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| Theresa May offers voters the ‘British dream’ in bid to relaunch premiership | Theresa May offers voters the ‘British dream’ in bid to relaunch premiership |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Theresa May said she wanted to offer voters the “British dream” in a personal speech at the Conservative party conference that attempted to shift the focus from Brexit infighting to domestic policy but was interrupted by a prankster – and a frog in her throat. | Theresa May said she wanted to offer voters the “British dream” in a personal speech at the Conservative party conference that attempted to shift the focus from Brexit infighting to domestic policy but was interrupted by a prankster – and a frog in her throat. |
| The prime minister, who at times struggled to deliver her words because of a cough that forced her to reach for a glass of water and a tablet offered by the chancellor, Philip Hammond, attempted to lay out her vision for society. | |
| Repeatedly telling delegates – who kept prolonging their applause to help her voice to recover – “that’s what I’m in this for”, she: | Repeatedly telling delegates – who kept prolonging their applause to help her voice to recover – “that’s what I’m in this for”, she: |
| accused the energy market of punishing loyalty with higher bills as she promised to introduce legislation next week for an energy price cap. The move to protect 17m families on standard variable “rip-off” rates caused the share prices of Centrica and SSE to immediately fall | |
| promised to invest an additional £2bn in affordable housing, and get “the government back into the business of building houses” with a new generation of council homes, saying she would “dedicate my premiership to fixing this problem” | promised to invest an additional £2bn in affordable housing, and get “the government back into the business of building houses” with a new generation of council homes, saying she would “dedicate my premiership to fixing this problem” |
| announced an independent review of the Mental Health Act by Prof Simon Wessely. | announced an independent review of the Mental Health Act by Prof Simon Wessely. |
| However, the speech will be remembered largely for the interruptions. A comedian, Simon Brodkin, interrupted May’s speech waving a mocked up P45 and saying to her: “Boris told me to do it.” | |
| The prime minister – who has been described as a “Maybot” – began by admitting that many people do not find her emotional. | The prime minister – who has been described as a “Maybot” – began by admitting that many people do not find her emotional. |
| “I’m not the kind of person who wears their heart on their sleeve. And I don’t mind being called things like the ice maiden – though perhaps George Osborne took the analogy a little far,” she said in reference to the suggestion the former chancellor talked about chopping her up and placing her in a freezer. | “I’m not the kind of person who wears their heart on their sleeve. And I don’t mind being called things like the ice maiden – though perhaps George Osborne took the analogy a little far,” she said in reference to the suggestion the former chancellor talked about chopping her up and placing her in a freezer. |
| In a bid to address the criticism, she spoke of her grandmother who was a domestic servant, working as a lady’s maid below stairs. “And that servant – that lady’s maid – among her grandchildren boasts three professors and a prime minister,” she said, saying that was why the British dream inspired her. | In a bid to address the criticism, she spoke of her grandmother who was a domestic servant, working as a lady’s maid below stairs. “And that servant – that lady’s maid – among her grandchildren boasts three professors and a prime minister,” she said, saying that was why the British dream inspired her. |
| May also spoke of the NHS supporting her when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and about the “great sadness” for her and her husband, Philip, at being unable to have children. “But I believe in the dream that life should be better for the next generation as much as any moth. Any father. Any grandparent,” she added. | |
| The prime minister’s speech was designed to relaunch her rocky premiership, which has been shaken by divisions within her party over Brexit and the shock loss of a majority in June’s snap election. She returned to themes set out in her first speech as leader, outside No 10 Downing Street, when she spoke of “fighting against burning injustice” and set out a vision of more interventionist red-Toryism. | |
| Despite the interruptions, May also made a defence of capitalism to contrast her politics to Jeremy Corbyn’s socialism, whom she criticised, echoing cabinet colleagues by drawing on a comparison with the socialism of Venezuela. | Despite the interruptions, May also made a defence of capitalism to contrast her politics to Jeremy Corbyn’s socialism, whom she criticised, echoing cabinet colleagues by drawing on a comparison with the socialism of Venezuela. |
