Will PM's speech resonate beyond the conference hall?published at 11:31 British Summer Time 6 October 2021

11:31 BST 6 October 2021

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

We’re about to see Boris Johnson’s first speech to Tory members at an in person conference since the 2019 election.

For many members here, the last few days have been a celebration of political success.

But the pandemic has meant normal politics has been on hold.

So you can expect Boris Johnson to talk about ‘getting on with the job’ over the next 45 minutes or so.

There hasn’t been a great deal of policy at this conference. The PM’s team have been playing down the prospect of big announcement in this speech.

But this speech is about Johnson’s vision for a post-Brexit, post-pandemic Britain.

The question is, with significant pressure in many people’s lives; will it resonate for people beyond the conference hall?

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

Members of the cabinet have just arrived in the conference hall for the prime minister’s speech. They got an early standing ovation - the Conservatives are in celebratory mood.

The hall the PM is speaking in has been reserved especially for his speech. But it’s a bit smaller than we’re used to for these event.

As the hall begins to fill up, we've been talking to delegates as they take their seats to hear the prime minister.

Lottie Tinne says she is excited for the speech and has had some assurance she is far enough up the queue to get a good view.

But she wants more reassurance from the PM on the future of her education.

"I am off to university next year and there is a lot of uncertainty at the moment," she says.

"We were told there wouldn't be exams, then there would be, and it was all such a mess.

"I liked Gavin Williamson, so did my tutor, and I think a lot was misunderstood with him. I need to see [Johnson] be clear about what's going to happen."

Lottie also wants help for her brother, who is in a band and hoping to tour Europe.

She adds: "Will they need visas? Will they need to pay? Will we need visa to go and see them play?

"I'd like to hear more on that."

BBC Politics Live
BBC2's lunchtime political programme

Talking to Politics Live on BBC Two, ahead of the prime minister's speech, Health Minister and Conservative MP Gillian Keegan says the UK has "had a decade of almost wage stagflation.

"It's been really striking since the financial crash how slow wage growth has been.

"Business have to step up to this... we need to give people what they deserve."

She says telling businesses to pay people more is "a difficult message" but adds that there is a "global skills shortage" and "we have to step up to this... all the easy options have gone."

The prime minister has just arrive at the Manchester conference centre ahead of his speech.

Holding hands with his wife Carrie Johnson, the PM gave a quick wave to the waiting press as he galloped towards the entrance.

Johnson to double down on key messagespublished at 11:04 British Summer Time 6 October 2021

11:04 BST 6 October 2021

Laura Kuenssberg
Political editor

Boris Johnson's administration has this concept of doubling down - you say something that might raise a few eyebrows, then you say it again, and then you say it again.

And if people object, well great, because it provokes a row, during which the case you're trying to make will be amplified.

The volume will go up, and the public will hear it.

Boris Johnson won't stand up and give a big long list of expensive new promises or new policy ideas in his speech today.

With the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic it's not that long, in political terms, since the general election, so he will argue now is the time to crack on with things the government have already promised.

And it's only three weeks until the Spending Review, when the chancellor will set out the shape of government for the next three years, in terms of what they're going to spend our money on.

So Boris Johnson will, today, double down on his message that this is a new government, even though the Tories have been in charge for a very long time.

And he will stress that the country is at a moment of profound economic change.

Image source, Reuters

As the conference delegates continue to queue for a seat in the hall for the PM's speech, we may have spotted a clue to the message the PM wants to be heard beyond the conference centre.

Placards have been placed on the seats in the auditorium with the slogan "Getting on with the job".

The PM won't have a warm up act today - a video will play just ahead of his entrance on to the stage.

We understand that the PM's wife Carrie Johnson and his sister Rachel will be seated next to each other in the front row.

The PM is due to start at 11:30 BST.

Boris Johnson was spotted by photographers earlier while he was out on his regular morning run.

