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Tory conference at-a-glance Tory conference at-a-glance
(9 minutes later)
CONFERENCE ROUND-UPCONFERENCE ROUND-UP
David Cameron has urged the government to push through legislation to protect bank account holders, promising his party's support. Shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve has outlined plans to offer help for "have-a-go-heroes". Shadow schools secretary Michael Gove has said the Tories would offer relationship guidance to couples about to marry. And former party leader Iain Duncan Smith has spoken on the issue of social breakdown.David Cameron has urged the government to push through legislation to protect bank account holders, promising his party's support. Shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve has outlined plans to offer help for "have-a-go-heroes". Shadow schools secretary Michael Gove has said the Tories would offer relationship guidance to couples about to marry. And former party leader Iain Duncan Smith has spoken on the issue of social breakdown.
CROSSING THE FLOOR
Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Herbert has mischievously suggested his opposite number Jack Straw might consider a future in the Conservative Party. In a speech to the party conference he said: "Watch Jack Straw. Believe me, Gordon Brown is... One day Jack was an arch Blairite and the next day we woke up and he was running Gordon Brown's leadership campaign - I don't suppose it will be long before we wake up to discover that he's changed to the winning side and we look forward to him joining the Conservative benches." Polite laughter from the audience suggested they were not entirely convinced.
BROKEN SOCIETY?BROKEN SOCIETY?
Not all Tories seem to agree with the party's belief that society is "broken", Boris Johnson famously describing the claim as "piffle". But former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, asked by the leadership to look at policy options in the area, says social breakdown is as much of a threat to people's lives as growing economic hardship. He told the conference that the rise in "dysfunctional families" and the spread of a "culture of the streets" would cost the country billions if not addressed. Tackling these problems required politicians to act with their hearts as well as their heads, he said.Not all Tories seem to agree with the party's belief that society is "broken", Boris Johnson famously describing the claim as "piffle". But former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, asked by the leadership to look at policy options in the area, says social breakdown is as much of a threat to people's lives as growing economic hardship. He told the conference that the rise in "dysfunctional families" and the spread of a "culture of the streets" would cost the country billions if not addressed. Tackling these problems required politicians to act with their hearts as well as their heads, he said.
SCOTTISH BROADSIDESCOTTISH BROADSIDE
David Cameron has warned those who think a victory for his party at the next election might accelerate the break-up of the Union to think again. He said Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond had "another thing coming" if he felt a Tory government would make it easier for the SNP to secure independence. The Tories currently have only one MP in Scotland but Mr Cameron said he would "work with anyone in Scotland" who wanted to preserve the Union.David Cameron has warned those who think a victory for his party at the next election might accelerate the break-up of the Union to think again. He said Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond had "another thing coming" if he felt a Tory government would make it easier for the SNP to secure independence. The Tories currently have only one MP in Scotland but Mr Cameron said he would "work with anyone in Scotland" who wanted to preserve the Union.
THE BREAKFAST CLUB Senior Tory MP Tim Yeo, pictured right with knife and fork, is a well known supporter of environmental issues, so it should have come as little surprise that he believes in that old adage, waste not want not. But passers-by might have thought he had gone a bit too far when he took his breakfast fry-up outside with him after a fire alarm at his Birmingham city centre hotel. And, some may wonder, while he was demonstrating he was in tune with these credit crunch times, is it entirely Cameroonian to have your own personal plate holder?THE BREAKFAST CLUB Senior Tory MP Tim Yeo, pictured right with knife and fork, is a well known supporter of environmental issues, so it should have come as little surprise that he believes in that old adage, waste not want not. But passers-by might have thought he had gone a bit too far when he took his breakfast fry-up outside with him after a fire alarm at his Birmingham city centre hotel. And, some may wonder, while he was demonstrating he was in tune with these credit crunch times, is it entirely Cameroonian to have your own personal plate holder?
BACKSTAGE WITH THE OSBORNE
Ok, not quite Sharon and Ozzie, but we've all been given an exclusive back-stage pass to conference thanks to the all-new Reali-tory TV, part of the Tories' £250,000 website redesign. Seconds after his speech, we heard from George on the audience's take on his speech:
"They liked some of the things I had to say on the City, about some of the hard messages we had to give... They really liked the announcement we can freeze the council tax for two years... Pointing the finger of blame at Gordon Brown went down well, but that's the truth. It was a great speech to give. Fantastic hall. Great audience..." Cue a walk-on appearance from the fresh-faced head of the family. Not Sharon, but Dave [Cameron]. "It was absolutely perfect... It was brilliantly done." The two then disappeared for more TV interviews.
'ELITIST' CLAIM
The conference slogan "plan for change" has not gone down well with one former Tory press officer. Ashish Prashar says in the New Statesman that the party may have "embraced" US Presidential candidate Barack Obama's slogan but "Cameron's top table is even more elitist, looking like something out of a 1960s American boardroom, pre-civil rights movement". The party brushed off the criticism, saying Mr Prashar "praised David Cameron to the skies all the time when he was working with the Conservatives and never once complained about how the party was run."