James Cleverly's Conservative Party conference speech

James Cleverly, Foreign Secretary, speaking today at the Conservative Party conference said:

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Thank you Conference.

It’s great be back together,

As a party.

As a family.

Big thank you to Jake Berry our chairman

Organising conference is a mammoth task.

And a big thank you our party staff, our volunteers

And you, the members

I loved being party chairman

Working with you all, with Ben my co-chairman

And working alongside Boris.

And if I remember rightly we did alright.

an 80-seat majority 

A great team of new MPs from all over our great country

And Boris’s leadership

…Delivered Brexit

Got us through the Covid

…And he led the world in support for Ukraine.

It’s a legacy that we should be proud of.

And I was proud to serve under him

it’s a legacy that Liz Truss will build on.

I’ve seen her take bold action as Foreign secretary:

…her steadfast support for Ukraine and standing up to Russia 

…her passionate defence of our union

….her determination to promote democracy and freedom around the world.

As Prime Minister she is also being bold.

…helping with energy bills

Ensuring you can see your doctor promptly

Reducing the taxes paid by ordinary, hardworking people across the country.

I backed her from the start

And I know I made the right choice

I’m the foreign secretary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Wow, that still sounds strange

It is an honour to be the face and voice of our country overseas.

I’m the UK’s sales guy

I’m pretty good at sales, it was how I paid my bills

But I know that the greatest salesperson that the UK ever had was her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

Our greatest diplomat

Our greatest advocate

Our greatest champion

Elizabeth the Great.

I’ve had the honour of meeting King Charles,

and I know he will work tirelessly and to continue her work

and be our new chief  ambassador

During the funeral week of her late majesty

I was reminded of the standing that our country has in the world

When I  travel on behalf of our country

I am lucky enough to see the UK as others see us.

And I can tell you the view of here, from over there is really, really good.

It’s not a terribly fashionable thing

To be proud of your country

But I am

So sue me!!!

My mother chose to make this country her home.

She was a young woman from Sierra Leone who adored this country then,

Just as I adore this country now.

In fact,

I am from immigrant stock on both sides of my family

My mum came here from west Africa in 1966

And my dad’s family came here from Normandy in 1066

There will always be people that talk our country down

Belittle our achievements

Underestimate our standing

Those

Self loathing keyboard warriors

Who hate our countries every success

And pray for bad news.

Those people who aren’t happy until they’re unhappy

They want to stand on the sidelines

Never contributing

Only moaning and bleating

But that isn’t us

That isn’t this party

That isn’t this government

That isn’t this country

We aren’t commentators watching the match

And saying “ohhhhh I wouldn’t have done that”

We are players on the pitch

Making a difference

Promoting our values

Competing on the world stage for what we believe is right

And we believe in freedom

We believe in the rule of law

We believe that an aggressor cannot invade its neighbour with impunity

This is why we stand shoulder to shoulder with those brave Ukrainians defending their homeland

And Britain has the strategic endurance to see this through to their victory

Back in February this year, at the United Nations I said

That if Putin was foolish enough to attempt to invade Ukraine,

The Ukrainians would defend their country ferociously.

And they have done just that

Their bravery and passion has been amplified by the arms and training that we, the UK, has supplied.

We will support them until this war is won

We will support them until their sovereignty is restored

We will support them until the last Russian tank is dragged away by a Ukrainian tractor

We need to have the strategic endurance to see this through to the end.

Because, if we don’t

we send a message to every potential aggressor that our resolve is fragile.

We cannot, must not, will not send that message to the world.

And if you happen to be listening to this speech, Mr Putin, Mr Lavrov

Let me be clear

We will never recognise the annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, or Crimea.

They are Ukraine.

And when Ukraine has won this war,

And it will

then we will support them as they rebuild their homes, their economy, and their society.

We will work with our friends and allies around the world to hold the perpetrators to account.

