Tory conference latest: 'China should pay for Peppa Pig,' says Cleverly (2024)

Day three of Tory party conference
  • Cleverly attacks Jenrick's claim about UK special forces
  • 'China should pay for Peppa Pig,' says former home secretary
  • Jenrick reveals his daughter's after Taylor Swift freebies
  • Ex-minister denies 'legging it' from government before election
  • One candidate surges in leadership race - but path to victory for all
  • Beth Rigby:Tory contest is about the party - the public have to wait
  • Catch-up:How Badenoch and Tugendhat tried to woo Tory members
  • Live reporting by Faith Ridler,Tim Bakerand (earlier)Ben Bloch
Our essential explainers
  • Who's running to be Tory leader - and how contest will play out
  • How the winter fuel payment is changing
  • Who is Labour donor at heart of donations row?

16:13:02

Tories need their Wenger or Ferguson, says Cleverly

The last question James Cleverly is asked in his hour-long fireside chat is what lessons can be taken from Manchester United's time in the wilderness since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

Mr Cleverly points out that he is an Arsenal fan - and talks instead about their success under former manager Arsene Wenger.

"I have learned - and I saw Arsene Wenger, and what Alex Ferguson showed - is good organisations with great leaders can do amazing things," he says.

"Good organisations with the wrong leader massively underperform.

"Don't pick the wrong leader - pick me."

His talk ends to significant applause from the audience - and a fair few of those in the stalls standing as they clapped.

15:50:49

Cleverly backs calls for leadership election to end before budget

James Cleverly, the Conservative leadership hopeful, has backed calls for the contest to end before Labour deliver their first budget on 30 October.

Mr Cleverly says the new Conservative leader "should be given the opportunity to respond to it".

He adds: "I have already said to the party board and to the 1922 Committee (which organises the contest) that I would prefer that we nibble away a couple of days from the leadership.

"My assumption is that almost everyone will vote online within the first few days of the ballot opening.

"So I want to get at them at the first possible opportunity

"This budget will define the party, if we hit them hard, where it hurts - in their economic incompetence - that will be a good start for the new leader of the party."

15:48:48

'China should pay for Peppa Pig'

James Cleverly, like other Tory leadership hopefuls, is asked if he wants to scrap the BBC licence fee.

He says he does, and he told those at the corporation around a decade ago that they should transition to a subscription-based model.

Mr Cleverly goes on to say that he also wants to see greater spend from foreign countries that consume BBC content.

He gives an example of saying Peppa Pig is very popular in China - and therefore they should pay for the syndication.

15:38:01

Cleverly will accept gifts 'every now and then'

James Cleverly has admitted he would "accept gifts every now and then" if he were to become leader of the Opposition.

The former home secretary, one of four hopefuls vying for the job, was asked about a row about Sir Keir Starmer's accepting of gifts and hospitality.

Asked how he would act, he says: "I will accept gifts every now and then.

"The problem is not the accepting of gifts, particularly if those gifts are properly declared.

"The problem is the stench of hypocrisy, because whilst he was accepting those gifts, he was attacking us for accepting gifts."

15:34:50

'Maybe I can persuade him to do us a favour?' Cleverly teases Boris Johnson comeback

James Cleverly served under Boris Johnson when the latter was the mayor of London.

He is asked whether he would try to bring the former PM back if he takes over - with it being suggested by the chair that Mr Johnson could come back as party chairman.

This is a role that involves interacting with the membership of the party and raising money - something that Boris Johnson would likely excel at.

In response, Mr Cleverly says he will talk to his former colleague at his book launch to gauge his interest in helping the Tories return to power.

"Maybe I can persuade him to do us a favour," he teases.

Mr Johnson has not appeared at the Conservative conference this year - where he would often receive a celebrity welcome.

15:28:16

Cleverly admits he 'messed up' with date rape drug joke

Former home secretary James Cleverly has admitted he "messed up" by making an "ironic joke" about putting a date rape drug in his wife's drink.

The comment, made in the presence of journalists last December, came hours after the Home Office announced plans to crack down on spiking.

He faced calls to resign, but Downing Street said at the time Rishi Sunak "considered the matter closed" following his apology.

