 Britain is back Labour want you to think that we're a small country with no influence on the world stage Our country's reputation for the rule of law has been badly damaged. They have never been so wrong We truly appreciate and value our close relationship with the United Kingdom. As always We simply could not ask for a better partner than the United Kingdom. We're not held back by the past We don't want to go back to the constraints of a single bureaucratic block Our vision for this country is forward-looking optimistic global And we can be proud that the Conservatives are working and winning for the British people all around the world Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Foreign Secretary James Cleverlay It's been a year since I was appointed and I've been in that time to over 60 international visits I have hosted over 100 inward visits I have had over 700 meetings or calls with foreign representatives I've also had the honor of Accompanying His Majesty the King on two state visits and my ministerial team I know have worked just as hard and so if you're wondering where they are at the moment during this speech They're out in the wider world promoting Britain on the world stage And all those visits all those meetings all those calls Has allowed me to hear first-hand what the world thinks of us and As a result my view of Britain's standing in the world has never been clearer People want to see us People care about what we say people admire what we stand for but perhaps most importantly People respect what we do Far from being left on the sidelines We remain right at the heart of things and we should all be immensely proud of our country's standing on the world stage And let me explain why and Let me explain to the people who think that Brexit has hindered us Let me spell it out to the people who think our best years are behind us And let me make it clear to those on the Labour benches who want to play politics and put our country down This government with Rishi Sunak at the helm takes decisive measures and is prepared to take the tough long-term decisions for the benefit of our country and so of course We send emergency rescue teams to Morocco and to Turkey and Syria in response to those terrible earthquakes And of course we evacuate those British nationals caught up in the Sudan conflict But we also Sign free trade agreements with countries around the globe we lead by example in our Unrelenting support for Ukraine and we call out Russia for its heinous crimes And we sanction the brutal Iranian judges who target the brave women of that country Who are campaigning for nothing more than their freedoms? We have Consistently help the worst off in the world lift themselves out of poverty We have consistently fought Injustice wherever we see it and we have consistently led the way in times of international crisis but Some people ask me when they talk to me they say James. That's all well and good. That's great But what does foreign affairs matter to the British people? How does it help the people of Braintree or Belfast or Bancury or Bridgend? Well, it helps Because when we engage with our allies old or new we become safer and We become more prosperous The PM gets it our party get it you get it Keir Starmer and his crowd don't get it and over the last few years Of course, we have seen Incredibly tough global circumstances a global pandemic and As my good friend Grant has just said we are now confronted with a brutal war on our own continent but This Prime Minister was prepared to take the tough long-term decisions that we needed and we have thrived Despite the incredibly strong economic headwinds powered by the pandemic and intensified and amplified by the war in Ukraine and because of Of his long-term decisions our economy is Back to pre-pandemic levels and Britain Has recovered quicker from that pandemic than Europe's biggest economies under this Prime Minister We have made immense progress in very little time and unlike Starmer Sorry under Starmer rather Labour are all talk Under Sunak. We are about action as I say in the relatively short time that Rishi has been Prime Minister let hat let us look at what we have achieved We agreed the Windsor framework in February We agreed the Orca Steel in March The Hiroshima Accord in May and the Atlantic Declaration in June We've come to agreements with Europe that will help grow our economy help stop the boats and Make us all safer conference We should be incredibly proud of our country and incredibly proud of what we achieved in just this short period of time and the Prime Minister's leadership has allowed us to take full advantage of the bold decision that we collectively made in 2016 So let me give you a few facts and figures just to prove the point last year Service exports reached a record high exports of goods and services grew by 20% in current prices and are likely to increase again this year and we remain the second largest service exporter in the world behind only the United States of America Which I may remind you has five times as many people as us and today nearly 60 percent of UK exports go to non EU countries and that is up from 52% in 2010 and the long-term economic trend is clear and It's one that we expect not just to continue but to intensify and that's why Because we are looking at the future because we are facing forward. We recently concluded negotiations to join the comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans Pacific partnership Easier to say than you than you might believe and Actually, it took me longer to say it than it took for us to join it that's because we are focused on building our friendships our forces and Our relationships with the Indo-Pacific region. It's why we are pushing so hard to conclude a trade deal with India an economy forecast to double in size by 2030 overtaking both Japan and Germany to become the world's third largest economy and It's markets like these That are the future and we recognize Their value to us will grow enormously and Again whilst we have a global outlook Labour can hardly imagine the world beyond Brussels now The world has got used to engaging with