Heather Sharp
Live reporter

Image source, PA Media

So that's it for our live coverage of day one of the Tory party conference, but this is just the beginning...

Our Politics team are there in Manchester and will be reporting on the key speeches to come over the next three days:

• Monday: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, followed by Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch and Education Secretary Gillian Keegan - plus Sunak's predecessor Liz Truss, who is expected speak at a fringe event

• Tuesday: Health Secretary Steve Barclay, Levelling-up Secretary Michael Gove and Home Secretary Suella Braverman
• Wednesday: Prime Minster Rishi Sunak

And of course, there's Labour's gathering in Liverpool after that - kicking off next weekend.

For more coverage, you can read what Sunak told Laura Kuenssberg today on calls for pre-election tax cuts and on HS2, as well as her take on the challenges facing the PM - she writes: "'Mr Safe Pair of Hands' is gone - it's 'No more Mr Nice Guy' now".

Today's coverage was bought to you by Anna Boyd, Jamie Whitehead, Owen Amos and me.

Damian Grammaticas
Reporting from Manchester

Image source, Getty Images

In the two big speeches on the main stage here today the defence secretary and the foreign secretary both started by talking up the UK’s role on the world stage.

Grant Shapps highlighted the programme to develop new ‘AUKUS’ hunter killer submarines, and the deployment of troops abroad.

James Cleverly said Brexit had not changed the fact other countries around the world “care about what we say, admire what we stand for".

Both then pivoted to attack the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

Rishi Sunak’s cabinet clearly have the coming election on their minds.

Grant Shapps spelt out their concerns: “Times are tough, we are behind in the polls the pundits tell us Labour are a shoo-in.”

But he went on to heap praise on the PM for "doing what is right not what is easy".

The hall was less than half full. The delegates clapped politely then filed out quickly.

There was little energy, not much enthusiasm. The impression was that this is a conference that feels like it has yet to find a real theme and a real sense of purpose.

Image source, Getty Images

So the Tory party conference is now well under way - here's a quick recap of what we've heard today:

• Rishi Sunak appeared on this morning's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme - he wouldn't comment on HS2 speculation but was keen to discuss what he called a "war on motorists"
• He also defended his net zero measures, but declined to commit to tax cuts before the next election - despite calls from some in his party
• Also on the show, Labour's Wes Streeting defended his party's stance on private schools
• As the conference kicked off in Manchester, we heard from Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly
• Shapps announced £4bn of contracts to develop new powerful submarines while Cleverly said the UK had thrived during "strong economic headwinds"
• Both ministers attacked Labour and had plenty of praise for Sunak

Becky Morton
Reporting from Manchester

Image source, PA Media

While James Cleverly and Grant Shapps were addressing the conference from the main stage, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove was at a fringe event, where he was asked out of all the speeches he has given, which was the best reflection of his thinking?

Gove recalled a speech he gave when he was education secretary in 2013, explaining why the late reality TV star Jade Goody was the inspiration for his school reforms.

“One of the arguments that’s sometimes made about education is the culture of low expectations and [that] parents can’t really be trusted with choice,” he said.

“The point I made was that Jade Goody, sadly deceased, became for a brief period an icon of ignorance…

“To Jade Goody’s enormous credit, she demonstrated that she could use celebrity in order to fashion a better life for herself. What did she do with her money? What was the first thing she chose to do? To send her children to independent schools.”

He added: “She knew the type of education that was best… education that was academically rigorous.”

“If only Jade Goody were still alive she’d be a better spokesperson for education reform than many others,” he added, to applause from the audience.

Nick Eardley
Reporting from Manchester

The speakers at the conference are giving over a lot of time to trying to draw a distinction between themselves and the Labour Party.

The Conservatives know that they are quite a bit behind in the polls and have a lot of work to do if they are going to get back on track and win the election.

And there hasn't been a big policy push in any of today's speeches and no one has seized the initiative or gained "political momentum".

Because of that there is more focus on the pressure the PM is under from critics in his own party.

So we've heard from both the defence and foreign secretaries on the first day of the Conservative Party conference. Here's a quick recap of what they had to say:

• Defence Secretary Grant Shapps announced £4bn of contracts with British firms to develop "the most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy"
• When talking about Ukraine, Shapps said "we must not let up now"
• Shapps also announced two new military deployments, one to Poland to protect Warsaw from Russian interference, as well as a peacekeeping mission to Kosovo
• Foreign Secretary James Cleverly took to the stage, saying in his role he had "seen first hand" Britain's standing in the world
• He said the UK has thrived despite "incredibly strong economic headwinds" and he would "redouble" his efforts to tackle people smuggling
• Both ministers attacked Labour - with Cleverly calling them 'spineless ditherers' - and both ending with strong praise for the PM

Stay with us for more reaction and analysis from Manchester.

Cleverly goes on to praise the PM saying he is "ready to do things differently" because the Conservative Party believes in Britain's "epic potential".

He says only the Conservatives "have a plan for the future" and "will take the tough decisions that will keep us safe and keep us prosperous".

The foreign secretary draws his speech to a close with an attack on Labour as "spineless ditherers, devoid of answers to any of the challenges the world faces".

He says they are "there, baying with disapproval at the tough but necessary decisions" the government has to make.

Cleverly says Britain will continue to cooperate with its international allies to stop small boats bringing migrants across the Channel and target the "inhumane people smuggling gangs".

