Top Tories set out policies as Conservative Party conference kicks off in Manchester
Top Tories are setting out their policies as the Conservative Party conference kicks off in Manchester – with levelling up, immigration, Ukraine and the next general election on the agenda.
Rishi Sunak has announced that more than 50 “overlooked” British towns will be given £20m each over the next 10 years to regenerate high streets, tackle anti-social behaviour and grow their local economies.
However, figures suggest this £1bn of levelling up funding will mostly go to constituencies held by Conservative MPs – or Labour seats with small majorities.
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The prime minister has claimed that politicians have always focused on cities, despite many Britons living and working in towns.
He said: “The result is the half-empty high streets, rundown shopping centres and anti-social behaviour that undermine many towns’ prosperity and hold back people’s opportunity – and without a new approach, these problems will only get worse.”
Mr Sunak is set to use his first conference as leader to focus on policies that could narrow the gap against Sir Keir Starmer, with opinion polls currently putting the government about 18 points behind Labour.
But on the fringes of the conference, backbench Tories are set to urge the PM to slash an “unsustainable” tax burden on consumers and businesses – with former prime minister Liz Truss calling for corporation tax to be lowered back to 19%.
The Tory leader is also coming under pressure to consider quitting the European Convention on Human Rights, with Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch becoming the second cabinet minister in a week to raise the issue.
Meanwhile, The Sunday Times is reporting that Jeremy Hunt was secretly recorded saying Mr Sunak will call an election once inflation falls below 3%, with the chancellor telling Tory activists that the Bank of England forecasts this will be achieved next autumn.
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Two cabinet ministers have given interviews to Sunday newspapers as the four-day conference gets under way.
Sunday’s focus will be on the state of the nation, followed by the economy on Monday. Tackling Channel crossings and bringing down NHS waiting lists will follow on Tuesday, paving the way for the prime minister’s speech on Wednesday.
Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Suella Braverman attacked celebrities who have criticised her controversial immigration policies – dismissing them as “pampered and out of touch”.
BBC presenter Gary Lineker has been a vocal critic of the government’s approach, while Sir Elton John recently warned their policies risk “legitimising hate and violence”.
Ms Braverman told the newspaper they were members of a “virtue-signalling elite” who lecture Britons from villas and private jets, and suggested they were out of touch with the challenges faced by everyday people.
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The Conservative conference hasn’t even begun and already we’re seeing some very traditional conservative flashpoints emerge: tax, migration, the environment and Europe.
Dozens of MPs have launched a pre-emptive strike on the government by signing a pledge vowing to vote against any further tax rises.
One signatory described this as simply drawing “a line in the sand”.
There’ll also be a “rally for growth” on Monday, hosted by former prime minister Liz Truss – who this time last year was fighting her own internal critics.
But there’s also chest beating coming from within the cabinet.
Former leadership contender Kemi Badenoch has used a newspaper interview to make some not-so-subtle interventions on the hot-button topics of net zero and the European Convention on Human Rights.
That comes days after another person with ambitions for the top job, Suella Braverman, made her own somewhat freelance incursion into broader migration policy.
Rishi Sunak wants this conference to be about long-term planning and decision making.
But he can’t escape short-term challenges – and the political vibrations they are sending through his party.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy meeting Grant Shapps in Kyiv
British soldiers may train troops in Ukraine
Meanwhile, new Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has told The Sunday Telegraph that British soldiers could start training Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s forces on Ukrainian soil.
More than 20,000 Ukrainian recruits have already received formal training here in the UK – but Mr Shapps has had conversations with senior military officials about moving this effort to the country.
So far, the UK and other NATO members have avoided this approach amid concerns that personnel could be in danger of being drawn into combat with Putin’s forces.
Mr Shapps went on to reveal that he had held conversations with Mr Zelenskyy about whether the British navy could help protect commercial vessels from Russian attacks in the Black Sea.
And amid continued speculation about the future of HS2’s northern leg to Manchester – where the Tory conference is being held – the former transport secretary said failing to review the high-speed rail line would be “pretty much irresponsible”.