a new independent Britain To engaging with the Britain that is free to forge its own destiny free to ratify its own laws and free to negotiate its own trade deals and Our newfound independence has enabled us to repeatedly get ahead of events Whether that's with the manufacturing of life-saving vaccines Which then gave us the ability to lift out of lockdowns Or whether it's the sanctioning of the Russians involved in the illegal brutal and disgusting conduct both domestically and Abroad and yes, I'm especially proud of Our record when it comes to the support of the people of Ukraine we foresaw the extent and the intensity of the price of the fight that President Zelensky and his brave people faced in February of 2022 And I consider it a personal privilege to have done what I can to maximize international support for that courageous country But never let anyone forget That for almost a decade now Every conservative Prime Minister has backed Ukraine from training Ukrainian troops after the initial invasion of Crimea 2014 to standing up to Putin over the poisonings in Salisbury From arming Ukrainians with the n-law missile systems when Russia first initiated their full-scale invasion to sanctioning Putin and his cronies who have facilitated the brutalizing of the Ukrainian people and Let's remember that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak continued in this proud tradition with his Unwavering support. He was the first world leader To supply Ukraine with NATO standard main battle tanks He was the first world leader to commit to training fast jet pilots He was the first world leader to supply the long-range missiles That support those brave Ukrainians Frighting in the front line and earlier this year Rishi Sunak hosted the landmark Ukraine recovery conference in London where we secured Billions of dollars in international funding so that Ukraine will be able to rebuild itself once they win this war Whilst I occupy this great office I've considered the many challenges that we face as a nation And I've contemplated the ways of making my department more effective at tackling those obstacles For example when it comes to stopping the boats We have and will continue to coordinate and cooperate not just across government But with our international allies as well We have collaborated closely with the governments of the countries where these Inhumane people smuggling gangs are based but I Recognize that we need to keep going and so today I've written to all of our ambassadors all of our high commissioners and I've instructed each and every one of them To do even more work with the countries in which they represent the UK to help stop the Abhorrent trafficking of human lives across the English Channel be in no doubt No doubt at all our diplomats will redouble their effort to bring an end To this terrible terrible injustice Now I'm incredibly proud of The diplomats that I work alongside I have no doubt that they are the best in the world But I want to ensure that our diplomatic service is truly representative of the UK and Unsurprisingly, I believe that those who have served our nation on the battlefield Can continue to contribute beyond their tours of duty Which is why I have tasked my officials to carve out space in our diplomatic service For veterans and I look forward to working with Johnny Mercer our veterans minister to ensure that The men and women from our armed forces who we know are amongst the best of us To give them the opportunity to be the best at representing the UK and you will forgive me But it does make me immensely proud to offer those who have served our country with unparalleled distinction the opportunity to serve their nation once again Speaking of service and pride you will know that I served as chairman of this great party during 2019 and I remember the Doomsters and the gloomsters Who predicted another hung parliament they predicted an outright conservative loss or at best modest conservative gates and Those were the people whose amazing predictions predated the most significant electoral victory of recent times and an 80 seat conservative majority and yet today I See the same old faces the same voices the same old politicians making the same old tired predictions And when I look across the floor at the House of Commons I See a group of spineless Ditherers devoid of answers to any of the challenges the world faces or that our country faces and yet They're there Beying with disapproval at the tough but necessary decisions that our government has to make and Where I asked myself is the leadership from their so-called leader Because secure can't make up his mind whether he supports leaving the EU or whether he Supports remaining in the EU or rejoining the EU He pledged to cut tuition fees in order to get elected as Labour leader and then went back on his promise as soon as he became Labour leader he resigned from Corbyn's cabinet then he rejoined Corbyn's cabinet then he campaigned to make Jeremy Corbyn prime minister What we see is No clarity No consistency no policies no plan only the same old tired opportunistic politics Kia Stammer's Labour Party doesn't stand for anything and Whilst secure and his comrades represent the tired politics of the past The Prime Minister is ready to do things differently and why Because the Conservative Party believes in Britain's epic potential and The Labour Party is unwilling to take the tough decisions that will ensure the prosperity and the safety of this country for generations to come Conference I can think of nothing more counterproductive than handing over the keys of government to a group of political chances and Visionless ideologues. It is a scenario. I refuse to entertain Because a party that does not believe in Britain Cannot be trusted to lead it only the Conservatives have a plan for the future Only conservatives will take the tough decisions that will keep us safe and keep us prosperous Only the Conservatives will stand with pride on the world stage The people of this great country will see that and That is why they will vote for Rishi and the Conservatives at the next election. Thank you. Thank you very much