To punish those who use rape as a weapon of war

To punish those who knowingly target civilian infrastructure

To punish those who murder women and children

We do not do this alone

We are a member of many international groups

The commonwealth, NATO, UN Security Council, AUKAS, the G7, the G20

We intend to build more alliances, friendships and partnerships around the globe

It’s why we have ambassadors, high commissioners, and diplomats in hundreds of locations

It’s why I and my fantastic team of ministers travel the world

Trust me, it isn’t to stock up on those giant Toblerones.

.

When there is war, our work on the international stage is visible and obvious

Building coalitions of condemnation at the UN for example

Coordinating sanctions against those who facilitate the war

Working to ensure the exports of food and fertiliser from the black sea ports

But much of what the FCDO does is less visible

But no less important

I have just returned from a series of meetings in East and South East Asia

I paid my respects at the funeral of Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe

Then I went to the Republic of Korea

And then to Singapore

In each country I met with senior ministers

Met a number of international business people

I set out the details of our Indo Pacific tilt

It’s a part of the world which is growing fast

And through trade agreements, cooperation agreements, and our ASEAN dialogue partner status

We are shrinking the distance between us

I spoke about the opportunities that at available to us all

And of course I spoke about the role that China plays in the region and globally

I made  our position clear

That China could and should take a different path

That it should adhere to the rules and norms of the international community

And it  should stop persecuting its people at home and stop sanctioning my friends and colleagues in parliament.

And while I was on the other side of the world

FCDO ministers were in the USA, in European capitals, in Africa,

And a number of my ministers are overseas as I speak

Because we have to invest in our international relationships

Patient, but effective diplomacy

We invest time,

We invest energy,

And yes, we invest money

Because that’s how we generate influence on the world state

And that’s how we drive improvements in the lives of people overseas

And how we improve the lives of people here in the UK.

The development money that we spend

Our overseas development assistance or ODA

It helps women and children brutalised by conflict

It helps prevent starvation

We use our expertise in financial services through British Investment Partnerships to amplify the money that we provide to part fund projects that generate green energy

And increase trade

And stimulate economic growth in some of the least developed countries.

We don’t just stand idly by and watch problems happen

We step in to improve things

Not passive, but active

It is the right thing to do, it helps people that need our help

And it also helps us at home.

Because

Safe, secure and prosperous countries don’t generate refugees or hundreds of thousands of economic migrants

Safe, secure and prosperous countries don’t export terrorism

Safe, secure and prosperous countries are good trade partners for us

So obviously we want to see more safe, secure and prosperous countries

That is the active role that our ODA plays

But just because we look to build peace and prosperity in distant places

We mustn’t forget the need to build prosperity closer to home.

A good diplomatic and economic relationship with the EU and its member states is good for us all

We’ve worked closely on sanctions against Russians who have enabled the war in Ukraine

I want to see more cooperation across the channel and across the Irish Sea

And addressing the current problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol is key to that

I want to ensure that we restore the integrity of the UK internal market,

I want to protect North/South trade,

and restore the balance of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, which has been disrupted by the protocol 

I want to see all the communities in Northern Ireland represented again  in the Stormont executive

So that devolved government is re-established.

I will work hard to get that

Last week I spoke to the EU’s lead negotiator Vice President Maroš Šefčovič

we agreed on our desire to reach a solution that works for, all parts of the UK, especially the people of Northern Ireland

We have the Northern Ireland Protocol bill working its way through parliament.

In the meantime, we continue to pursue  a negotiated settlement which respects the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom and our single market,

and supports  the institutions of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.

As you can see my great ministers Vicky Ford, Jesse Norman, Leo Doherty, Zac Goldsmith, Tariq Ahmad, and Gillian Keegan and I have plenty to keep us busy.

But it is a job worth doing

Promoting global Britain on the world stage

And I speak for the ministers and diplomats in the FCDO when I say

It is an honour to represent the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

It is a great country

A country I am proud of

A country I love

Thank you.