Liz Truss news latest: PM vows to defeat ‘enemies of enterprise’ as speech is disrupted by Greenpeace protesters
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Liz Truss has vowed to defeat the “enemies of enterprise” and lead Britain “through the tempest” as her first conference speech as Tory leader was disrupted by protesters.
The Prime Minister took aim at what she described as the “anti-growth coalition” as she accused Labour, the Lib Dems, the SNP, unions and demonstrators of holding the UK back.
She said: “The anti-growth coalition doesn’t get it, because they don’t face the same challenges as normal working people.
“These enemies of enterprise don’t know the frustration you feel to see your road blocked by protesters, or your trains off due to strikes. In fact, their friends on the hard left tend to be the ones behind the disruption.”
Ms Truss told voters that she is “on their side” and that her Government will now use its plan for growth to “get Britain moving”.
The Prime Minister suffered a setback fairly early on in her address as Greenpeace protesters heckled her and unveiled a banner which read “who voted for this?”. The protesters were swiftly removed from the conference hall.
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12:24 PM ‘It didn’t hold her back’
Therese Coffey, the Deputy Prime Minister, said it was “disappointing” that Liz Truss’s conference speech was interrupted by protesters.
Speaking to BBC’s Politics Live and asked how the protesters made it in to the conference hall, Ms Coffey said: “I don’t know. Disappointing, but never mind. Dealt with, got on with it, and Liz showed her resolve.
“And exactly the sort of anti-growth coalition which she’s concerned is holding our country back. It didn’t hold her back today I can tell you.”
12:22 PM Labour: Truss was part of Tory governments which oversaw low growth
Rachel Reeves, Labour’s shadow chancellor, has criticised Liz Truss’s plan for growth as she said the Prime Minister had been part of Tory governments which have overseen the UK’s stalling economy
She said: “The Tory economic crisis we are facing was made in Downing Street, paid for by working people facing higher mortgages and soaring costs. Liz Truss has been a government minister for the last 10 years.
“She has been at the heart of building a Conservative economy that has led to the flat wages and low growth she highlighted today.
“Labour knows real growth comes from the contribution of millions of working people and thousands of businesses.
“The most important thing the Prime Minister can do right now to stabilise the economy is to immediately reverse her government’s kamikaze Budget when Parliament returns next week.”
12:15 PM Lib Dems: ‘Liz Truss is out of touch’
Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, has accused Liz Truss of being “out of touch” as he responded to the PM’s conference speech.
Sir Ed said: “The Conservative Party conference has been a disaster for families and the economy. Liz Truss has only managed to add to the sense of failure with her speech.
“The Conservatives have lost control of the economy causing eye-watering mortgage payments, soaring inflation and an ever-deepening cost of living emergency.
“Liz Truss is out of touch and doesn’t seem to care about the damage her government is causing the country. The only way to solve this crisis is to get the Conservatives out of power.”
12:13 PM M People member objects to Tories using their song 11:50 AM PM’s speech: Snap analysis
The first thing to say is that Liz Truss recovered very well after her big speech was disrupted by protesters.
She quickly made a joke after the hecklers were removed from the hall and was able to get back on track fairly swiftly.
Beyond that, this was a speech devoid of any rabbits in the hat: No new policies were announced by the Prime Minister although that is perhaps not surprising given that we only had the mini-Budget a matter of days ago.
Finally, it was noticeable just how much support there was for Ms Truss from Tory activists. She received numerous standing ovations and rounds of applause.
The question will now be whether the PM can persuade her own MPs to give her a similar level of support.
11:46 AM ‘I am ready to make the hard choices’
Concluding her speech, Liz Truss said: “I am ready to make the hard choices. You can trust me to do what it takes. The status quo is not an option. That is why we can’t give in to the voices of decline.”
She added: “We must stay the course.”
11:42 AM Liz Truss vows to fight ‘anti-growth coalition’
Liz Truss said she would not allow the “anti-growth coalition to hold us back” as she took aim at Labour, the Lib Dems, the SNP, the unions and protesters.
“They prefer protesting to doing, they prefer talking on Twitter to taking tough decisions,” she said.
The Prime Minister said Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, has “no long term plan and no vision for Britain”.
11:40 AM Ukraine ‘will win’
Turning to Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine, Liz Truss said that the UK will support Kyiv for “however long it takes”.
The Prime Minister said that she believes Ukraine “will win”.
Greenpeace has confirmed it organised the protest during Liz Truss’s speech this morning, writes Tony Diver.
The two women holding the banner reading “who voted for this?” are Rebecca Newsom and Ami McCarthy, from the organisation’s policy team.
