Image source, PA

Independent schools cannot deliver effective help to state schools in England with "a gun pointing at our heads", a leading headmaster has said.

Mike Buchanan told the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference that "forcing" them to work together was "unlikely to work".

He compared the government's plan for changing the way schools work together to a forced marriage.

Ministers say many private schools have good state sector partnerships.

Read more.

Britain must embrace, not "fritter away", the commercial opportunities provided by the vote to leave the EU, Liam Fox tells the Conservative conference.

Financial Times

Theresa May has walked "into a Brexit trap" by announcing "she will trigger an exit from the EU before getting any guarantees", writes foreign affairs commentator Gideon Rachman in the Financial Times, external.

"Theresa May has one great advantage as a politician," he writes. "She looks serious and responsible. But appearances can be deceptive. If you examine how the UK prime minister is handling Brexit, a different sort of politician emerges."

He adds: "Once Mrs May triggers Article 50, she has precisely two years to negotiate a new deal with the EU. Senior civil servants have told the prime minister that it is highly unlikely that the UK will be able to negotiate both the terms of its divorce and a new trade deal with the EU within the two-year deadline. As a result, they warned the prime minister that she must have assurances on what an interim trade agreement with the EU would look like in the long period between the UK leaving the bloc and a definitive new deal being put into place."

He argues that Mrs May has ignored this advice, meaning other EU states could simply "run the clock down" until the UK was out of the EU "and would face tariffs on manufactured goods and the loss of 'passporting' rights that allow financial services firms based in the City to do business across the bloc".

A Conservative Party member holds up a Union flag at the end of Liam Fox's speech, which the slightly depleted crowd in the hall greets with an ovation.

That brings day two of the Conservative conference to an end.

Liam Fox says that while the UK is a member of the EU, it will push for trade deals similar to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada.

Once the UK is out of the EU, he argues, it will still have advantages including the English language and being "in the right time zone for global trade".

"Why would anyone not want to trade with this country?" he asks.

He describes the referendum vote to leave the EU as an "opportunity".

Following Philip Hammond's guarantee to match EU grants for businesses, Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom confirmed support for UK farmers until 2020 in her conference speech:

"It should come as no small surprise that Hammond has moved quickly to put blue water between himself and Osborne’s failed austerity programme that has inflicted so much pain and suffering on those who should get the most help," says Jonathan Bartley, Green Party co-leader.

"But he appears to be in denial about the social, environmental and economic crises that continue to hang over us all, let alone have any new ambition, principle or vision to address them."

Mr Bartley says the party welcomes investment in house building but claims the government's plans won't tackle the "underlying causes of the housing crisis".

Home Secretary Amber Rudd insists the government is doing all it can to help child migrants in Calais after Tory MPs demand more action.

Now it's the turn of International Trade Secretary Liam Fox to address conference.

He claims that trade has not been the "priority" of UK governments for the last 43 years but "outsourced" to the EU.

"All that is about to change," he says, to applause.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd has made an appearance at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, being interviewed at a fringe event hosted by The Times.

She was a pro-Remain campaigner during the EU referendum debate, clashing memorably with Boris Johnson who she described as "not the man you want driving you home at the end of the evening".

Asked by host Matt Chorley about this comment, she said she had in fact been expressing concern about his "direction of travel".

An audience member asked how she felt being in cabinet having campaigned so hard to stay in the EU. She replied:

"I am so optimistic about our future," says a smiling Andrea Leadsom, who campaigned for Leave ahead of the EU referendum.

The new environment secretary, who ran against Theresa May to be Conservative leader before pulling out of the contest, says she is proud to be part of Mrs May's cabinet.

She jokes that Labour's leadership election "dragged on for far too long", adding:

"If only they'd come to me for advice on how to keep it short."

Does Holyrood hold a veto over Brexit? The Scottish government would say no. But that is because it does not care to use the word 'veto'.

"Today's confirmation from the chancellor that he will 'reset' fiscal policy is welcome," says the centre left think tank, the IPPR.

"However there is a bad reset, and then there is a good reset, and currently it seems the chancellor is unclear which he is going for.

After welcoming medallists from Rio 2016, Culture Secretary Karen Bradley pays tribute to their achievements.

"Our athletes brought back 214 medals from Rio," she says - a higher tally than in London 2012.

A chartered accountant, Ms Bradley rejects the suggestion that she has "no interest in the arts".

"Accountants are, shock horror, people too," she says, and "tend to like TV, music, film, art and sport just as much as other people".

The British Chambers of Commerce joins business organisation the Institute of Directors in calling for more detail of the chancellor's plans, following his speech to the Tory conference this morning.

"As the UK negotiates its exit from the European Union, Philip Hammond is right to reaffirm the need to boost infrastructure, business investment, and to raise productivity, while being mindful of reducing the deficit," said BCC acting director generalAdam Marshall.

"However, there were no substantive details on these, and UK businesses will eagerly await further details in the Autumn Statement.

"Guaranteeing the monies for new bidders seeking EU funding is a positive move, that will ensure regions and localities will continue to benefit. The new housing package will also work to boost local business confidence, provided that firms see diggers in the ground."

He added:

Susana Mendonca
BBC Radio London Political Reporter

Never mind when she's going to trigger Article 50 - Prime Minister Theresa May says she's still waiting for that snog from MP James Cleverly.

Confused? It all dates back to a game of "snog, marry, avoid" on BBC Radio 5 live's Pienaar's Politics. Here's a reminder of the story so far, and the latest developments...

As the figures show the UK economy performing strongly, the chancellor has made it clear fiscal discipline is still central to the Conservative project.

Politico Europe

According to the website Politico, external, Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan "is considering quitting politics for a career as a teacher" after "achieving all he could with Britain’s exit from the European Union".

"Hannan said he hadn’t seen his child properly for months and was not motivated by making money with a big financial institution," Politco says.

"Speaking on the sidelines of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham [on] Monday, Hannan said: 'I’ve been thinking about becoming a teacher actually.'

"Hannan’s term as an MEP runs out in 2019, but he has no plans to stand as an MP in the general election expected the following year. Asked about joining the House of Commons, he said: 'To do what?'"

In September, Politico speculated, external whether Mr Hannan might be tempted to run in the Witney by-election, in the seat vacated by David Cameron.