Thank you Conference.
It’s great be back together,
As a party.
As a family.
Big thank you to Jake Berry our chairman
Organising conference is a mammoth task.
And a big thank you our party staff, our volunteers
And you, the members
I loved being party chairman
Working with you all, with Ben my co-chairman
And working alongside Boris.
And if I remember rightly we did alright.
an 80-seat majority
A great team of new MPs from all over our great country
And Boris’s leadership
…Delivered Brexit
Got us through the Covid
…And he led the world in support for Ukraine.
It’s a legacy that we should be proud of.
And I was proud to serve under him
it’s a legacy that Liz Truss will build on.
I’ve seen her take bold action as Foreign secretary:
…her steadfast support for Ukraine and standing up to Russia
…her passionate defence of our union
….her determination to promote democracy and freedom around the world.
As Prime Minister she is also being bold.
…helping with energy bills
Ensuring you can see your doctor promptly
Reducing the taxes paid by ordinary, hardworking people across the country.
I backed her from the start
And I know I made the right choice
I’m the foreign secretary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Wow, that still sounds strange
It is an honour to be the face and voice of our country overseas.
I’m the UK’s sales guy
I’m pretty good at sales, it was how I paid my bills
But I know that the greatest salesperson that the UK ever had was her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
Our greatest diplomat
Our greatest advocate
Our greatest champion
Elizabeth the Great.
I’ve had the honour of meeting King Charles,
and I know he will work tirelessly and to continue her work
and be our new chief ambassador
During the funeral week of her late majesty
I was reminded of the standing that our country has in the world
When I travel on behalf of our country
I am lucky enough to see the UK as others see us.
And I can tell you the view of here, from over there is really, really good.
It’s not a terribly fashionable thing
To be proud of your country
But I am
So sue me!!!
My mother chose to make this country her home.
She was a young woman from Sierra Leone who adored this country then,
Just as I adore this country now.
In fact,
I am from immigrant stock on both sides of my family
My mum came here from west Africa in 1966
And my dad’s family came here from Normandy in 1066
There will always be people that talk our country down
Belittle our achievements
Underestimate our standing
Those
Self loathing keyboard warriors
Who hate our countries every success
And pray for bad news.
Those people who aren’t happy until they’re unhappy
They want to stand on the sidelines
Never contributing
Only moaning and bleating
But that isn’t us
That isn’t this party
That isn’t this government
That isn’t this country
We aren’t commentators watching the match
And saying “ohhhhh I wouldn’t have done that”
We are players on the pitch
Making a difference
Promoting our values
Competing on the world stage for what we believe is right
And we believe in freedom
We believe in the rule of law
We believe that an aggressor cannot invade its neighbour with impunity
This is why we stand shoulder to shoulder with those brave Ukrainians defending their homeland
And Britain has the strategic endurance to see this through to their victory
Back in February this year, at the United Nations I said
That if Putin was foolish enough to attempt to invade Ukraine,
The Ukrainians would defend their country ferociously.
And they have done just that
Their bravery and passion has been amplified by the arms and training that we, the UK, has supplied.
We will support them until this war is won
We will support them until their sovereignty is restored
We will support them until the last Russian tank is dragged away by a Ukrainian tractor
We need to have the strategic endurance to see this through to the end.
Because, if we don’t
we send a message to every potential aggressor that our resolve is fragile.
We cannot, must not, will not send that message to the world.
And if you happen to be listening to this speech, Mr Putin, Mr Lavrov
Let me be clear
We will never recognise the annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, or Crimea.
They are Ukraine.
And when Ukraine has won this war,
And it will
then we will support them as they rebuild their homes, their economy, and their society.
We will work with our friends and allies around the world to hold the perpetrators to account.
To punish those who use rape as a weapon of war
To punish those who knowingly target civilian infrastructure
To punish those who murder women and children
We do not do this alone
We are a member of many international groups
The commonwealth, NATO, UN Security Council, AUKAS, the G7, the G20
We intend to build more alliances, friendships and partnerships around the globe
It’s why we have ambassadors, high commissioners, and diplomats in hundreds of locations
It’s why I and my fantastic team of ministers travel the world
Trust me, it isn’t to stock up on those giant Toblerones.
.
When there is war, our work on the international stage is visible and obvious
Building coalitions of condemnation at the UN for example
Coordinating sanctions against those who facilitate the war
Working to ensure the exports of food and fertiliser from the black sea ports
But much of what the FCDO does is less visible
But no less important
I have just returned from a series of meetings in East and South East Asia
I paid my respects at the funeral of Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe
Then I went to the Republic of Korea
And then to Singapore
In each country I met with senior ministers
Met a number of international business people
I set out the details of our Indo Pacific tilt
It’s a part of the world which is growing fast
And through trade agreements, cooperation agreements, and our ASEAN dialogue partner status
We are shrinking the distance between us
I spoke about the opportunities that at available to us all
And of course I spoke about the role that China plays in the region and globally
I made our position clear
That China could and should take a different path
That it should adhere to the rules and norms of the international community
And it should stop persecuting its people at home and stop sanctioning my friends and colleagues in parliament.
And while I was on the other side of the world
FCDO ministers were in the USA, in European capitals, in Africa,
And a number of my ministers are overseas as I speak
Because we have to invest in our international relationships
Patient, but effective diplomacy
We invest time,
We invest energy,
And yes, we invest money
Because that’s how we generate influence on the world state
And that’s how we drive improvements in the lives of people overseas
And how we improve the lives of people here in the UK.
The development money that we spend
Our overseas development assistance or ODA
It helps women and children brutalised by conflict
It helps prevent starvation
We use our expertise in financial services through British Investment Partnerships to amplify the money that we provide to part fund projects that generate green energy
And increase trade
And stimulate economic growth in some of the least developed countries.
We don’t just stand idly by and watch problems happen
We step in to improve things
Not passive, but active
It is the right thing to do, it helps people that need our help
And it also helps us at home.
Because
Safe, secure and prosperous countries don’t generate refugees or hundreds of thousands of economic migrants
Safe, secure and prosperous countries don’t export terrorism
Safe, secure and prosperous countries are good trade partners for us
So obviously we want to see more safe, secure and prosperous countries
That is the active role that our ODA plays
But just because we look to build peace and prosperity in distant places
We mustn’t forget the need to build prosperity closer to home.
A good diplomatic and economic relationship with the EU and its member states is good for us all
We’ve worked closely on sanctions against Russians who have enabled the war in Ukraine
I want to see more cooperation across the channel and across the Irish Sea
And addressing the current problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol is key to that
I want to ensure that we restore the integrity of the UK internal market,
I want to protect North/South trade,
and restore the balance of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, which has been disrupted by the protocol
I want to see all the communities in Northern Ireland represented again in the Stormont executive
So that devolved government is re-established.
I will work hard to get that
Last week I spoke to the EU’s lead negotiator Vice President Maroš Šefčovič
we agreed on our desire to reach a solution that works for, all parts of the UK, especially the people of Northern Ireland
We have the Northern Ireland Protocol bill working its way through parliament.
In the meantime, we continue to pursue a negotiated settlement which respects the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom and our single market,
and supports the institutions of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.
As you can see my great ministers Vicky Ford, Jesse Norman, Leo Doherty, Zac Goldsmith, Tariq Ahmad, and Gillian Keegan and I have plenty to keep us busy.
But it is a job worth doing
Promoting global Britain on the world stage
And I speak for the ministers and diplomats in the FCDO when I say
It is an honour to represent the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
It is a great country
A country I am proud of
A country I love
Thank you.