What time is Boris Johnson speaking at Conservative Party Conference, what will he say, and how can I watch?

Boris Johnson will declare on the final day of the Conservative Party Conference that his government has the “guts” to reshape the British economy and tackle major domestic challenges that have been dodged by previous administrations.

The Prime Minister will attempt to define his “levelling-up” agenda, arguing that by boosting “left behind” parts of the country it will ease pressure on the “overheating” south-east of England.

It comes as reports suggest the party leader is only weeks away from signing-off on a minimum wage rise as he looks to lead from the front in establishing higher pay in society.

What time is Boris Johnson expected to address the conference?

According to the party’s official website, Mr Johnson will speak from the Manchester Central Exchange Hall at 11.30am.

Boris Johnson to promise his Government will fix issues no other ‘had the guts t...

How can you watch it?

Viewers will be able to tune in to the PM’s speech via major news channels including the BBC and Sky News.

What is the Prime Minister expected say?

The Prime Minister is expected to focus on his “Build Back Better” slogan.

He will defend his restrictions on foreign workers and will tell activists the Government is “embarking now on the change of direction that has been long overdue in the UK economy”.

“We are not going back to the same old broken model with low wages, low growth, low skills and low productivity, all of it enabled and assisted by uncontrolled immigration.”

He will say: “The answer is to control immigration, to allow people of talent to come to this country but not to use immigration as an excuse for failure to invest in people, in skills and in the equipment or machinery they need to do their jobs.”

Instead, he will promise “the greatest project that any government can embark on” by “uniting and levelling up across the UK”.

His goal is to move “towards a high wage, high skill, high productivity economy that the people of this country need and deserve, in which everyone can take pride in their work and the quality of their work”.

One of the problems he will highlight is adult social care, which the Tories have promised to reform using money raised from a manifesto-busting 1.25 percentage-point rise in National Insurance.

“After decades of drift and dither, this reforming government, this can-do government that got Brexit done, is getting the vaccine rollout done and is going to get social care done,” he will declare.

“We are dealing with the biggest underlying issues of our economy and society.

“The problems that no government has had the guts to tackle before.”

The Prime Minister’s promise to “level up” parts of the country that had missed out on the economic success of London and the south-east was a key part of his pitch to voters in former Labour areas – the so-called Red Wall.

But the Chesham and Amersham by-election defeat in June has caused concern among Tories about the focus on northern areas.

Mr Johnson will attempt to bridge that gap by insisting that all parts of the UK can benefit from his plans.

“There is no reason why the inhabitants of one part of the country should be geographically fated to be poorer than others,” he will say.

“Or why people should feel they have to move away from their loved ones or communities to reach their potential.”

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