Quote of the day
Damian Green, the follicly challenged former minister, explains to a fringe meeting why he will miss Boris Johnson’s speech on Tuesday.
Sadly, I’ll be washing my hair
Row of the day
Anna Soubry v the Conservative party establishment
“There has been a takeover, entryism, by people who are not Conservatives. They have joined with one demand: to oust our PM and take our party to the extremes. We will not let that happen!”
The remain MP roused her fellow one nation Tories at a Conservatives For a People’s Vote fringe meeting, which had not been officially approved by the party. Pro-remain MPs and their supporters believe they have been marginalised by officials at the conference.
Appearance of the day
The Conservative faithful gave a standing ovation to the Scottish Tory leader, Ruth Davidson, on Monday afternoon before she had even said a word.
To be in the presence of a relatively young, gay, articulate Tory woman who has made gains in opposition heartlands sparked an outpouring of appreciation from the conference floor. Davidson, who is expecting her first child, has ruled herself out of standing for the party’s leadership.
Tweet of the day
Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader and shadow culture secretary, had some fun at the expense of his opposite number, Jeremy Wright. If only Wright had stuck to the original plan of his predecessor Matt Hancock and had appeared at the conference as a hologram ...
I got a bigger audience for my conference speech than Jeremy Wright - and I didn’t even do a conference speech. pic.twitter.com/i06M3CSflT
— Tom Watson (@tom_watson) October 1, 2018
Tuesday’s highlight
Has there ever been a more eagerly-awaited appearance at Conservative party Conference than Boris Johnson’s in 2018?
Since standing down as foreign secretary in July, he has criticised Theresa May’s Chequers plan in increasingly vociferous terms, making it obvious to all that he wants her job.
He will arrive at conference for a lunchtime rally like a rockstar if previous appearances are anything to go by, to stake his claim as the premier box office Brexiter. Expect unruffled, prime ministerial hair and fewer jokes than usual. One aide said he will hit Birmingham “like a Ninja”.
