Last week, the Conservative Party gathered in Birmingham for the 2016 Conference, the first since the country voted to leave the European Union in June.
Over the last six years, Conservatives in Government have brought the economy back from the brink following Labour’s Great Recession – more than 2 million jobs have been created across the country, unemployment in the Forest of Dean has more than halved and the UK has become the fastest growing economy in the developed world.
In Birmingham, the Prime Minister, Theresa May, gave a powerful speech, setting out her and the Conservative Party’s vision for a country that works for everyone, not just the privileged few. She set out the clear case for the good that government can do while stating that political visions need to be accompanied by hard work and practical implementation.
The referendum was not just a vote to leave the EU, it was something broader. It was about a deep, justified sense for many people that the world works well for a privileged few, but not for them. This is a genuine turning point in Britain’s history and it is for the Conservative Party to respond in a way that meets the challenge.
While being proud of our achievements over the past six years, it is clear that more needs to done to put government at the service of ordinary working class people. A new approach that accepts government does not have all the answers but that it can and should be a force for good, providing what individuals, communities and markets cannot. Where markets are dysfunctional, we should be prepared to intervene.
Conference also allowed the Government to set out its plan to deliver Brexit. There will be no unnecessary delays in invoking Article 50, the point at which we begin our formal negotiations to leave the EU. We will invoke Article 50 no later than the end of March next year, while the Government will also be introducing a Great Repeal Bill to repeal the European Communities Act the day we leave the EU.
The vision for a global Britain laid out at Conference is possible and it is in our sights. Let’s now have the confidence in ourselves to go out into the world and secure trade deals, enabling us to continue winning contracts, generating wealth and creating jobs.