After inviting attention - and a few jokes - for running in a suit shirt on Monday, the PM today opted for something more along party lines.

The PM's speech to the Conservative Party conference is due to start at 11:30 BST - do stay with us.

Image source, PA

Robert Cuffe
BBC head of statistics

Image source, EPA

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning that “real wages are rising on the latest quarterly figures”.

Real wages is a measure that takes account of rising prices, so it reflects what the money you earn actually buys.

The most recent figures – for July – are higher than they were a year ago (when the nation was coming out of the first lockdown).

Image source, .

But that growth mainly happened in the months up to last November.

The most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics suggested that growth might be stalling since then, with real wages looking lower in July than they were in April.

The Office for National Statistics, who collate these figures, say that the effects of lockdowns, furlough and other government support will be playing out in the figures for some time to come and so warn against reading too much into peaks and troughs in the data.

On Tuesday, Boris Johnson was asked about rising prices, fuel shortages and the problems in the UK haulage industry, and why he failed to act on previous warnings.

The PM told BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg the economy was facing the "stresses and strains" of a post-Covid recovery.

He added that he is "not worried" about the current jobs gap and rising prices in the UK, saying supply chains will sort themselves out "rapidly".

Click on the video below to watch the PM's interview.

Image source, Reuters

If this is the first day you’ve turned your attention to the Conservative Party conference, here are some the key moments you might have missed:

• Rishi Sunak told party members that future tax cuts are conditional on repairing the UK's public finances after Covid. In his first conference speech as chancellor, he said he wanted lower taxes - but funding the pandemic recovery "comes with a cost"
• In her speech, Home Secretary Priti Patel announced that courts will get new powers to stop disruptive activists attending protests
• Conservative Party Chairman Oliver Dowden, meanwhile, said civil servants working from home should "lead by example" by returning to the office. He added that people “need to get off their Pelotons and back to their desks”
• In an interview with the BBC at the conference, Boris Johnson said he does not support calls to make misogyny a hate crime as there is "abundant" existing legislation to tackle violence against women
• And the PM’s wife, Carrie Johnson, enjoyed a rapturous reception at a Conservative LGBT+ party conference even, as she hailed the prime minister's record on gay rights

Image source, Reuters

What will be in the PM’s speech?published at 10:04 British Summer Time 6 October 2021

10:04 BST 6 October 2021

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

Image source, PA Media

There are some underlying tensions between what's going on in this conference and what's happening in parts of the country.

Boris Johnson is trying to sell a new economic vision - his post-Brexit realignment.

Gone, the PM says, is mass immigration, to be replaced with higher wages and better conditions to encourage people into key sectors.

What's happening just now, says Mr Johnson, is stresses and strains after the pandemic.

But for many people life feels a bit uncertain. Costs are rising. Inflation is a worry. Universal credit is being reduced for millions.

There are fears in the Conservative Party too about the cost of living over winter.

So while Mr Johnson sells his economic plan for the future, many will want assurances about the next few weeks and months.

Image source, PA Media

The leader's speech on the final day of the party conference is a big moment for the party and Boris Johnson.

The prime minister will use his keynote address to accuse his predecessors of not having the "guts" to tackle underlying issues in society and the economy.

Against a backdrop of disruption in the supply chain and concerns over the cost of living, Boris Johnson will tell his party the government is embarking on a change of economic direction which is long overdue.

Read our full preview here.

Image source, Getty Images

Hello and welcome to our live coverage.

Boris Johnson will address the Conservative party conference at 11:30 BST.

The prime minister's speech is his first to the massed Conservative faithful since before the coronavirus pandemic.

Johnson is expected to promise that his government will show more "guts" than any before as it works to deal with issues facing society and the economy.

We’ll bring the speech to you live as it happens, with analysis from our political correspondent Nick Eardley, external, and the BBC Reality Check team.

And we’ll keep an eye on what’s happening behind the cameras, in the conference hall.

Thanks for joining us.