Birmingham Post

Brown has Blown His Chance, Says Bullish Hague ; Tories

Gordon Brown has had his chance and "blown it," William Hague insisted yesterday, as he called on the party to "re-double" its efforts to win power. At the start of the party's Birmingham conference, the former Tory leader branded the Prime Minister the very definition of economic "irresponsibility". And he said the Tories can provide a "strong, united, positive alternative" to a "weak and washed-out Government".

Tories Arrive in City with Fast London Trains Pledge

A Conservative government would approve a new high-speed rail line linking Birmingham with Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels, and cutting journey times to London by 35 minutes. The major transport announcement will be made today at the party conference in the International Convention Centre.

'We Could Still Lose' Spelman Warns

Conservatives gathering in Birmingham for the start of their annual conference have been warned they could still easily lose the next election. West Midlands MP Caroline Spelman (Con Meriden) issued the stark warning is she opened the event at the International Convention Centre with the first speech of the conference.

Cameron's Commitment to Helping People Deal with Credit Crunch

David Cameron promised his party was committed to helping people cope with the rising cost of living and the impact of the credit crunch, as he spoke in Birmingham yesterday. Mr Cameron said the Tories were united and had a clear plan to deal with the economic turmoil.

Blacksmith Vows to Fight to Continue His Livelihood ; Tories

A Worcestershire blacksmith was a surprise star turn bringing prolonged applause from the conference when he vowed to fight for survival against swingeing taxation and overbearing health and safety regulation. Steve Cooper said the economic downturn had already forced him to lay off four out of five employees.

Midland Councils 'Must Join Forces' to Win Power Away From Whitehall ; Tories

Councils in the West Midlands must share money and "sovereignty" in order to receive more freedom from Whitehall, Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has told civic leaders. He was speaking at a fringe meeting at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, attended by city council leader Mike Whitby.

Locking Up Child Offenders 'Futile' ; Tories

Locking up child offenders is a pointless expensive waste of time, the Conservative conference heard. At a fringe debate held by children's charity Barnardo's, delegates were told a new way should be found of dealing with children aged 10 to 14 who committed crimes. And Barnardo's were backed by the Tories who said the way forward was "early intervention" to nip juvenile delinquency in the bud.

Boris Lifts Gloom but Leaves 'Dave' On the Edge of His Seat ; Tories Economic Doom and Gloom Was at the Forefront of the Conservative Conference Yesterday. Mayor of London Boris Johnson Did His Bit to Lift the Mood, As Jane Tyler Reports

The seriousness of the conference was interrupted when everyone's favourite lovable buffoon, Boris Johnson, took to the stage. Wearing his serious hat of Mayor of London, the flamboyant politician had the audience in the ICC in howls of laughter within minutes of taking to the stage.

Compassionate Conservatism Is Alive and Well in Brum ; Tories

It's been 75 years since the Tories last gathered in Birmingham for their annual conference. But the passage of time has done little to change the big issues of the day. In 1933, Conservative leader Stanley Baldwin made the short trip from his Black Country constituency to warn the party faithful about the dire plight of the British and American economies. The Great Depression, triggered four years earlier by the Wall Street Crash, was driving down stock markets while Governments across the w...

Bin Collections Would Revert Back to Weekly Under Tories ; Tories

Councils will be forced to continue emptying dustbins once a week rather than moving to fortnightly collections if the Conservatives win the next election. Shadow Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles pledged to end Labour's policy of "bin cuts", which he said was harming public health.

Scottish Will Get 'Mutual Respect' ; Tories

The Tories promised yesterday to pursue a policy of "mutual respect" with the Scottish Parliament if they win power at the next election. Shadow Scottish secretary David Mundell pledged to respect the will of the Parliament, whether or not the Westminster Government agreed with it. In a question and answer session at the Tory conference, Mr Mundell said no change to the powers or responsibilities of the Scottish Parliament would be made on a "unilateral basis".

Top Quotes ; Tories

Snippets from our live blogs, twitter and more: Tom Scotney: Mixed metaphor of the day by Ed Vaizey - defining public service broadcasting is ike trying to catch a very slippery fish. It's very difficult to nail down, (birminghampost.net/ toryliveblog)

Lifetime Tax Bill Soars by Six Per Cent to More Than Pounds 668,000 ; Tories

The average British household faces a lifetime tax bill of pounds 668,000 at current rates of taxation, it was claimed yesterday. The TaxPayers'Alliance (TPA) pressure group, which campaigns for lower taxes said that the figure represented a six per cent increase on the pounds 631,000 they would have paid under last year's taxation rate.

Voluntary Code Will Protect Young Users of the Internet ; Tories

Websites could be asked to sign up to a voluntary code of conduct launched yesterday to protect young people online. The new UK Council for Child Internet Safety will police the web for children, take down illegal sites encouraging harmful behaviour and spearhead an awareness campaign.

Associations Losing Members ; Tories

David Cameron has failed to inspire an upsurge in Tory membership despite the party's continuing lead in the opinion polls, Labour claimed. Labour released research which, it said, showed that local Tory constituency associations had been haemorrhaging members since Mr Cameron became leader in 2006. According to the Labour findings, based on returns to the Electoral Commission, average constituency association membership dropped by 24 in 2006 and a further 93 in 2007.

Brown's Fiscal Rules Would Go in Overhaul of Financial System ; Tories

A Conservative administration would scrap Gordon Brown's fiscal rules and establish an independent Office for Budget Responsibility, David Cameron said yesterday. It would stop governments running up excessive debts while giving the Bank of England new powers to rein in reckless lending by banks, he said.

Whitby Warns Over Rates Relief Decision ; Tories

A Government decision to scrap rate relief on empty buildings is costing Birmingham businesses pounds 22 million a year and threatening to stall regeneration projects, city council leader Mike Whitby has warned. He said changes introduced in April this year, removing 50 per cent relief on empty offices and retail outlets and 100 per cent relief on industrial units, were proving a financial drain on companies who as a result found it more difficult to raise investment for new development.

Hoon 'Regret' Over Kelly Decision Leak ; Tories

The leak of the news that Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly was set to leave the Government a "serious mistake", Chief Whip Geoff Hoon said yesterday. The disclosure that Ms Kelly was standing down in order to spend more time with her young family overshadowed the final day of Labour's annual party conference last week in Manchester.

Faith School Which Aims to Brings Islam Into Education ; Education It Wants to Become Birmingham's Second Islamic Secondary Faith School. Education Correspondent Shahid Naqvi Goes Behind the Scenes at Al-Hira School in Balsall Heath

Aminata Sessay has a very traditional view of education. On the wall in her office hangs a little placard proclaiming: "Children are born with wings. Teachers help them fly". She is passionate about what she calls a "child-centred idea of education" in which "every child should be able to succeed".

Concerns Over Sex Education ; Education

Catholic schools should "strongly oppose" any proposal for sex education that could sexualise children, a senior Church figure said. Speaking at the Diocesan Conference for Foundation Governors in Newcastle the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Birmingham said Catholic schools had a "fundamental right" to determine their sex education policies.