By all accounts this year’s conference has been as eventful as ever in terms of people ending up in hotel rooms they didn’t book. Though one young couple didn’t make it that far, unfortunately for the nearby NiMo:
Young couple getting amorous in the ladies loo at the Midland hotel last night as Nicky Morgan reapplies her makeup.
— Eye Spy MP (@eyespymp) October 3, 2017
Eye or ear witnesses get in touch…
Where is everyone at Tory conference? A CCHQ official who would know tells Guido that at least 70% of Tory MPs did not bother filling in the application form for a pass. They reckon over 200 have stayed away and considerably fewer than 90 have turned up. One source puts the estimate of those who haven’t bothered at closer to 80%. One MP who didn’t fancy it says the fee for a conference pass made their decision for them. As a wag observed last night, you can tell it’s half-empty when you can get served at the Midland bar in under 20 minutes…
Press Association has some curious Anna Soubry quotes from a fringe event on immigration yesterday. According to their report she said it is a “myth” that migrants use public services because they are “thick young men”.
“Go to Boston. Boston apparently has some of the highest numbers of migrant workers. It is a myth that these people are clogging up our social services and social housing. It is not true, because most of the people who work in Boston, to put it crudely, are thick young men. The last place you’ll find them is at the Pilgrim hospital [in Boston], apart from those that work in it.”
UPDATE: Soubry is claiming she has been misquoted by Press Association. She reckons she said “fit young men”.
UPDATE II: Here is the audio. She said “fit”.
Sounds like the PA reporter had a particularly bad conference hangover.
Cracker of a Sun story this morning quoting David Davis saying he plans to quit in 2019 and that this is his last big job in politics. Barnier will be spitting out his croissant when he sees the line mocking his ambitions to be EU President. DD was great value at the well-stocked ConHome party on Sunday night after a long day of lunches and dinners. You know how it is, bad day at work, your office rival is on manoeuvres, the boss is a nightmare, you get smashed and tell your mates you want to quit…
Michael Gove last night accused Jeremy Corbyn of siding with “death squads” over “democrats” as he slammed Jez over the anti-semitism row which overshadowed Labour conference. Addressing a packed Conservative Friends of Israel reception, Gove said:
“When there’s a chance to express solidarity with the only parliamentary democracy in the Middle East, he [Jeremy Corbyn] says: ‘no’. And why is that on every occasion when Jeremy Corbyn has had the chance to choose between the death squad and the democrat he has declined to stand with the democrat? Why is it? Because Hamas and Hezbollah are his friends but when Labour Friends of Israel meet he ‘cannot be there.'”
The audience shouted “shame”. Gove spoke alongside Eric Pickles and Israeli Ambassador Mark Regev, who was on good form. One of the better fringes…
Amber Rudd addresses Tory conference later on a day on which her leadership ambitions are again coming to the fore. She has used a wide-ranging interview in the Mail to attack Boris’ “red lines” (not sure he ever actually used the words “red lines”) and say her leadership rival shouldn’t give his views on Brexit. And the Times reveals she has hired Lynton Crosby’s firm CTF to help her keep her seat. Colleagues note that Rudd banked £30,000 in donations in June, the latest declared period, a huge sum in a very short space of time for someone supposedly just interested in keeping her seat in an election five years away. She has Lord Feldman fundraising for her, more evidence that she is the Cameron / Osborne / Remain choice for next leader. CTF insist their work is related solely to her constituency. The fundraising is intriguing though, quietly and very quickly Rudd is amassing a considerable war chest. Last night in Manchester her brother Roland hosted a champagne reception for the Remain glitterati…
UPDATE: Roland party organisers dispute the use of the phrase Remain glitterati, pointing out Gove and DD were also in attendance.