Asked about this today, Mr Cleverly said: "I was trying to make a point that I was the home secretary updating the law to make spiking illegal to protect women.

"I was trying to make that point in front of a number of journalists.

"The point I was making, I was trying to make the point that I was taking action on a really important issue.

"It was crass, I apologised at the time and my real frustration is that by doing that, it took away from the really serious work we're doing.

"You take it on the chin, you accept the criticism, you recognise that you've done something wrong, you make good, and you make amends."

15:22:25

Cleverly claims he would've got Rwanda policy working - and criticises Jenrick for resigning

James Cleverly is the fourth and final leadership candidate to take the main stage at the Tory conference for a "fireside chat" in front of members.

Mr Cleverly was the third Conservative home secretary to try to get the Rwanda deportation scheme off the ground.

He says his plan to fight the UK supreme court on the matter was to send a small number of asylum seekers - "dozens", he claims.

This, he says, would have been used as evidence before the court to prove that Rwanda was a safe country.

Mr Cleverly was also asked why he didn't resign over the plan not working - as Robert Jenrick did.

He said: "Because I wanted to deliver. I didn't run away from problems. I deal with problems."

15:06:07

Watch live: Cleverly grilled on Tory conference stage

James Cleverly, the former home and foreign secretary, is facing questions up on the main stage at Tory party conference.

The leadership contender will be grilled by GB News' Christopher Hope, and then face questions from party members.

You can watch live in the stream at the top of this page or below, and we'll bring you the best bits as updates in the Politics Hub.

15:05:58

Jenrick would slash international aid budget to fund defence spending increase

Robert Jenrick says we are "in an age of authoritarian states", but we have not taken that "seriously".

He points to the decision of successive governments not to proscribe Iran'sIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terror group, which he brands "a mistake".

"I think we've got to have a much tougher, more clear-eyed, more realistic attitude to these threats," he says.

The Tory leadership hopeful went on to say that, in his view, it is "very likely that China is going to invade Taiwan in the next 10-15 years".

The impact on the UK "would be immense", he says, due to the impact on our "economy and way of life" that "dwarfs the war in Ukraine".

He gets applause from the audience when he argues that the UK should be spending 3% of GDP on defence.

To fund that increase, Mr Jenrick says: "I would take that money from our international budget and I would spend it on our armed forces because I think that is the best way that our country can live up to its role and do ultimately what government is supposed to do - keep the British people safe."

14:53:23

What is 'two-tier policing' - and does it exist?

Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick has just used his Q&A at the party's conference to double down on his previous accusations of "two-tier policing" during the summer riots.

Our political reporterFaye Brownexplains where that phrase came from, and whether it's got any foundation.

What are the origins of 'two-tier' policing?

The term has been used to suggest police are more heavy-handed with people on the right of the political spectrum than the left.

Even before the rioting in the UK, the idea was propagated by the likes of English Defence League founderTommy Robinson, actor-turned political activist Laurence Fox, and Mr Jenrick himself.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage summed up the sentiment when he claimed that "ever since the soft policing of the Black Lives Matter protests, the impression of two-tier policing has become widespread".

'Difference between riot and protest'

However, critics of those who have used the term say there is a clear difference between legal protests and the riots, which has seen mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers attacked, police officers hospitalised, and shops smashed and looted.

One of the strongest rebukes came from Dame Priti Patel, who was home secretary during the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020.

She told Times Radio: "What we saw during the pandemic, we saw protest. We believe in free speech. We saw protests being policed."

The riots, however, were "thuggery and disorder" - and she said there was "complete distinction" between the two.

What is the law on protests in the UK?

Protest is legal in the UK and the right to freedom of expression is also protected under the European Convention of Human Rights.

However, this only applies to peaceful protest and does not extend to any violence inflicted or damage caused during a protest.

As pointed out by Chris Hobbs, a former Special Branch officer writing for thePolice Oracle website, arrests have been made at pro-Palestinian protests when there has been suspected criminal offences, as has been the case during climate protests and BLM demonstrations.

Tory conference latest: 'China should pay for Peppa Pig,' says Cleverly (2024)
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