" yo-yos on offer.

  • Anyone fearing for the future of the Union can sleep soundly in their beds, according to Sir Malcolm Rifkind. All great liberation movements, have an inspirational leader such as Nelson Mandela and Ghandi, argued the former foreign secretary. "Who have the Scottish National Party got? Alex Salmond".

    FRINGE HIGHLIGHTS

  • Henley MP Boris Johnson, the Conservative candidate for London Mayor, repeated his backing for academic selection in schools but said it was not a "winning" proposition. Mr Johnson was speaking at a lunchtime conference fringe entitled "Any Questions?" and organised by the Politeia think tank.

  • Shadow police minister David Ruffley has told a fringe meeting people on Community Service Orders should be made to wear "dayglo pink boiler suits". He added those on CSOs should be given the most grim and 'degrading' jobs to do such as cleaning sewers. The MP also said "Nissen huts", and prison ships should be used to house prisoners if jails were overcrowded. Alicia McCarthy

  • Former Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind has called for a "grand committee" of English MPs to decide on England-only issues - rather than sending Scottish and Welsh MPs out of the chamber when votes are being taken - the solution for the West Lothian question favoured by shadow Scottish secretary David Mundell. Sir Malcolm said England-only votes would create a "two-tier" system. Under Sir Malcolm's proposals, the whole House of Commons would endorse the decisions of the "grand committee". A Tory Reform Group fringe meeting voted overwhelmingly to back the idea. Sir Malcolm commented afterwards that he was confident it would feature in the Tory election manifesto. Brian Wheeler

  • Former cabinet minister John Redwood told a fringe meeting "UKIP is not the enemy". Mr Redwood was addressing a meeting on the EU reform treaty. He told his audience: "UKIP is not the enemy, Labour and the Liberal Democrats are the enemy. It's time the Eurosceptics fought together, I want us to unite and fight, I want to get my country back and will only do that when the Eurosceptic majority has a majority in the places of power". Alicia McCarthy

    PHOTO OF THE DAY

    Zac Goldsmith
    Zac Goldsmith - the Tories' Mr Green - is in a philosophical mood

    QUOTE OF THE DAY

    It now seems that the photo-opportunity has just been too great for Gordon Brown. And many people will see this as cynical politics, playing political football with our armed forces

    Liam Fox on Gordon Brown's visit to Iraq






  • FEATURES, VIEWS, ANALYSIS
    Has China's housing bubble burst?
    How the world's oldest clove tree defied an empire
    Why Royal Ballet principal Sergei Polunin quit

    PRODUCTS & SERVICES

    AmericasAfricaEuropeMiddle EastSouth AsiaAsia Pacific