Greenpeace accused Ms Truss of “shredding” many of the environmental commitments in the Tories 2019 manifesto.
“Broken promise after broken promise, the prime minister is quickly turning her party’s manifesto into the longest piece of false advertising ever written,” Ms Newsom said in a statement.
“Many will be left wondering whether her government answers to the public or to the hedge fund managers, right-wing think tanks and fossil fuel giants that are cheering it on.”
11:36 AM ‘We have your back’
Liz Truss told voters that amid a range of challenges facing the UK “we have your back”.
The Prime Minister said that her plans to boost economic growth will ensure the nation can “afford great public services”.
Ms Truss said that she is working to put the UK “on the path to long term success”.
11:34 AM EU red tape ‘gone by the end of the year’
Liz Truss said that by the end of this year “all EU red tape will be consigned to history”.
She said that regulation in post-Brexit UK will be “pro-business and pro-growth”.
11:33 AM PM delivers warning shot to SNP
Liz Truss has vowed to “face down the separatists” who want to break up the UK “family” as she delivered a warning shot to Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP.
11:32 AM Liz Truss promises to ‘back business to the hilt’
Liz Truss, the Prime Minister, has vowed to “back business to the hilt”.
She said that “now is the time to harness the power of free enterprise to transform our country and ensure our greatest days lie ahead”.
11:28 AM PM favours ‘lean state’
Turning to the decision to drop the plans to abolish the 45p top rate of income tax, Liz Truss said that the measure had become a “distraction from the major parts of our growth plan”.
She said: “I get it and I have listened.”
The Prime Minister then said that she is a firm believer in “sound money” and a “lean state”.
11:27 AM Liz Truss highlights tax cutting plans
Liz Truss highlighted her plans to cut taxes as she tried to get her speech back on track.
The Prime Minister said that “high taxes mean you feel it is less worthwhile working that extra hour”.
She added: “That my friends is why we are cutting taxes.”
11:22 AM Hecklers appear to be Greenpeace protest
It would appear the heckler was actually a protest by Greenpeace.
Liz Truss responded to the hecklers being removed by joking: “Later on in my speech I am going to talk about the anti-growth coalition, I think they arrived in the hall a bit early.”
11:19 AM PM speech disrupted by hecklers
Liz Truss appeared to be shouted at by hecklers as she delivered her speech.
The Prime Minister seemed to say: “Let’s get them removed.”
After the hecklers were removed from the hall the PM was given a loud and sustained period of applause
11:17 AM ‘We need to get Britain moving’
The Prime Minister said that “we have huge talent across our country” but “we are not making enough of it”.
Liz Truss said she wanted to live in a country “where hard work is rewarded”.
She said: “To deliver this we need to get Britain moving. We cannot have any more drift and delay at this vital time.”
11:15 AM PM ‘not going to tell you what to do’
Liz Truss said she is “not going to tell you what to do or what to think or how to live your life”.
The Prime Minister said she is not interested in “virtue signalling”.
She added: “I am not interested in just talking about things but doing things.”
11:13 AM PM vows to lead the UK ‘through the tempest’
Liz Truss said the UK is facing “stormy days” as it deals with a “global economic crisis” caused by Covid and Russia’s war with Ukraine.
The Prime Minister said she is determined to guide the UK “through the tempest”.
11:12 AM Liz Truss praises Andy Street
Liz Truss started her speech by praising Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands.
She said that it is “fantastic to see the cranes across the skyline building new buildings” in Birmingham.
“This is what a city with a Tory mayor looks like,” she said.
11:10 AM Liz Truss takes to the stage
Liz Truss is now on stage in Birmingham.
The Prime Minister came out to the song “Moving On Up” by M People.
She received a standing ovation from her Cabinet and Tory activists.
11:09 AM PM: ‘I love Britain’
A glitzy video is now being played in the main hall ahead of the Prime Minister’s speech.
Liz Truss said in the montage that she feels like she is able to understand the UK because she has lived in different parts of the country.
The PM said in the video that “this is a great country, I love Britain” but there are things which could be improved.
11:03 AM Cabinet ministers applauded
Members of the Cabinet are now making their way into the main hall.
Tory activists are giving them all a loud round of applause. The ministers have taken up seats on the front row.
10:58 AM Liz Truss speech now imminent
Nadhim Zahawi has now finished his speech in the main hall.
That means we should only be a matter of minutes away from Liz Truss’s big address.
10:58 AM Zahawi vows to ‘blow Labour out of the water’
Nadhim Zahawi listed all the different ways in which the Government is seeking to “deliver” for the British people.
He said that when the Tories succeed the party will “blow Labour out of the water” and secure a “historic” victory at the next general election.
