More from Rees-Mogg now, who continued to address questions on freedom of speech by expressing his disbelief at guidance some NHS trusts have adopted across maternity wards.

"We’ve bought in to the language of equality. Now, I hope our distinguished chairman is a chairman, not a chair. A chair was what I was sitting on," he said.

Among the alternative terms proposed by a government-funded report earlier this year, criticised by Rees-Mogg from the main stage in Birmingham, was using "chestfeeding" instead of "breastfeeding".

Image source, EPA

We've just heard from former cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, who has made the case the party should defend Labour's Angela Rayner's right to call Conservatives "scum".

Rayner, the deputy prime minister, reportedly called the Conservatives "a bunch of scum" during the Labour conference in 2021. She later apologised for her remarks.

Rees-Mogg, who lost his seat in the general election, told members from the main stage that freedom of speech in the UK is under attack "to the peril of our constitution".

He added that libel and privacy laws are making it harder to reveal matters like allegations of serious sexual abuse against former Harrods owner Mohammed Al Fayed during his lifetime.

We're going to be hearing from leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch on the main stage at 14:00, whose comments on maternity yesterday dominated the first day of Tory conference in Birmingham.

In an interview with Times Radio, Badenoch appeared to suggest maternity pay had "gone too far", adding that a key theme of her Tory leadership pitch was to make sure the state interfered less with business

Badenoch was asked if she thought maternity pay was at the right level.

She said: "Maternity pay varies, depending on who you work for - but statutory maternity pay is a function of tax, tax comes from people who are working.

"We’re taking from one group of people and giving to another. This, in my view, is excessive.

"Businesses are closing, businesses are not starting in the UK, because they say that the burden of regulation is too high."

Asked if her comments meant "maternity pay is excessive", Badenoch said: "I think it's gone too far - too far the other way in terms of general business regulation."

The shadow housing secretary later told reporters she did not think maternity pay "needs changing at all" - insisting her comments had been about cutting business regulation and were "misrepresented".

Following the interview, Badenoch posted on X: "Contrary to what some have said, I clearly said the burden of regulation on businesses had gone too far… of course I believe in maternity pay!"

Image source, PA Media

Robert Jenrick is not one of the two leadership contenders we're due to hear from this afternoon on the main stage, but he has been continuing to make his case at conference this morning.

Speaking to supporters at a rally, he says the UK's membership of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is now a “leave or die issue” for the Conservative Party.

The treaty, which sets out the rights and freedoms people are entitled to in the 46 signatory countries, is overseen by the European Court of Human Rights. It is separate to the European Union - so the UK remained part of both after Brexit.

The ECHR has been at the centre of a contentious debate within the Conservative Party for years, as some argue the regulation erodes the sovereignty of UK courts on matters such as immigration.

The court in Strasbourg stopped the then-Conservative government's first planned flight to take asylum seekers to Rwanda, saying British judges had not ruled on the plan.

"This is more than just 'leave or amend': frankly, our party doesn't have a future unless we take a stand and fix this problem,” Jenrick tells a rally on the side lines of the party conference.

"It's leave or die for our party - I'm for leave,” he adds.

Image source, PA Media

The chairman of the Conservative Party has called Kemi Badenoch's clarification of her stance of maternity pay, following a party row that dominated conference yesterday, a "sign of maturity".

Asked if the Tory leadership contest was exposing deep political divisions within the party, with reference to Badenoch, Richard Fuller told BBC Breakfast earlier: "I don't agree with that."

"But I don't think showing that we're a united party means that there should be a commonality of response on every policy area."

He said that everyone sometimes say things "in the pressure of the moment where perhaps we need to clarify later".

"We don't want a whole generation of glib politicians who are just fantastic in the moment, but don't think through long term what their answers to questions should be," Fuller added.

Hunt delivers shock therapy in spite of positive Tory vibespublished at 10:06 British Summer Time 30 September

10:06 BST 30 September

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent, reporting from Birmingham

There’s a surprisingly positive vibe around this conference, even if it’s taking place less than three months after the Conservatives were reduced to their lowest number of seats ever.

Jeremy Hunt just tried to shock the party faithful out of their cheeriness. Warning them not to “assume that [voters] will automatically come back to us,” he stressed: “We were trounced at the election.”

The former chancellor added: "We got ourselves into a position where people looked at the problems the country faced, the problems in the NHS, the cost of living crisis, challenges in immigration - and they began to think that we were part of the problem not part of the solution.”

He swerved questions about whether the Conservatives needed to focus on appealing to voters they lost to their right or to their left, saying that the answer was essentially all of them.

But Hunt said that the “biggest strategic challenge” for the Conservatives is that the average age above which a voter is more likely to vote Conservative than Labour is over 60.