Watch Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips at 8.30am on Sky News – live from the Conservative Party conference. He will be joined by Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, former home secretary Dame Priti Patel, and Labour’s shadow Scotland secretary Ian Murray.
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Starmer says ‘US is right’ about UK and Europe needing to take more responsibility for defence
Sir Keir Starmer has said the United States “is right” about the UK and Europe needing to take more responsibility for defence and security.
The prime minister, speaking at the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow on Sunday, said he is clear Britain “will take a leading responsibility” in protecting the continent.
“Instability in Europe always washes up on our shores,” he said.
“And this is a generational moment. I’ve been saying for some time that we Europeans – including the United Kingdom – have to do more for our defence and security. The US is right about that.”
He added “we can’t cling to the comforts of the past” as it is “time to take responsibility for our security”.
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Sir Keir has said he will set out a path for the UK to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence, up from the current 2.3%, but has not indicated when that will be.
It is believed he may announce the details when he visits Mr Trump in Washington DC on Thursday, bringing forward the announcement that was expected in the spring when a defence spending review is published.
The prime minister reiterated the UK will “play our role” if required in Ukraine following a peace agreement after he earlier this week said the UK would send troops to be part of a peacekeeping force.
Sir Keir will meet Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday. Pic: AP
However, his comments caused a row with Germany and Italy who said it was premature to commit to boots on the ground, although France agreed with the UK.
Sir Keir said: “As we enter a new phase in this conflict, we must now deepen our solidarity even further.”
He added: “There can be no discussion about Ukraine without Ukraine.
“And the people of Ukraine must have long-term security.”
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This week has seen US officials meet their Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia to discuss Ukraine – which has been met with indignation by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as none of his team were invited.
No Europeans were invited either, sparking concern the US is pandering to Vladimir Putin.
Sir Keir has promised Mr Zelenskyy he will make the case for safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty when he meets with Mr Trump, who has called the Ukrainian president a dictator.
Mr Trump also said Sir Keir and French President Emmanuel Macron, who will visit the White House too this week, “haven’t done anything” to end the war.
The prime minister has announced £200m for Grangemouth ahead of the closure of Scotland’s last oil refinery.
Sir Keir Starmer, speaking at the Scottish Labour conference on Sunday, said the cash would come from the National Wealth Fund for an “investment in Scotland’s industrial future”.
Grangemouth oil refinery, on the banks of the Firth of Forth, is set to cease operation this summer and transition into an import terminal, making 400 workers redundant.
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Sir Keir said: “We will grasp the opportunities at Grangemouth, work alongside partners to develop viable proposals, team up with business to get new industries off the ground and to attract private investors into the partnership we need.
“We will allocate £200m from the National Wealth Fund for investment in Grangemouth.”
The money comes on top of a £100m “growth plan” already in place for the area.
Scotland’s first minister, the SNP’s John Swinney, welcomed the announcement and said it is “important that the Scottish and UK governments work together on securing the future for the workforce”.
The plant will become an import terminal. Pic: Jane Barlow/PA
Sir Keir said the new investment will be a partnership with the private sector, and he is expecting three times the amount the government is putting in to come from private investors.
The prime minister said he believes the transition to clean energy is a “golden opportunity for Britain, especially for Scotland”, and is essential for national security as it “gets Putin’s boots off our throat”.
However, he said oil and gas are also “vital for our security” so will be “part of the future of Scotland for decades to come”.
As well as the investment in Grangemouth’s future, Sir Keir said every person made redundant will get 18 months full pay and a skills and training offer “backed up with up to £10m”.
Any business in Grangemouth that takes on those workers will get National Insurance relief, he also said.
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Petroineos, which owns Grangemouth, announced last September it was to close Grangemouth by this summer because it was unable to compete with sites in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
The refinery is understood to have been losing about £395,000 a day when it made the announcement and was on course to lose about £153m this year.
The company said the decision would “safeguard fuel supply for Scotland” by converting the site into a terminal able to import petrol, diesel, aviation fuel and kerosene into Scotland.
However, it said that would only need a workforce of fewer than 100 employees.
Petroineos announced its intention to close the plant in November 2023 but union leaders had hoped it could remain open for longer to provide time for a green alternative to be established there.
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