10:52 AM UK ‘one of the least racist countries on Earth’
Nadhim Zahawi told the main hall in Birmingham that he believes the UK is “one of the least racist countries on Earth”.
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said that “we aren’t perfect, there is always more to do”. He said that taxpayers’ money must not be spent on “indulging shrill lefties”.
10:48 AM Zahawi jokes about ‘ultimate summer job’
Nadhim Zahawi joked that he had “the ultimate summer job”, referring to his brief tenure as chancellor.
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said that under the new Government the Treasury will be “an enabler” and a job creator.
Mr Zahawi also touched on the importance of maintaining the Union. He said that it “must and will endure”.
Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, is now on stage in the main hall.
Mr Zahawi said his “British dream” had come true and it is the Tories “sacred mission” to help other people achieve the same thing.
“We will always be the party of aspiration and achievement and the Left hate that about us,” he said.
10:41 AM PM is Tories’ ‘greatest asset’
Jake Berry told Tory activists that “it is our job to be relentless in delivery over the next two years”.
The Tory chairman vowed to “do whatever it takes to win the next general election”.
He also described Liz Truss as the party’s “greatest asset”.
Jake Berry mocked the Liberal Democrats as he asked Tory activists in Birmingham if they could name four of the party’s MPs, prompting laughter.
The Tory chairman described the Lib Dems as “Labour-lite”.
10:38 AM Jake Berry criticises Keir Starmer
Jake Berry said the Tories are facing the “same old Labour Party” as he took aim at Sir Keir Starmer.
The chairman of the Conservative Party described the Labour leader as a “low energy Neil Kinnock”.
He said Labour does not have a plan to deal with energy bills, describing the party as “all the Keir and no idea”.
He said it is the job of the Tories to “keep them waiting a very long time” to be in government.
10:35 AM ‘We cannot afford to be divided’
Jake Berry told Tory activists that “there is so much more to be done”.
He said: “If we are going to keep delivering for Britain and keep it free from the scourge of socialism… we cannot afford to be divided.”
Mr Berry said that he believes Liz Truss will lead the Tories to a general election victory as he said voters will be presented with a stark choice between the Conservatives and Labour.
The chairman of the Conservative Party said that Labour is offering a “big state” and is “on side of union baron”
10:32 AM ‘That wasn’t meant to be the funny bit’
Jake Berry, the chairman of the Conservative Party, is now on stage in the main hall in Birmingham.
Mr Berry said “what a conference it has been” which prompted some laughter from activists.
He continued: “That wasn’t meant to be the funny bit but thank you for laughing…”
10:24 AM Huge queue for PM’s speech
The queue to get into the main hall for Liz Truss’s speech is very, very long, snaking all the way around the inside of the conference centre.
Meanwhile, tickets for members of the media are being strictly limited.
That would suggest that the hall will be full when the PM speaks.
10:15 AM Main hall gets ready for Liz Truss
There is some very energetic dub-step music playing in the main hall at Conservative Party conference right now.
We should be hearing from Jake Berry, the Tory chairman, and Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, shortly.
10:06 AM ‘Getting Britain Moving’
Today’s slogan in the main hall at Conservative Party conference is “Getting Britain Moving”.
It is perhaps a little unfortunate that that is the slogan on a day when the nation is struggling with widespread rail strikes.
10:00 AM Liz Truss already less popular than Boris Johnson
Liz Truss is already less popular than Boris Johnson ever was, according to a new YouGov poll.
Ms Truss has a net favourability rating of minus 59 among the general public.
Mr Johnson’s lowest scores as PM was minus 53.
09:43 AM What do we know about Liz Truss’s speech?
We already know some of the things the Prime Minister will say this morning. Here are the key points:
You can read the overnight story on the PM’s speech here.
09:32 AM Pictured: James Cleverly is interviewed in Birmingham this morning 
Liz Truss’s big Conservative Party conference speech will last for about 25 minutes, according to BBC Political Editor Chris Mason.
He tweeted: “A 25 minute speech later from the Prime Minister I’m told. And she’ll arrive on stage to ‘a 90s classic’.”
09:18 AM The plan for this morning
Proceedings in the main hall at Conservative Party conference are scheduled to get underway at 10am.
We are expecting to hear speeches from Jake Berry, the Tory chairman, and from Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Liz Truss is then expected to take to the stage just after 11am. There was talk yesterday that the Prime Minister’s speech could be fairly short – by conference standards – and should finish before noon.
09:15 AM How will the rail strikes impact Liz Truss’s speech?
One thing to keep an eye on in the main conference hall this morning is how many people actually turn up to watch Liz Truss’s big speech.