“If we are the party of aspiration we have to have a message for 30 somethings, 40 somethings starting out in their life, who are prepared to work hard, who are Conservatives to their fingertips in their values,” he said.

Image source, PA Media

In the final section of the Q&A, Hunt shifts the focus to what the Conservative Party needs to do to win back support from Reform and Liberal Democrats voters.

The shadow chancellor argues they should avoid falling into a trap and thinking people who turned their backs on the party at the last election will automatically vote for them again once they become “fed up” with Labour.

He says his colleagues need to focus on earning voters' trust back and prove they are committed to delivering to the needs of the public rather than “jumping on the easiest bandwagon”.

“If we win that argument, the argument that we’re prepared to take the difficult decisions, that will secure the extraordinary future of this country that it’s our potential to do so, then we will start to get voters back from left, right and centre,” Hunt concludes.

Hunt goes on to make the case for welfare reform.

The shadow chancellor says he is worried that the Labour Party is "so badly burnt" after the row over the withdrawing universal winter fuel payment for pensioners, that welfare reform will become "untouchable".

The Conservatives argue that if you have mental health issues, being signed off from work and then having to look for a job is "one of the worst possible things" for people, he tells the conference main stage in Birmingham.

People become more isolated as a result, which worsens their mental health, he adds.

"That is a very crucial area, both for public finances and if we want to reduce dependence on immigration in the economy," Hunt says.

Image source, PA Media

Jeremy Hunt kicks off his Q&A session by slamming his successor Rachel Reeves and her plans for the UK economy, accusing her of making up the existence of a "£22 billion black hole" in the public finances.

Hunt says "one of the biggest lies" the chancellor has told since Labour got into power in July is that the she is now grappling with the "worst economic inheritance since World War Two".

He argues "not a single independent economist" has backed Reeves in that claim.

The shadow chancellor adds he would "have died" for the legacy the Conservatives left to Prime Minister Keir Starmer when he first took office, going on to say the UK economy is predicted to grow faster than Germany, Italy and France over the next six years.

Hunt the only shadow minister addressing an atypical Tory conferencepublished at 09:39 British Summer Time 30 September

09:39 BST 30 September

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent, reporting from Birmingham

When is a party conference not a party conference? Certainly by the usual rhythm of things, this is not a normal party conference but instead a four-day mega-hustings event.

Rishi Sunak was here, briefly, but instead of giving the traditional Wednesday leader’s speech, he gave brief remarks to a gaggle of Tory members at a drinks reception, telling them that the conference would be about the four candidates to succeed him.

Certainly it was yesterday, as shown by the intense row over what Kemi Badenoch did or didn’t say about maternity pay.

Nor are members of the shadow cabinet giving policy speeches – what would be the point when the new leader will have a new team in just over a month?

With one exception. Jeremy Hunt, the shadow chancellor, has just begun an interview from the conference stage.

Why is he the exception? Partly because there is admiration in the party for one of the few Lib Dem targets who managed to hold on, with a hugely energetic and dedicated personal campaign.

But mostly because the Conservatives are worried that their drawn-out leadership campaign is making it harder to challenge Labour’s claims about the £22 billion “black hole” they inherited from Hunt.

That is what the former chancellor is there today to do.

Image source, Getty

While the main event today looks set to be two leadership contenders beginning the process of introducing themselves to the Tory faithful later, another big name in the party will be speaking in a few moments time.

Ahead of Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat appearing this afternoon, shadow chancellor Jeremy Hunt will be up on the main stage at 09:30.

He was appointed chancellor in 2022 as former-PM Liz Truss sought to contain the damage of her mini-budget and remained in charge of the Treasury under Rishi Sunak.

We'll let you know all the key things he has to say here.

Later on we'll hear from tory leadership contender Tom Tugendhat, who earlier this month said his party has "lost the trust of the British people" - blaming "failed" policies on migration and tax rises for their general election loss.

Speaking on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg earlier this month, Tugendhat also called for a "Conservative revolution" to address the party's heavy defeat.

He advocated for lower migration and reiterated his desire to leave parts of the European Convention on Human Rights. On the economy, he sought "intergenerational fairness - the link between the energy of the young and the assets of the old".

Stay tuned for more from the Conservative conference today, where Tugendhat and fellow candidate Kemi Badenoch will meet the party faithful at 14:00 BST.

Tomorrow, fellow leadership contenders Robert Jenrick and James Cleverly will have their session at the same time.

Image source, Getty Images

Rishi Sunak said his party must "end the division, the backbiting" and "the squabbling" in his party conference speech yesterday.

The Tory leader began by apologising to party members for the summer's general election defeat, telling them: "I am only sorry that your efforts could not deliver the results you deserved."

He insisted the Conservative Party could not let Keir Starmer "rewrite history" and celebrated its record of 14 years in office.

But he ended with a plea for unity.

