Sunak accused of presiding over "chaos" as Tory conference braced for news HS2 Manchester leg being scrapped Rishi Sunak is now expected to confirm that he will shelve the Manchester leg of HS2 before the end of the Conservative party conference. Speaking at a fringe event at the conference, Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, said this would be “profoundly depressing”. He said: This will be remembered as the conference when they pulled the plug on us. What gives them the right to treat people here in Greater Manchester and the north of England as second-class citizens? We’re growing faster than the UK economy. We’re a success story and then, behind you, you have got people working against you. And other parties issued statement condemning the move. Wera Hobhouse, the Lib Dem transport spokesperson, said: Rishi Sunak using a conference in Manchester to cancel the Northern leg of HS2 would make Liz Truss look like a political genius. Yet again, a Conservative Party conference has become mired in chaos while the country suffers. Louise Haigh, the shadow transport secretary, said: This fiasco shows the Conservatives are too divided and too distracted to take this country forward. After weeks of chaos and indecision on the biggest infrastructure project in the country, Rishi Sunak’s relaunch is now coming off the rails. And the SNP’s transport spokesperson, Gavin Newlands MP, said: This just confirms that there’s no chance of this Tory UK government ever delivering high speed rail to Scotland, and that none of their promises should ever be taken seriously. Early evening summary Rishi Sunak is expected to confirm he is scrapping the northern leg of HS2 to Manchester at the Conservative conference in the city despite a furious response and fears it will fatally undermine the party’s commitment to levelling up. Sixty Conservative MPs have joined Liz Truss’s Growth Group, imperilling the government’s majority in parliament, as Rishi Sunak was warned by former cabinet ministers “we cannot accept the status quo”. Business leaders who warned against Ed Miliband in 2015 have now turned on Rishi Sunak, criticising the prime minister’s plans to roll back net zero policies. Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary, has told the conference she will review regulatory bodies to ensure they are not imposing unnecessary rules. She said: I want us to use our Brexit freedoms to scrap unnecessary regulations that hold back firms and hamper growth. It’s clear that the regulators that enforce the rules can also sometimes be a blocker to businesses, so our review will seek to root out the bad practices with the aim of making companies’ lives easier and reducing costs for consumers. Sir Jake Berry, the former Tory chair and organiser of the “tax pledge”, has told a rally organised by the New Conservatives that, with 30 MPs promising not to vote for anything that would raise the tax burden, they are too powerful to be thrown out of the party. This is from Aubrey Allegretti. Jake Berry says it’s “pretty unlikely” the chief whip will kick MPs out of the Conservative Party for refusing to vote for tax rises. He notes more than 30 MPs have signed the pledge and says you don’t have to be good at maths to know that is half the government’s majority. Robert Jenrick has called for British families to have more children to help fund and look after an ageing population, after criticising Boris Johnson’s government for encouraging low-skilled workers to come to the UK. A reader asks: Does the Conservative conference do any actual party business - elect officers, approve rules, administrative measures, policies? Or is it purely a media event? No. Most other parties do enact internal party business at their conference, such as vote on rules. But the Tories don’t. The Conservative party does have a voluntary wing, the National Conservative Convention, which in some ways is quite powerful. (If it was not for the convention and the board, the MPs might have abolished the rule letting members vote for leaders some time ago.) But the convention does not play a role in the main conference proceedings. In fact, at this conference, we have not even heard from candidates or members in the conference hall at all – just ministers. Coffey takes on EU"s bendy banana rule, joining long list of Tories exaggerating what they"re banning Boris Johnson is not attending the Conservative conference, but he was there in spirit this afternoon when Thérèse Coffey, the environment secretary, announced that she was axing an EU rule banning bendy bananas. In her speech she declared: My officials are cutting red tape and introducing smarter regulation. Frankly, bent or straight, it is not for government to decide the shape of bananas you want to eat – I just want to assure you they are safe to eat. So we will be dropping absurd regulations, including the one on bendy bananas. Contrast all this to Labour. They are sneakily signing up to keeping in step with whatever Europe decides. The “ban on bendy bananas” is one of the great myths of Eurosceptic politics. As Jon Henley wrote in 2016, at the height of Brexit, there was an EU regulation covering the shape of bananas and it did say that in general they should be “free from malformation or abnormal curvature”. But