Press Association

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There has been a "huge surge" in the number of junior doctors joining the British Medical Association (BMA) in the wake of the row over contracts, the doctors' union said. The Press Association reports that 5,451 more doctors have joined the BMA since 26 September - around 80% of them junior doctors. This brings the total membership to just under 160,000. The BMA said it would ballot its members over possible strike action after negotiations with the government over working hours and pay broke down.

Image source, AP

Image source, AP

Boris Johnson has been limbering up for his conference speech tomorrow by taking on decorated Olympian and Conservative supporter James Cracknell on the rowing machine at a fringe meeting in Manchester. Although he came second best on this occasion, apparently the London Mayor recorded the best performance of any MP so far this week.

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Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has been reacting to George Osborne's appointment of Labour peer Lord Adonis to head a new national infrastructure commission. He wishes him good luck in the job but suggests he will not have the resources or cash behind him to get anything substantial done. On a personal note, he adds:

There have been many tributes to the Labour politician Lord Healey in the past couple of days, following his death at the age of 98. But historian Andrew Roberts has a rather different take on his political career. In an article for the CapX website, external, he says Lord Healey showed real bravery during World War Two but insists that his record in office during the 1970s is not worthy of any praise. Mr Roberts argues Lord Healey was the worst chancellor in British history and "brought this country to the brink of national bankruptcy in peacetime".

Friends of the Earth have responded to Energy Secretary Amber Rudd's comments in her speech that there is “there is no magic money tree” to support the transition to a low carbon-future. Liz Hutchins, from the campaigning group, says:

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As Liz Truss concludes her address, the main business at the conference is finished for today. Conservative representatives head off to a "review of the organisation of the Conservative Party", which is only open to members, more fringe meetings - or perhaps a light refreshment.

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Labour's shadow chancellor Jon McDonnell criticises George Osborne for not mentioning the Redcar steel plant, whose future is under threat, in his speech.

The plant's Thai parent company, SSI, was granted approval to wind up its UK arm with the loss of 1,700 jobs. A plan to secure the mothballed Redcar SSI plant's future return to steelmaking has been submitted to its official receivers.

It looks like agriculture minister Rory Stewart has plenty of work on his hands over the next few years. Environment Secretary Liz Truss has told the conference that her junior - who in his former life as a diplomat was governor of a Iraqi province - has been tasked with coming up with a 25-year plan for the natural environment, describing him as a big thinker.

Boris Johnson has called protesters outside the Conservative conference "assorted crusties and people with nose-rings". As the Telegraph, external reports, "last night Mr Johnson hit back" when speaking "at a private party of northern Tories". It was a "wonderful welcome", he joked.  

According to UKIP, George Osborne failed to set out detailed solutions to the country's housing shortages as part of his plan to speed up infrastructure decisions. The party's housing spokesman Andrew Charalambous said there was a lack of vision from the chancellor about how the development of brownfield sites could prevent any encroachment on the green belt.

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Image source, PA

The government is right to press ahead with cuts to tax credits - despite claims millions will be worse off - because the UK must become as hard working as China, Jeremy Hunt has said.

The health secretary said the cuts - combined with a higher minimum wage - would send out the right "cultural signal" to low paid workers.

And he said he did not "buy" claims people would be left out of pocket.

The government has faced calls to slow the introduction of the new rates.

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Addressing the conference, Greg Clark claims the last Labour government nearly stopped building houses altogether and says it is the task of the Conservative government to "eradicate Labour's housing deficit". The communities secretary says there needs to be more houses to buy as well as rent - "shared-ownership homes, starter homes".

Many speakers at the Conservative conference have invoked the memory of Margaret Thatcher. But the conference has also welcomed the man whose leadership challenge helped to end her tenure as prime minister to the stage. Lord Heseltine jokes that he thought his career in politics was over in 1997, having retired to look after his "business and garden", but was persuaded by David Cameron to come back and advise on efforts to reinvigorate local government and the cities of the North, He is applauded when he makes the case for putting "decision-making in the hands of those who create the wealth in the first place".