"We must always remember what unites us rather than obsessing about where we might differ.

"Because when we turn in on ourselves we lose; and the country ends up with a Labour government," he said.

He warned the party that if the Tories were going to get back into power "then our new leader is going to need your support – and especially when the going gets tough".

Image source, Getty Images

Kemi Badenoch has a busy schedule ahead of her appearance on the main stage later today and will face intense questioning over the maternity pay row that erupted over the weekend.

The Tory leadership hopeful, who is currently shadow housing secretary, sparked a backlash after she suggested maternity leave "had gone too far". She has since clarified her stance and says she doesn't want to see changes to current arrangements.

Badenoch is also expected to expand on her immigration policy plans after calling for a new "integration strategy". In an article for the Sunday Telegraph ahead of conference kicking-off, she also said "not all cultures are equally valid" when it comes to deciding who should be allowed into the UK.

She told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that she believes in "western values, the principles which have made this country great, and I think that we need to make sure that we continue to abide by those principles, to keep the society that we have now".

Adam Durbin
Live editor

Image source, Reuters

We're continuing our live coverage of the Conservative Party conference, where leadership hopefuls Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat will take the stage for questions later.

Badenoch has dominated the early coverage, suggesting "not all cultures are equally valid" in deciding migration policy ahead of the annual event, as well as sparking a row by saying maternity pay had "gone too far".

Tugendhat has yet to make headlines in the same way so far, but earlier this month he suggested the Conservatives needed a "revolution" following this summer's heavy defeat at the general election.

But before the pair gather to begin their pitch to Tory members this afternoon, we'll hear from shadow chancellor Jeremy Hunt - who's speaking on the main stage in Birmingham at 09:30.

We'll be bringing you all the key lines, alongside analysis from our political correspondents here - thanks for joining us.

We're closing this page soon - thanks for reading. As a crucial week begins in the race to be Conservative Party leader, we heard from candidates Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch.

Jenrick said "I don't agree that the age of mass migration has made our country richer" - while also calling for a Parliamentary cap on net migration in the tens of thousands.

Badenoch, meanwhile, repeated her view that not all cultures are equal - saying she believes in "Western values" - while adding that migrants should not bring "foreign conflicts" to the UK.

We'll have much more from the Conservative Party conference later this week - in the meantime, here's Laura Kuenssberg's analysis of the leadership race.

Image source, Getty Images

As we've reported, the Conservative Party conference begins in Birmingham from 14:30 BST, with the leadership contest dominating events over the coming days.

On Monday, Tom Tugendhat and Kemi Badenoch will face member questions on the main stage, with James Cleverly and Robert Jenrick doing the same on Tuesday. Wednesday morning will see all candidates give speeches.

After the conference ends, on 9 and 10 October, MPs will whittle the candidates down to two. Conservative Party members will then vote, with the winner announced on 2 November.

Immigration dominates Conservative candidate interviewspublished at 10:49 British Summer Time 29 September

10:49 BST 29 September

Hannah Miller
Political correspondent

What to do about immigration - the issue that has dominated the Conservative leadership race so far, and this morning’s interviews with Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch.

Many suspect Robert Jenrick’sdecision to quit as Immigration Minister last year was done with half an eye on the leadership race in which he is now a leading candidate.

He’s proposing a cap on numbers set by Parliament, and advocating leaving the European Convention on Human Rights- a policy he knows will go down well with many Conservative members who make the final choice in this race.

Even if bringing down immigration leaves some jobs unfulfilled, he believes it should still be a priority.

Kemi Badenoch has taken a slightly different position - pointing out a cap on numbers has never worked before - as she focuses on values and a strategy for integration instead.

She says it is the job of government "to make sure that the people who come into this country are people who love this country".

Her interventions this morning have been typically eye-catching in their language, but it is unclear how exactly they would work in practice.

This morning's show - on the first day of the Conservatives' conference in Birmingham - featured interviews with two of the party's leadership candidates:

• Robert Jenrick told the show that fixing immigration is top of his agenda, saying he wants to see Parliament putting a "legally-binding cap" on migration in the tens of thousands a year "or lower"
• He added that he wants the Conservative Party to be the "trade union of the working people"
• Badenoch also focused on immigration - saying some people have come to the country with views that "have no place here". She repeated her view that not all cultures are equally valid - giving as examples those that believe in child marriage, or those where women are not equal
• Asked what was the most conservative thing about her, she said personal responsibility - adding there's not enough in the country
• We also heard from former Labour MP Rosie Duffield - who handed in her resignation letter last night. She criticised the "daily revelations of hypocrisy and grubby presents" about Keir Starmer and his team, and said the PM should have bought his own clothes
• Labour cabinet minister Pat McFadden defended the party's record on donations - saying it was not a case of "give x to get y", and that Lord Alli had been a "long-term" supporter of the party