traders were free to sell bananas of any shape imaginable; the rule was just there to ensure that, when traders ordered bananas graded in a certain category, they knew what they were getting. But Coffey is not the first Tory at this conference to try to take credit for banning something that does not exist. Straw men have been everywhere. Rishi Sunak started the trend with his net zero announcement two weeks ago, which included a bizarre passage saying he was going to scrap policies that were not government policy. At a dinner with journalists at Westminster the following week, Sunak joked about his own resort to hyperbole. Sunak last night assured journalists about some “very worrying proposals”. “The ban on Christmas - I’ve scrapped it. The ban on pubs opening for more than an hour a day - I’ve scrapped it. The ban on Strictly - I’ve scrapped it. And the ban on puppies - I’ve scrapped that too.” But that did not stop him offending again, and in his interview with Laura Kuenssberg yesterday he tried to take credit for blocking Welsh-style 20mph “blanket” speeding ban. The Welsh government said there is no “blanket” ban. This morning Mark Harper, the transport secretary, joined in. He told the conference that he was opposed to so-called 15-minute cities which mean “local councils can decide how often you go to the shops” and he was going to stop them. But councils aren’t doing this, as Evan Davis established on the PM programme a few minutes ago. This is from Peter Walker. Worth listening to Evan Davis grilling junior minister Andrew Bowie on R4 on this bit of Mark Harper’s speech on 15-minute cities. Bowie was asked to name a council proposing what Harper vowed to oppose. He could not, but said such things are “coming up in discussions online”. And then Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, told the conference this afternoon: Nobody should have their bank account closed because someone else decides they’re not politically correct. We’ll tighten the law to stop people being debanked for the wrong political views. That shouldn’t take long. The Financial Conduct Authority said it found no evidence that this actually happens. Cutting back on HS2 gives the impression that the Conservatives are “giving up on the north” even if axing the project isn’t unpopular in itself, according to new research by the thinktank, More in Common. Levelling up remains a silver bullet to uniting the 2019 Tory coalition which united a diverse range of Conservative voters, many of whom have drifted away from the party, the same research also found. In particular, changes to HS2 and much less talk about levelling up risks alienating a voter cohort dubbed “loyal nationals”, made up of socially conservative people who had previously voted Labour. Many were found to feel their areas have been long neglected and that levelling up was the reward for their switch to the Conservatives in in 2017 and 2019. The same polling suggests just 27% of people view tackling political correctness and so-called ‘woke’ issues as one most important issues in the run-up to the election. "End this shambles", Burnham tells Sunak, as he demands clarity on HS2 Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, has told Rishi Suank to “end this shambles” about HS2 now. Speaking at a hastily-arranged press conference, he said: People are meeting in rooms yards from where we’re standing now about decisions that will affect the future of the north of England for the rest of the century. But nobody in government deems that they should pick up the phone to the leader of Manchester city council or to myself, and, quite frankly, for the city that’s hosting this conference, and we’re pleased to do that, I don’t think that is really any way to treat people. End this shambles, you can’t take decisions of this magnitude in the way that you’re doing. Cancelling HS2 would be "final nail in coffin" for levelling up, says West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin, the Labour West Yorkshire mayor, says cancelling HS2 would be the “final nail in the coffin” for levelling up. In a statement she said: It now looks increasingly likely that our worst fears about HS2 will be confirmed. The government has left us hanging by a thread for weeks as mayors from across the country urged the prime minister to think again before cancelling the Northern leg of this vital infrastructure project. Any such decision, made without northern leaders, would damage the fortunes of the region and the whole of the country for generations to come — wiping out investment and undermining our reputation across the world. Pulling the project now would be a scandalous waste and would represent the final nail in the coffin for any notion of levelling up. Sunak accused of presiding over "chaos" as Tory conference braced for news HS2 Manchester leg being scrapped Rishi Sunak is now expected to confirm that he will shelve the Manchester leg of HS2 before the end of the Conservative party conference. Speaking at a fringe event at the conference, Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, said this would be “profoundly depressing”. He said: This will be remembered as the conference when they pulled the plug on us. What gives them the right to treat people here in Greater Manchester and