The key issues to arise from the Tory events, from HS2 to ECHR membership
The Conservative Party conference is well under way, with thousands of attendees descending on Manchester for the annual four-day conference.
The conference consists of speeches, receptions and fringe events which give Conservative Party members, the press and the public a chance to learn about the partyâs ideas and policies for the forthcoming year.
Discussions have largely been eclipsed by Rishi Sunakâs reticence to confirm whether the northern leg of HS2 will be scrapped, following widespread speculation that this is imminent.
Mr Sunak refused to confirm or deny rumours, however, stating he would not be forced into a âpremature decisionâ regarding its future.
What are the key talking points from this yearâs Conservative Party Conference?
HS2
Although the Prime Ministerâs closing speech isnât scheduled to take place until 11.15am on Wednesday 4 October, the issue of HS2 has dominated this yearâs conference.
Mr Sunak is expected to overrule the concerns of Tory grandees, regional politicians and the transport industry by announcing a scrapping of the northern leg of the high-speed rail service between Birmingham and Manchester.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday, he said he would not âbe forced into a premature decision because it is good for someoneâs TV programmeâ.
He added: âWhat I want to do is make the right decision for the country. This is an enormous amount of peopleâs money, taxpayersâ money, everybody watching, billions and billions of pounds.
âWe shouldnât be rushed into things like that. What people would expect from me is to take the time to go over it properly and make sure we make the right long-term decisions for the country.â
The Prime Minister is set to call an emergency Cabinet meeting on Tuesday to discuss the future of HS2.
Leadership contest
Succession is a key topic at this yearâs conference, with MPs openly speculating on who might replace the Prime Minister if he loses a general election next year and is forced to step down as Conservative leader.
Kicking off speeches on the main stage at the Tory conference on Sunday, party chair Greg Hands said: âThis is likely to be a general election where the Conservatives enter as the underdogs.â
Dame Priti Patel, Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly are among the possible future Tory leaders who have been active at the party conference.
With current opinion polls indicating that Mr Sunak may face defeat at next yearâs general election, the question of who might take his place has been a major watercooler topic at this yearâs conference.
European Convention on Human Rights membership
A talking point that highlights the division within the party, ECHR membership continues to split the party down the middle.
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove hinted that he would be open to leaving the ECHR amid speculation the Prime Minister could be considering the move.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has repeatedly stated that she would like to depart from the ECHR, as has Kemi Badenoch. The move is supported by many right-wing Tory MPs who argue that scrapping it will make it easier to stop illegal migrants arriving in small boats.
Asked at an Onward event at the conference whether he would support scrapping the ECHR, Mr Gove said the UK must âkeep every option openâ.
However, the security minister, Tom Tugendhat, and the International Development Minister, Andrew Mitchell, hit back at calls to leave the ECHR, with Mr Tugendhat citing a lack of solutions from those who wished to leave about how to âaddress the gaps that they createâ, for example with Northern Irelandâs Good Friday Agreement, which is dependent on the ECHR.
Speaking to Times Radio, he said: âIâm just suggesting these are really big questions and donât throw around words unless you can answer the questions. And so what we need to do is make sure if youâre looking at the future in a different way, thatâs fine. Set out the questions. Set out the answers.â
Criminal justice system
The Government is considering renting prison cells overseas to tackle prison overcrowding, the Justice Secretary has announced.
Speaking from the main stage of the Tory party conference on Tuesday, Alex Chalk said: âI can tell you today that we also intend to look at the Norwegian example and explore renting overseas capacity.â
He added that the Government is ârolling out the largest prison expansion programme since the Victorian era. Thanks to this Prime Minister [âŚ] we have brought online over 5,000 more places.â
Trans women
Health Secretary Steve Barclay has announced plans to prevent trans women from using female-only hospital wards.
Speaking on Tuesday morning, he said: âTo deliver the long-term change the NHS needs we need a relentless focus on patient outcomes, and that means prioritising frontline resources.
âIt does not mean spending huge sums of taxpayersâ money on diversity consultants or hiring bloated internal diversity and inclusion teams, and it does not mean ignoring patientsâ voices â especially womenâs voices â when it comes to the importance of biological sex in healthcare.â
He added: âWe know what a woman is, and the vast majority of NHS staff and patients do too.â
He announced that the Government is to change the NHS constitution to âmake sure we respect the privacy, dignity and safety of all patients, recognise the importance of different biological needs and protect the rights of women.
âIf all of that seems like simple common sense, thatâs because it is, and yet every step of the way we have faced opposition from the usual suspects.â
In response to Mr Barclayâs comments, LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall made the following statement: âWhether itâs underfunding on female-specific health issues or simply not having their symptoms taken seriously, women regularly report dissatisfaction with the healthcare they receive in England.
âThis is a cynical attempt by the Secretary of State to âlook busyâ instead of getting on with the graft of implementing the Womenâs Health Strategy, and, besides being unworkable, all it will achieve is to restrict access to healthcare for trans women, by making it humiliating and dangerous.â
When does the Conservative Party conference end?
This year, the Tory party conference began on Sunday 1 October and will wrap up on Wednesday 4 October.
The fourth and final day will see speeches from Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt and Johnny Mercer.