There are no trains leaving Birmingham today because of rail strikes and there was a noticeable stream of people making their way to New Street station yesterday evening. It is likely that many opted for an early journey home to avoid the travel chaos.
The conference centre is definitely quieter than it has been this morning. It will be interesting to see if the main hall is full or if Ms Truss will be speaking to some empty seats.
09:11 AM Pictured: Tory activists queue for Liz Truss speech 
James Cleverly said Liz Truss made her pro-growth agenda clear during her leadership campaign and that if people were not listening “that’s more their problem than hers”.
Asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme how the Prime Minister can regain authority, he said: “Well, look, I don’t agree with your assessment.
“I mean, the Prime Minister made it really clear what her philosophy was when she was running for the leadership. If people weren’t listening properly, I mean that’s more their problem than hers.
“She said that she was going to go for growth. She said she wanted to increase investment.”
08:52 AM James Cleverly blames media for 45p U-turn
James Cleverly has suggested the Government dropped its plans to abolish the 45p top rate of income tax because of the media.
The Foreign Secretary told Sky News: “What you’re describing as a U-turn is the smallest element of a really big and significant support package to families, tax cut to families, stimulus package for the British economy.
“You guys were constantly talking about the 45p tax rate, which is why we had to take it away, so that us guys could talk about the 95 per cent of that package which was about cutting tax for working families, support for people trying to pay their energy bills, giving growth zones around the country, infrastructure investment for transport which unlocks the growth in the economy – that’s what we wanted to talk about and that’s what we will talk about.”
Gordon Brown has warned there would be a “national uprising” if the Government took the “immoral” decision to raise benefits by less than the rate of inflation.
The Labour former prime minister told the BBC: “It’s divisive because we’re not in this together any more. It’s anti-work because 40 per cent of those who would suffer are people on low pay in work. It’s anti-family because five million children would be in poverty.
“And I think most of all it’s immoral. It’s asking the poor to bear the burden for the crisis that we face in this country and for mistakes that other people have made, and it’s a scar on the soul of our country, it’s a stain on our conscience.”
Mr Brown said the majority of the public would be against a lower than inflation benefits rise as he warned: “There will be a national uprising if this goes ahead because it is nothing to do with making the growth policies of the Government work, it is simply making the poor pay the price.”
08:41 AM ‘Exactly how much will be dependent on a whole load of factors’
James Cleverly said he is “not going to speculate” on whether benefits will rise in line with inflation next year.
However, the Foreign Secretary did suggest that the issue is a matter of live discussion within the Government.
He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “We are saying that we will increase the help for the people that need that help. But exactly how much will be dependent on a whole load of factors that the Chancellor will be deciding on…”
The Government will announce its decision on the uprating of benefits later this year.
08:35 AM ‘Deeply unfair’
James Cleverly has rejected the suggestion that the Government is treating the UK economy like a “bit of a game”.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the Foreign Secretary said that suggestion was “deeply, deeply, deeply unfair”.
Mr Cleverly said that paying mortgages and paying rent “go to the heart of people’s lives, their livelihoods, we totally get that”.
08:30 AM Pictured: Liz Truss prepares for conference speech 
Suella Braverman has sought to down play her row with Michael Gove after she accused him of staging a “coup” over the Government’s plan to scrap the 45p top rate of income tax.
Speaking to Radio 4’s Today programme, in a clip recorded yesterday, Ms Braverman was asked if she had “kissed and made up” with Mr Gove.
The Home Secretary said: “Well I have never broken up with Mr Gove… he’s a friend of mine.”
Told that she accused Mr Gove of leading a “coup”, Ms Braverman said: “I just think that we’ve all got to get behind the Prime Minister. She’s early on in her tenure, we’ve had a really exhausting and exhaustive leadership contest.
“A lot of these issues were aired. We all had our argy-bargy then. Now she’s got a mandate. The opposition, the enemy is Labour, it’s not within. ”
08:19 AM James Cleverly criticises Grant Shapps
James Cleverly has insisted Liz Truss will lead the Conservative Party into the next general election and said it was “ridiculous” to suggest that she has 10 days to save her premiership.
Grant Shapps, the former transport secretary, had suggested yesterday that the Prime Minister had a little more than a week to get her premiership back on track.
Asked about the comments this morning, Mr Cleverly told BBC Breakfast: “If people are saying ‘oh hang on a second, we need to see the fruits of that in 10 days’, that is ridiculous.”
Michael Gove has denied he was leading a “coup” against Liz Truss over the 45p tax cut – a claim made yesterday by Suella Braverman.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, in a clip record yesterday, Mr Gove was asked if he was a “coup” leader. “No,” Mr Gove said.