the north of England as second-class citizens? We’re growing faster than the UK economy. We’re a success story and then, behind you, you have got people working against you. And other parties issued statement condemning the move. Wera Hobhouse, the Lib Dem transport spokesperson, said: Rishi Sunak using a conference in Manchester to cancel the Northern leg of HS2 would make Liz Truss look like a political genius. Yet again, a Conservative Party conference has become mired in chaos while the country suffers. Louise Haigh, the shadow transport secretary, said: This fiasco shows the Conservatives are too divided and too distracted to take this country forward. After weeks of chaos and indecision on the biggest infrastructure project in the country, Rishi Sunak’s relaunch is now coming off the rails. And the SNP’s transport spokesperson, Gavin Newlands MP, said: This just confirms that there’s no chance of this Tory UK government ever delivering high speed rail to Scotland, and that none of their promises should ever be taken seriously. Sunak’s Commons majority in peril as 60 Tories join Liz Truss group Sixty Conservative MPs have joined Liz Truss’s Growth Group, imperilling the government’s majority in parliament, as Rishi Sunak was warned by former cabinet ministers “we cannot accept the status quo”, Aubrey Allegretti reports. Jenrick says government needs to encourage families to have more children Robert Jenrick has called for British families to have more children to help fund and look after an ageing population, after criticising Boris Johnson’s government for encouraging low-skilled workers to come to the UK. The immigration minister said the government needed to “encourage more families to have children” as he suggested there should be further cuts in the number of care visas issued to migrant workers. During a Policy Exchange fringe event at the Conservative party conference in Manchester, Prof Matthew Goodwin called for a “mature conversation about how we could encourage families to have more children” and help reduce demand for migrant workers. Jenrick told party members: I agree strongly with the last point about families. We do need to encourage more families to have children. And that’s why the prime minister’s intervention earlier in the year on childcare was important. That’s why we need to build more homes so that young people can settle down and have a family life. And there’s a lot of evidence that the lack of housing is one of the reasons people are settling down and having kids later on in life. I think the gentleman who mentioned student accommodation [taking up local housing stock] just reinforced the point that that migration does need to come down because it’s having real world implications in communities right across the country. After the event, Jenrick told the Guardian: We want to have a higher birthrate as a country. With an ageing society it is critically important. There are lots of reasons we’re not unique as a country for that. It is across the western world. The things that government can do is improve childcare, and above all housing, because there’s a massive link between how late people eventually settle down and the ability to have kids. Coffey criticised after saying she"s "fed up" with right to roam campaign Thérèse Coffey, the environment secretary, let rip at the right to roam campaign during a fringe meeting. Addressing the British Association of Shooting and Conservation, she said: I’m frankly fed up with the right to roam campaign. The only things that have rights to roam are farmers, their pigs and cattle. She also told the room that it was her department that stopped the prime minister tightening rules on selling shotguns after the Plymouth shooting. Her comment prompted this response from the environmental campaigner Guy Shrubsole. Therese Coffey casually dismissing the rights of millions of people to access nature, and rather foolishly discounting the votes of the 62% of the British public who’d rather like a Scottish-style @Right_2Roam in England.. Keegan to consult on minimum service levels in universities The government is to consult on minimum service levels in universities, the education secretary Gillian Keegan has announced during her speech at the Conservative party conference in Manchester. It follows a long-running and still unresolved dispute between university workers and their employers over pay and conditions, which has resulted in widespread disruption to lectures and marking. The government says minimum service levels legislation is intended to balance the ability of workers to strike with the rights of the public who expect essential services they pay for. Keegan condemned the “constant” strike action in universities by members of the University and College Union and told the conference it was “outrageous” that students had missed out on education for which they pay. She went on: Today I am announcing that we will consult to introduce minimum service levels in universities so that they have the tools to make sure that students get the teaching they deserve. She also confirmed reports that the government would introduce new guidance designed to ban mobile phones from schools, saying: One of the biggest issues facing children and teachers is grappling with the impact