Conservative Party Conference with Alexander Brown - Monday - CPC23
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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 Hello, my name is Alexander Brown.
00:11 I'm the Scotsman's Westminster correspondent.
00:13 And I'm here in Manchester for Conservative Party Conference,
00:16 where we have just heard from the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt.
00:19 In a speech that lasted just 15 minutes,
00:22 there was very little policy, if any at all,
00:25 leaving many MPs and delegates wondering if it could just
00:28 have been an email.
00:30 There was an announcement there would be a tightening of benefit
00:32 rules.
00:32 We already knew that was going to happen.
00:34 There was the confirmation that living wages were about to go
00:37 up.
00:37 We already knew that was going to happen.
00:39 So all in all, ahead of the budget,
00:40 we maybe didn't expect any real policy.
00:43 But it just feels very strange to have a flagship
00:45 speech during a conference where the Chancellor's having
00:48 very little to say.
00:50 Elsewhere, it's a very strange atmosphere here.
00:54 Many people-- the number of young people at this conference
00:57 is probably the fewest I've ever seen.
01:00 And that's reflected in the polling,
01:02 which shows that young people overwhelmingly
01:04 now, through the younger demographics,
01:05 just do not support Conservatives.
01:08 Speaking to people here, some are
01:10 joking that it feels like a wake or like a funeral,
01:13 while others are more optimistic,
01:14 hoping that the Rishi Sunak can turn the party around
01:18 with this big speech on Wednesday.
01:20 The other main event of the day so far
01:22 was Liz Truss holding a pro-growth rally, which
01:25 saw Nigel Farage attend and very few other people.
01:29 Speaking to MPs about her appearance,
01:31 the general view was everyone can remember
01:34 what she did to the economy.
01:35 It wasn't especially helpful.
01:37 Is her presence here damaging to the party?
01:40 Or is it really just about boosting her own appeal
01:42 as she continues her attempts to sell a book
01:44 and do speeches around the world?
01:47 That's the general view among Tory MPs,
01:49 who aren't particularly pleased or happy
01:51 with their former leader.
01:52 There's still lots to come, though,
01:53 here at Tory conference.
01:55 So stay tuned to scotsman.com for more.
01:58 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:01 (upbeat music)