NI Tory  party reception at Conservative conference Oct 2024 - video Dailymotion

Northern Ireland  Conservatives  reception at the Tory party conference October 2024

Transcript

00:00of our party, about the way it's organised, about how we can make gains all over our country and I

00:06want Northern Ireland to be a firm part of that conversation to make sure that we can continue

00:12to build on the good work that's already been done by Paul and Frank and others.

00:17Whilst it may be some years now since I held the post of Secretary of State,

00:22I retain a tremendous affection for Northern Ireland and I know that it's a place that has

00:27so much going for it.

00:38Well I am surprised that none of the four leadership candidates did arrive at the

00:41Northern Ireland Reception Party. It would mean a lot to the Northern Irish Conservatives if at

00:45least one of the candidates did show up for a brief period of time.

00:48And why would it have meant so much?

00:50Because although the Northern Ireland Conservatives represented small parts

00:53of the Conservative membership, Northern Ireland is still an integral part of the United Kingdom.

00:59Here we are, we're supposed to be the Conservative and Unionist party

01:03and through the backstop, through the Windsor Framework, we have yet again failed Northern

01:08Ireland. And here we are at the Northern Ireland Reception, at the Conservative Party Conference,

01:16all four of the potential leaders, potential Prime Ministers even, have just not bothered to show up.

01:24Well absolutely, we were expecting them to show up today. We had different time slots

01:29from CCHQ and we were expecting all four candidates. We're not going to lie, we've

01:34been already disappointed that none of them have turned up. However, what I would say is,

01:39you know, we're in the third day of the conference, all candidates have been all over the place at various

01:47receptions and all sorts of things.

01:49Cheers guys, how are you?