of smartphones in our schools. The distraction, the disruption, the bullying – we know that teachers are struggling with their impact and we know that they need support so today we’re recognising the amazing work that many schools have done in banning mobile phones, and we’re announcing that we will change guidance so that all schools follow their lead. As Pippa Crerar points out, one of her predecessors announced the same thing two years ago. Badenoch defends Brexit, calling it "perhaps greatest ever vote of confidence in project of UK" Kemi Badenoch, the business and trade secretary, is regularly at or near the top of the ConservativeHome survey of Tory members about how cabinet ministers are performing. That is why she is currently favourite to be the next Tory leader. Her speech to the Tory conference is unlikely to harm her rankings. Her delivery was a bit flat, but it was full of lines that will go down well with activists. Here is a summary. Badenoch defended Brexit, calling it “perhaps the greatest ever vote of confidence in the project of the United Kingdom”. Until now Brexit has hardly been mentioned in the main platform speeches. But Badenoch, whose job includes negotiating post-Brexit trade deals, rejected claims it has held back the UK economy. She said: Ministers in other countries tell me about supply chain issues affecting everything from getting car components to stocking supermarket shelves. They tell me about how they are coping with unfilled vacancies as societies from Germany to Japan get older. But it is only when I am back in the UK that l am told that all these issues are down to Brexit. Our political opponents are obsessed with viewing every problem as Brexit. Relentlessly talking down our country. So as your business and trade secretary, I’m here to set the record straight. They told us Brexit would hold back our recovery from the pandemic and we have the worst economic performance in Europe. Wrong. The UK’s recovery from COVID has outpaced France and Germany. This year we overtook France to become the third 3rd largest manufacturer in Europe. They tell you ‘Our exports have dropped to an all-time low’. Wrong. This year we rose from the world’s 6th to 5th largest exporter of goods and services. They told you that Brexit would be the end of the City. Wrong. London remains the top financial investment destination in Europe. Far from losing jobs in the City, they are at a record high. 8% more today than in 2019 … Brexit was perhaps the greatest ever vote of confidence in the project of the United Kingdom - and we will soon be asking the country to trust that this project is safe in our hands. The last line was curious. Two of the four components of the UK – Scotland and Northern Ireland – voted against Brexit, and there are ground for thinking that over the next decade or so it might hasten the break-up of the UK, by encouraging Irish reunification or Scottish independence. She accused Labour of telling black people society was against them. Badenoch is also minister for women and equalities and she said: Last year I published a report [the Sewell report] that told the truth about race in the UK. Labour didn’t like it. They want young people to believe a narrative of hopelessness. A narrative that says there is no point in trying, because British society is against you and you’re better off asking for reparations. A narrative that tells children like mine that the odds are stacked against them. I tell my children that is the best country in the world to be black - because it’s a country that sees people, not labels. Conservatives want young people to be proud of their country when others want them to be ashamed. It wasn’t a tough decision for us to reject the divisive agenda of critical race theory. We believe as Martin Luther King once said, people should be judged by the content of their character - not the colour of their skin. And if that puts us in conflict with those who would re-racialise society, who would put up the divisions that have been torn down - well, Conference, all I can say is: bring it on. She attacked Labour over trans issues. She said: Next week, Labour will tell the country that it is ready for government. But ladies and gentlemen, let me ask you this if Labour MPs can’t tell us what a woman is, what else aren’t they telling us? Tory West Midlands mayor Andy Street says cancelling phase 2 of HS2 would be blow to investor confidence Andy Street, the Conservative mayor of West Midlands, has shown his visible anger with the dithering over HS2, saying investors would only trust a country and government if they had consistency, saying: If you tell the international investment community you are going to do something. you bloody well have to stick to your word. Asked about the potential decision to cancel the Birmingham to Manchester leg of the rail line during a fringe event at the Conservative conference, Street said he did not know what the decision would be. However, he said, consistency and certainty was “an absolute fundamental point”, adding: “It’s what drives investment.” Street used the example of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year, saying local leaders of all political parties had worked collaboratively, adding: “So the link to HS2 is blindingly obvious.”