| May also criticised the Labour MP Laura Pidcock for suggesting that she would not be friends with Conservatives, claiming it was a sign of a problem with politics. She also accused Labour of being “riven with the stain of antisemitism” and suggested it was wrong that the BBC political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, needed a bodyguard. | May also criticised the Labour MP Laura Pidcock for suggesting that she would not be friends with Conservatives, claiming it was a sign of a problem with politics. She also accused Labour of being “riven with the stain of antisemitism” and suggested it was wrong that the BBC political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, needed a bodyguard. |
| She finished by demanding an an end to party infighting after a week that has been dominated by stories of division and questions of a leadership challenge after interventions by Boris Johnson. | She finished by demanding an an end to party infighting after a week that has been dominated by stories of division and questions of a leadership challenge after interventions by Boris Johnson. |
| The foreign secretary carried out a newspaper interview that was seen as laying down his “red lines” for EU negotiations, in a move that was seen to undermine May and overshadow her own appearances at conference. | The foreign secretary carried out a newspaper interview that was seen as laying down his “red lines” for EU negotiations, in a move that was seen to undermine May and overshadow her own appearances at conference. |
| She said the party had a “duty to Britain” to shift the focus from the job security of senior Tories to that of ordinary working people, after at least 12 cabinet ministers expressed their frustrations with Johnson. | She said the party had a “duty to Britain” to shift the focus from the job security of senior Tories to that of ordinary working people, after at least 12 cabinet ministers expressed their frustrations with Johnson. |
| May said that “beyond the gossip pages of the newspapers, and beyond the streets, corridors and meeting rooms of Westminster, life continues – the daily lives of ordinary working people go on”. | May said that “beyond the gossip pages of the newspapers, and beyond the streets, corridors and meeting rooms of Westminster, life continues – the daily lives of ordinary working people go on”. |
| “And they must be our focus today. Not worrying about our job security, but theirs.” | “And they must be our focus today. Not worrying about our job security, but theirs.” |
| The move on energy bills came after 76 Tory MPs joined up with 116 MPs of other parties to urge May and the business secretary, Greg Clark, to introduce a cap for the 17m families on more expensive standard variable rates. They were angry that after the election Ofgem published watered down proposals that would protect only an additional 2.6m families. | The move on energy bills came after 76 Tory MPs joined up with 116 MPs of other parties to urge May and the business secretary, Greg Clark, to introduce a cap for the 17m families on more expensive standard variable rates. They were angry that after the election Ofgem published watered down proposals that would protect only an additional 2.6m families. |
| “We must do more to protect the further 15m households who continue to be preyed on by the big six energy firms ... It was promised in the three leading party manifestos ... We hope you will work with us and Ofgem to stop this Big-6 stitch-up, and pledge to help the millions of households who Ofgem seem set to ignore,” the letter said. | “We must do more to protect the further 15m households who continue to be preyed on by the big six energy firms ... It was promised in the three leading party manifestos ... We hope you will work with us and Ofgem to stop this Big-6 stitch-up, and pledge to help the millions of households who Ofgem seem set to ignore,” the letter said. |
| The government issued a warning in the summer that it was still prepared to legislate after British Gas announced a 12.5% electricity price rise for more than 3m households. | The government issued a warning in the summer that it was still prepared to legislate after British Gas announced a 12.5% electricity price rise for more than 3m households. |
| In June, Clark had written to the regulator asking it to safeguard “customers on the poorest value tariff”. | In June, Clark had written to the regulator asking it to safeguard “customers on the poorest value tariff”. |
| When Ofgem suggested extending an existing cap for 4m households on pre-payment meters to only a further 2.6m poorer households who receive the warm home discount it was seen as stepping away from the manifesto pledge | When Ofgem suggested extending an existing cap for 4m households on pre-payment meters to only a further 2.6m poorer households who receive the warm home discount it was seen as stepping away from the manifesto pledge |