Liberal Democrat Leader will today (Tuesday 17th September) say his party will
offer people hope and fight to fix the NHS, in his first
conference speech since the party's historic success in July's
General Election.
will say that millions of voters put their trust in the
Liberal Democrats' message of hope at the election and that the
party must be true to that mandate by focusing on voters'
priorities: the cost of living, tackling the sewage scandal and
above all fixing the NHS and care.
The Liberal Democrat Leader will then pledge to “finish the job”
of defeating Conservative MPs, arguing the Conservative Party has
proven itself to be “unfit to govern…and unfit for opposition
too”. He will add that asking the Conservative Party to hold the
Government to account on the NHS or the economy would be like
“putting a bull in charge of repairing the china shop.”
Turning his fire on the Conservative leadership contenders,
will say that the Conservatives are “scraping the
bottom of the barrel”. He'll argue that the four former
Conservative Cabinet ministers “didn't care about real people's
everyday problems in government, and it's clear none of them care
about them now.”
will conclude with a rallying cry to “cut through the
Government's doom and gloom with our ambition for our country.”
He will say that the nation's problems “will be solved the way
Britain has always done in the past, by rising to our challenges
with guts, determination, and hope.”
**CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY***
On offering people hope by fixing the NHS, is expected to say:
“We know that fixing the NHS will not be easy. The Conservative
Government broke it so badly, over so many years, that it will
take a lot of work to put it back together. But we also know that
it must be done, and we know it can be done.
“We will offer people hope on health. Starting with a whole new
focus on community services – helping people to get care more
quickly and more locally – with more GPs, more NHS dentists and
more community pharmacists, so fewer people end up in hospital in
the first place.”
On the trust voters placed in the Liberal Democrats,
is expected to say:
“In July, millions of voters put their trust in us – many of them
for the first time in their lives. Trusting us to stand up for
them, to be their local champions and fight for a fair deal. That
trust – the people's trust – is our mandate. And now we must be
true to that mandate and repay that trust in full.
“We asked people for their votes on a very clear manifesto. We
told them we would focus on their priorities. Getting our economy
back on track and getting the cost of living under control.
Ending the sewage scandal and protecting our precious
environment. And above all: fixing the NHS and care crisis. A
clear message of hope.”
On “finishing the job” of defeating Conservative MPs,
is expected to say:
“The Conservatives showed themselves to be totally unfit to
govern our country – and the British people rightly booted them
out. Now they are already showing that they are unfit for
opposition too.
“It's hardly surprising I suppose. Expecting that lot to hold the
Government to account on the NHS or the economy would be like
putting a bull in charge of repairing the china shop.
“Who would leave the job of upholding ethical standards in
government to the gang who put in Number Ten. And when the
country needs an Opposition to scrutinise next month's Budget,
surely it's not a job for the Tory geniuses who cheered and to the rafters.
“The modern Conservative Party is so out of touch with so many of
their former voters – so far removed from the real lives of
ordinary people that it no longer merits a place at the top table
of our politics. On 4th July we made a great start, but now let's
go further. Let's finish the job.”
On the Conservative leadership candidates, is expected to say:
“Just look at the quartet heading to Birmingham in a fortnight to
audition for the job of Conservative leader. They really are
scraping the bottom of the barrel, aren't they?
“In Government, these four Conservatives didn't care about real
people's everyday problems. And it's clear none of them care
about them now.”
On showing ambition for our country, is expected to say:
“The challenges we face cannot be solved by burying our heads in
the sand and pretending they don't exist, like the Conservatives
do. But nor can they be solved with the pessimism and defeatism
we're hearing from Labour.
“They will be solved the way Britain has always done in the past,
by rising to our challenges with guts, determination, and hope.
So we will cut through the Government's doom and gloom with our
ambition for our country.”
