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As it happenedended

Conservative conference - as it happened: Philip Hammond insists Theresa May's Brexit plan is not dead as he urges warring Tory MPs to stand 'foursquare behind' her

All the updates from Birmingham, as they happened

Lizzy Buchan
Political Correspondent
Monday 01 October 2018 17:01 BST
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Conservative Party Conference: Five things to watch

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Philip Hammond won applause from the Tory faithful when he urged them to stand “foursquare behind the prime minister” to rescue her Brexit plan.

The Chancellor rejected claims from both pro and anti-EU Tories that the Chequers proposals were dead, after their mauling by the EU – insisting they could still deliver an agreement.

“Mr Tusk [the European Council president] says it won’t work - but that’s what people said about the lightbulb in 1878,” he told the Conservative conference. “Our job is to prove him wrong.”

The run-up to the Birmingham conference has been dominated by infighting over Theresa May's Brexit approach, which Boris Johnson described as "deranged".

See below for live updates

Gove's big announcement is a £15m to redistribute food waste to the neediest in society.

He says up to 250 million meals a year could be shared with deprived communities, rather than being thrown away.

Lizzy Buchan1 October 2018 14:56

Lizzy Buchan1 October 2018 14:58

Scottish leader Ruth Davidson is up to rapturous applause from delegates.

She condemns the "sound and fury that passes for our politics just now", where the "extremes get ever louder and the centre falls to silence".

Davidson rules out backing another Brexit referendum. She says "the people of Scotland spoke. They said no. It's time to move on. The same message applies to Brexit."

Backing a people's vote would make her "the worst kind of hypocrite" as she has campaigned against a second independence referendum.

Lizzy Buchan1 October 2018 15:20

Ms Davidson dismissed the challenge from Labour and Jeremy Corbyn.

She said: "Let him crack on with all those 9 hour long meetings of the National Executive Committee he seems to love…

"Let get him get on with compositing motions and allowing deselections of long serving members. Let him spend his time on that.

"And instead, let us get on with facing up to the challenges of the 21st century which need our attention."

She says there is a job she is after - First Minister of Scotland - which will disappoint those who fancy her as a potential successor to Theresa May.

Lizzy Buchan1 October 2018 15:24

Plenty of news coming out of events on the fringes of conference today.

PA has filed this piece from an event with David Davis, the former Brexit secretary.

Chancellor Philip Hammond used forecasts he knew were inaccurate during preparations for a no-deal Brexit, David Davis has claimed.

The former Brexit secretary accused Mr Hammond of undermining negotiations and claimed he turned predictions about the impact of crashing out into "weapons".

Speaking on the fringes of the Tory conference, Mr Davis said it drove him "mad" when the Chancellor would start talking about problems at crucial points in the EU exit talks.

He said Mr Hammond "was using a forecast which internally the reports said was inaccurate and did not reflect the future" when preparations were being made for a no-deal outcome.

Lizzy Buchan1 October 2018 15:47

Three Conservative ministers support a new Brexit referendum, a former cabinet member has revealed.

Phillip Lee told a meeting of Conservatives for a People's Vote on the fringe of the party's conference in Birmingham that Tory MPs were under "huge pressure" from activists not to speak openly of their concerns about EU withdrawal.

 More here:

Lizzy Buchan1 October 2018 16:01

The European Parliament's Brexit chief is unimpressed by Jeremy Hunt's speech yesterday. 

Lizzy Buchan1 October 2018 16:10

The last address of the day was from culture secretary Jeremy Wright, whose speech was rather sparsely attended.

He announced that thousands of schoolchildren will be given greater access to the performing arts through a new £5m scheme.

Lizzy Buchan1 October 2018 16:21

Citizens Advice Bureau has been called in to aid the highly contentious rollout of the government's flagship welfare programme, Esther McVey has revealed as she announced a £39m fund for the partnership. 

Ms McVey, the work and pensions secretary, said the cash would fund advisers to help claimants get their first payment on time and be ready to manage it when it arrives. 

More here:

Lizzy Buchan1 October 2018 16:32

Tory council leader says she was 'proud' to block Sadiq Khan from pedestrianising Oxford Street because she 'listened to the people of Fitzrovia and Maylebone'.

Lizzy Buchan1 October 2018 16:53

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