You can see the Home Secretary’s original remarks, made during a recording of Chopper’s Politics podcast, here:
08:14 AM ‘The atmosphere is fantastic’
James Cleverly has insisted Conservative Party conference in Birmingham has been “brilliant” as he rejected claims of Government infighting.
Asked about how the Tory Party conference is going, the Foreign Secretary said: “Brilliant, the atmosphere is fantastic”.
The Foreign Secretary denied that the annual gathering has been overshadowed by party infighting. Asked if the Government has been arguing, he said: “We really haven’t”.
08:11 AM David Davis tells Tory rebels: No time to change leader
David Davis has told Tory rebels that they haven’t got time to change the leader of the Conservative Party.
The former Brexit secretary was asked during an interview with the BBC what he would say to those in his party who want to change leader.
He said: “Well, firstly, you haven’t got time for that. It takes a year, more than a year, to replace a leader in the Tory Party. Sometimes it takes two or three years.”
Addressing Liz Truss’s start as Prime Minister, he said: “It would be a very, very unwise person who tried to make a judgment over two years on what’s happened in four weeks.”
08:08 AM Foreign Secretary distances himself from Home Secretary over ‘coup’ claim
James Cleverly has distanced himself from Suella Braverman’s comments after she accused Tory MPs of staging a “coup” against the Prime Minister over the 45p tax rate.
“She chose the words that she chose,” the Foreign Secretary told Sky News.
“But when you’re in Government, you have the opportunity to feed your ideas straight to the top machine. It’s always best done around the Cabinet table or in the Cabinet committee meetings…
“My view is anything to do with policy or the relationship with other ministers – always better to feed straight into the boss”.
08:07 AM James Cleverly urges striking rail workers to go back to work
James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, has urged striking rail workers to go back to work as he warned the ongoing industrial action is hurting commuters.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Cleverly said: “What I am saying to the striking workers is you have got to remember there are loads of people… [who] rely on the trains to get to work and a lot of the people who get paid only when they get to work, cleaners and support staff. If they can’t get to work they don’t get paid, they can’t work from home, you can’t be a cleaner on a Zoom link.
“What I am saying is these people need to get to work and the rail workers need to help them get to work by getting back to work themselves.”
08:02 AM James Cleverly rebukes Cabinet colleagues over benefits row
James Cleverly has rebuked his Cabinet colleagues for speaking publicly about whether the Government should increase benefits in line with inflation next year.
Penny Mordaunt, the Commons Leader, said yesterday that she believed benefits should rise in line with prices, arguing it “makes sense”.
But Mr Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, said the debate about what the Government should do should take place behind closed doors.
He told Times Radio: “When you are in government you have a privileged opportunity to feed your ideas in directly to the Chancellor and to the Prime Minister.
“Look, I am an old fashioned guy, my view is that is how we should go about it. Ultimately we are all going to be bound by collective decision making and collective agreement so once that decision is made, that is what we are going to deploy and my view is it is better and easier and more appropriate to feed your views and ideas in in the normal way which is through Cabinet and through Cabinet committees.”
07:59 AM Mini-Budget like ‘bitter tasting medicine’
James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, has likened the Government’s mini-Budget to “bitter tasting medicine”.
He also said he believes Labour’s massive poll lead over the Tories is a “blip” and that when the economy starts to grow “voters will start coming back to us”.
He told Times Radio: “We have seen over the last couple of decades the UK economy not growing as quickly as a number of our international competitors. We have seen our tax rate gently creeping up to the highest level pretty much in post-war history.
“So what we need to do is we need to make sure that we bring those taxes down so we are internationally competitive, get those growth rates up, that is what the Prime Minister has put forward.
“Now, the simple truth is a number of people aren’t used to hearing about the stimulating effect of tax cuts, about the growth effects of reducing regulation. And quite understandably they are reacting to that.
“People don’t necessarily like bitter-tasting medicine but it will make us all collectively economically feel better and when we do start feeling better I have no doubt at all that will be reflected in the polls.
“This is a blip, it is a necessary blip, but I am absolutely confident that when people see that growth, when they see their wages increase, when they see productivity increases, when they see the new rail, roads, when they feel those tax cuts, those voters will start coming back to us.”
07:56 AM Good morning
Good morning and welcome to today’s politics live blog.
It is the final day of the Conservative Party’s conference in Birmingham and Liz Truss will deliver her big closing speech just after 11am.
It will be a huge moment for the Prime Minister as she tries to stabilise her premiership after what has been a rocky few weeks.
I will guide you through the key developments.