 This is the oldest and most successful political movement in the history of mankind. Let's not underestimate what a fantastic, fantastic organisation we are part of. This government will take this country out of the European Union on October the 31st. I know he's worried about free trade deals with America, but there's only one chlorinated chicken that I can see in this house, and he's on that. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Good afternoon. Thank you, Pamela. It is an absolute privilege to welcome you to the 136th Conservative Party Conference and to welcome you as party chairman. When I gave my first political speech at the 2002 party conference, I never imagined that one day I would be here in this position. Now, I've got a bit more used to public speaking since then. A little too used to public speaking, some people might say. But there's no getting used to this. So thank you so very much for being here, and thank you so very much for so much more besides. For your tireless campaigning, your enduring support. Thank you to our candidates, councillors, assembly members, MPs, MSPs, mayors and PCCs, to our young Conservatives, to our old Conservatives, to my Deputy Chairman, Paul, and my fantastic team of Vice-Chairmen, and to Andrew Sharp, Chairman of the National Convention, and to my Co-Chairman, Ben Elliott, making sure that CCHQ is a fighting fit election-winning machine. And thank you to my good friend and predecessor, Brandon Lewis, who did so much of the groundwork to make sure that this conference happened. But most of all, I want to thank you, our members. This is your party, this is your conference. I know there were questions about us even being here. Labour, the Lib Dems, the SMP, they just love to block things. They tried to block our conference. They failed. They're trying to block Brexit. They will fail. This year's conference, we're going to do things a little bit different. You'll have more chances to ask questions, put forward ideas, quiz those of us in elected positions using the app which I hope you have all downloaded. Yeah? Well, if you haven't, make sure you do. Because this is your conference, and we are going to put you centre stage. And there are more of you here today than at any point in the last 20 years. I'm proud to be a member of the most diverse cabinet in our country's history. And the team that the Prime Minister has built reflects the commitment to opportunity at the heart of our party's political identity. This is a government that believes that everybody should have the chance to live the very best life they can, whatever that looks like to them. And this means balancing security with opportunity, helping those that stumble without hindering those that fly. As Conservatives, we appreciate that challenge and we are ready to meet it. The same cannot be said of Corbyn's Labour Party. Choice, freedom and diversity are anathema to Corbyn and his comrades, because Corbyn's worldview allows no room for diversity of thought. The modern Labour Party is happy for you to look different as long as you think the same. You may have noticed, you may have noticed that I am not exactly shy when it comes to having a go at the Labour Party. But there's a good reason for this. It wasn't the Labour Party that unlocked my potential. It was my family, my school, the businesses I worked for, the British Army and this party, the Conservative Party. Having been a member of the Reserve Forces for many years, I am proud that we have veterans, reservists and cadet volunteers in every level of our party. The contribution of our brothers and sisters in arms cannot be overstated. So, today, Conference, I can announce that we have formally recognised the contribution of the Forces family. Yesterday, the Prime Minister and I signed the Armed Forces Covenant on behalf of the Conservative Party, the first and only political party in the UK to have done so. Setting out, we are setting out our enduring respect for veterans, reservists and forces families. We say to the Armed Forces, the Conservative Party is on your side. Meanwhile, Labour attack the very fundamental values that underpin our society. Values that not too long ago were shared by all major parties. This is not the Labour Party of Clement Attlee or Jim Callaghan. Neil Kinnock, who led the Labour Party's fight against left-wing extremism in the 1980s, described Corbyn's election as the greatest crisis that the Labour Party has ever faced. Labour was once a patriotic party that sought to genuinely represent the interests of its voters. But Corbyn's Labour is a different proposition entirely. Led by a man who seems to seek out opportunities to support those who would do us harm. A man who sees NATO as a danger and instinctively sides with Russia over our long-term allies and friends who wants to ignore the largest vote in our nation's history and refuses to let voters judge his actions at the ballot box. Corbyn has called for an election at least 35 times since 2017. But when it came to the opportunity, he ducked it twice. Now, instead of making the case, Labour prefer to manipulate the parliamentary process whilst hiding from the very people they claim to represent. Frankly, it's just not good enough. But whilst Labour continues to fudge their position, we have a clear message. Let's get Brexit done and get on with making the UK. And I mean the whole of the UK. A better, safer, fairer and more prosperous place for everyone to live. We will leave the EU on October 31. No ifs, no buts. After three long years, we recognise the damage that more pointless delay would cause. And we appreciate the need to act on the decision of the British people. When we said your decision would be final, we meant it. The opposition parties clearly did not. And this is not just about honouring the decision of 17.4 million people who voted leave. It's about respecting democracy. Because while Nicola Sturgeon and Joe Swinson might think otherwise, you can't just ignore referendum results you don't like. And with Brexit delivered, we will focus on the domestic issues we know deserve our full attention. I am proud of our record in government, but there is still more to do. As the Chancellor said a few weeks ago, after a decade of recovery, we will deliver a decade of renewal. And that recovery has not been easy. Our progress is a testament to the hard work of the British people. When we took office in 2010, the country was nearly bankrupt. As the outgoing Chief Secretary to the Treasury so helpfully summarised at the time, there's no money left. Such casual disdain for our public finances, that's the labour way. Thankfully now, our national debt is falling sustainably for the first time in a generation. Wages are rising faster than prices, and the deficit is down to 1.1% of GDP. And the fundamental strength of our economy will allow us to deliver on people's priorities. Because you know, as well as me, that when you speak to people on the doorstep, it's not Brexit that they want to talk about. It's schools, it's policing, it's our NHS. Those are their priorities and they must be ours. Since becoming Party Chairman just two months ago, I've been to every region of England and every nation in the United Kingdom. And where the North, South, East, West, Scotland, England, Wales or Northern Ireland, the instruction I am given is always the same. Get Brexit done. Seize the opportunity that it offers us. Get on with delivering for families and communities like ours. Conservatives in government have been doing just that for centuries. It was a Conservative Home Secretary who established the Metropolitan Police, protecting the poor and powerless from criminals. A Conservative Education Minister who brought in free secondary education for every child, irrespective of wealth. And it was a Conservative Health Minister who set the foundations for our national health service. But we don't rest on our historic record. We build upon it. Delivering 20,000 more police officers boosting school funding by £14 billion and ensuring the record investment in the NHS reaches the front line. Finally, conference. The election that Corbyn has tried to avoid will come. And when it does, we will be ready and we will win. We have a team of first-class candidates in place. We have campaign managers spread far and wide. And, most importantly, Boris Johnson, our Prime Minister, elected by you, our members, has given us a clear, compelling, positive message to take to the country. So I say to Jeremy Corbyn, bring it on. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you.