He says he has written to all ambassadors and high commissioners to ask them to do even more work to stop trafficking across the Channel.

Cleverly says he will "redouble efforts" to tackle the problem.

He also says he's asked officials "carve out space" for armed forces veterans in the diplomatic service.

Image source, PA Media

Cleverly goes on to challenge those who "think the best years of Britain are behind us."

He says this government with Rishi Sunak at the helm is prepared to take decisive measures for the benefit of our country.

Cleverly also notes the way the UK sends aid to foreign countries like Morocco, says it leads by example in its "unrelenting support for Ukraine" and signs free trade agreements with countries around the world.

"When we engage with our allies", Clevery says, "we become safer and we become more prosperous. "

He then says the prime minister "gets it", the party "get it" and the people in the room "get it" before referring to the Labour party and "Keir Stamer and his crowd don't get it".

Cleverly acknowledges that the last few years "have seen incredibly tough global circumstances" and now we are faced with war in Europe.

He add that "despite incredibly strong economic headwinds", the UK has "thrived".

Let's just recap a little more of what Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said about Kosovo.

He confirmed the UK had responded to a request from Nato and he has authorised a deployment of further UK troops to its peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, as is being widely reported.

"In the days ahead, hundreds of soldiers from the 1st Battalion Princess of Wales Royal Regiment will join the 400 British servicemen and women already in Kosovo," he says.

"As the best of the best, I know our soldiers will do the United Kingdom proud."

It follows an attack last Sunday in the Serb-majority northern Kosovo, when some 30 gunmen were involved in a gun battle with Kosovo police.

In the past months, tensions have been rising between Kosovo's minority ethnic Serb and majority Albanian communities.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is up now, speaking about things he has done over the last year.

"All those visits, all those calls", he says, "has allowed me to hear - first hand - what the world thinks of us" saying his view of Britain in the world "has never been clearer".

He says: "People want to see us, people care about what we say" before saying people admire what the country stands for but "most importantly, people respect what we do".

Image source, Reuters

Shapps promises to improve accommodation facilities for those in the Armed Forces, pledging £400m to modernise the housing stock.

He says it's to support "our brave men and women at home as well as on the front line."

He closes backing PM Rishi Sunak, saying his "mettle has been tested and not found wanting" and he is doing what is right not what is easy.

The defence secretary continues: "By backing British businesses, we're taking long term decisions needed to boost our defence industry", after saying new submarines would be built in Barrow-in-Furness while reactor build facilities in Derby would be expanded.

He goes on to say that under Rishi Sunak's leadership, the Conservatives are putting the UK "at the very heart of Nato".

He says the UK has stepped up with two new deployments, sending Poland RAF Typhoons to protect Warsaw from Russian interference.

Image source, Pool

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps tells delegates that the UK must invest in its defence.

He says defence spending has exceeded £50bn a year for the first time ever and pledges to increase it even further when conditions allow.

Shapps also announces contracts worth £4bn pounds on new nuclear attack submarines which he says will support thousands of jobs.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps is now on stage delivering his speech, starting by talking about Ukraine, which he calls a "part of the family of European democratic nations"

He says Putin cannot win the war - but can't find a way to exit the war either.

He says the Russian leader hoped to take Kyiv "by bluff". To applause, Shapps says the people of Ukraine would not let that happen.

"And neither would we," he says - "the United Kingdom stepped up".

He says UK cruise missiles mean everywhere in Russian occupied Ukraine is on the front line.

"We must not let up now," he says.

The war is consuming weapons and people "at an appalling rate" but "we must remain steadfast", he says.

Image source, Getty Images

One of the big-hitters speaking today is Defence Secretary Grant Shapps.

Shapps was in the headlines this morning, having told the Telegraph that he is planning on eventually sending British troops to Ukraine to train soldiers there. He says he has also spoken to President Zelensky about the Royal Navy protecting Black Sea ships.

"I think the opportunity now is to bring more things in country, and not just training", he says.

Earlier in Burnley, Rishi Sunak ruled out sending troops to Ukraine during the current conflict and that Shapps was talking about a possible "long term" plan.

Shapps is no stranger to the Cabinet - he's held five positions in it - since 2010, including holding the energy, business and transport portfolios.

He was born in Watford and went to the local grammar school and is the cousin of former Clash guitarist Mick Jones.

A little while ago, Conservative Chairman Greg Hands kicked proceedings off.

He began his speech by saying the recent Uxbridge by-election was evidence that the party can still “come from behind and win” and ended by saying the Conservatives “should not be apologetic about what a government led by Rishi Sunak means”.

He also said that "this is likely to be a general election where the Conservatives enter as the underdogs".

And he held up some flip flops with pictures of Labour leader Keir Starmer on them, which - as we reported earlier - are available to buy at the conference.

Image source, Getty Images

Heather Sharp
Live reporter

Hello and welcome back! This morning saw Rishi Sunak quizzed on HS2, net zero and tax by the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg as the Conservative Party conference kicks off in Manchester.

In the last hour, events on the main stage have got going - and around 1530 we're expecting to hear from Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, followed a little later by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

Anna Boyd and Jamie Whitehouse are here with me in the London newsroom, and we have a Politics team on the ground in Manchester, all poised to bring you the latests lines, analysis and reaction. Stay with us.

Image source, Reuters