As it happenedended

Theresa May speech - live updates: Labour accuses dancing Conservative leader of 'pinching' ideas, after she declares end of austerity

Follow all the latest updates live from the Conservative Party conference

Ashley Cowburn

Political Correspondent, in Birmingham

,Lizzy Buchan

Wednesday 03 October 2018 12:57 BST

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Theresa May declares 'austerity is over' after decade of cuts

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Theresa May has declared "austerity is over" in her keynote address to the Conservative conference, where she also warns splits over Brexit risked derailing Britain's departure from the EU.

In what was one of the most important speeches of her political career, the prime minister borrowed Jeremy Corbyn's "for the many, not the few," slogan, declaring the Conservatives are a "party not for the few, not even the many, but for everyone who is willing to work hard and do their best."

The prime minister strutted onto the stage to Abba's Dancing Queen - to mock herself grooving on a recent trip to Africa - and also included a self-deprecating joke about last year's disastrous conference address.

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Theresa May struggles to take back control of Tories amid Brexit battle with Boris JohnsonTheresa May will try to take back control of her party on Wednesday after its members queued for hours to hear Boris Johnson demand her Brexit agenda be dumped.The prime minister will call on her MPs to ignore claims from Mr Johnson that her plans are “a cheat” and instead ask them to put the “national interest” first by backing them to avoid a catastrophic no-deal Brexit.The row between the pair boiled over on Tuesday with the ex-foreign secretary claiming Ms May’s Chequers proposals would leave the Britain “in manacles”, while a “cross” prime minister argued her rival’s plans would destroy the UK.

Ashley Cowburn3 October 2018 08:34

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DUP threaten to torpedo Theresa May's Brexit proposals and say they could vote with LabourThe PM's allies said they would not tolerate a border of "any kind" down the Irish Sea

Ashley Cowburn3 October 2018 08:39

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Boris Johnson accuses Theresa May of trying to 'manacle' the UK as he tilts to Tory leadershipBoris Johnson has warned that Theresa May’s “cheat” Brexit plans would leave the UK in “manacles” and lead to the dominance of the far right and far left in British politics.The ex-cabinet minister made the claims as he also launched a broader attack on the prime minister’s policies on Brexit, crime and taxation on the third day of Conservative conference in Birmingham.The speech in front of a packed-out hall of supporters is widely seen as a pitch for the support of Tory members, ahead of an expected leadership bid in the near future.

Ashley Cowburn3 October 2018 08:40

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The most important speech of Theresa May’s life turned into a farceA reminder of last year's events... "Theresa May’s keynote speech descended into farce on the final day of Conservative conference after a comedian’s stunt and a relentless coughing fit laid waste to hopes it would rejuvenate her embattled leadership."During a delivery that was at times difficult to watch, a prankster handed her a P45 in front of hundreds of party members and there were uncomfortable pauses as she repeatedly lost her voice, before croaking and coughing through long sections."The performance approached the ridiculous, when letters began falling off the sign bearing the Conservative party’s slogan on the set behind her."Cabinet members applauded, but at times looked mortified – in one scene captured on camera, Home Secretary Amber Rudd appeared to demand Boris Johnson stand and clap. "

Ashley Cowburn3 October 2018 08:52

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Final Say: Ex-cabinet minister Lord Willetts says new Brexit referendum is 'common sense'Peer warns against sacrificing economic success 'to fulfil the ideological obsessions of a small number of backbenchers'

Ashley Cowburn3 October 2018 09:05

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Boris Johnson tried to cast himself as a prime minister in waiting. He'll be waiting a long time.He offers no solutions to the problems he caused. All he could do was raise his bicep in a kind of impotent Black Power salute and shout ‘chuck Chequers’ writes Tom Peck

Ashley Cowburn3 October 2018 09:22

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In her speech today, May will reveal fuel duty will be frozen for the ninth year in a row as she seeks to persuade families the government is "on their side".

She will say: "Some have wondered if there would be a thaw in our fuel duty freeze this year.

"Today I can confirm that, in the budget later this month, the Chancellor will freeze fuel duty again.

"Money in the pockets of hard working people from a Conservative Government that is on their side."

Ashley Cowburn3 October 2018 09:34

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Government announces £15 million project to cut food wastePolicy designed to cut the estimated 100,000 tonnes of edible food that is thrown away every year

Ashley Cowburn3 October 2018 09:57

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Treasury minister Liz Truss falsely claims government is not making cuts to councils, in Newsnight interviewTreasury minister Liz Truss has been branded “innumerate or inept” after falsely claiming that local councils are facing cuts.Philip Hammond’s deputy insisted the government was simply giving town halls more “flexibility” to raise money themselves, rather than slashing their funds.“We are not making cuts to local authorities,” Ms Truss told BBC Newsnight.

Ashley Cowburn3 October 2018 10:03

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Long queues of Tory activists are already building up ahead of Theresa May's big conference speech.

It might not be quite the numbers that Boris Johnson commanded but there are clearly plenty of people keen to hear what the PM has to say.

Lizzy Buchan3 October 2018 10:16

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Theresa May speech - live updates: Labour accuses dancing Conservative leader of 'pinching' ideas, after she declares end of austerity