David Cameron’s Speech to the Conservative Party Conference, Birmingham 2012*

*Check against delivery!

Thank you.

The last two years have not been easy but we have not shirked our responsibility or the difficult decisions that have had to be made in dealing with the terrible debt left by the last Labour Government.

We inherited a mess far worse than we originally thought. Our ability to grow has been hit by the crisis in the Eurozone where countries that lacked the political will to deal with their debts have fallen prey to the markets. Unsustainable interest rates have sunk countries like Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Italy and even Spain. While British yields were tracking those of Spain and Italy when we came to power our clear plan to cut the debt has kept Britain safe from the European debt storm. Thanks to George Osborne we now have amongst the lowest interest rates in the G20. This is not just good for the Government but ensures low mortgage interest rates for families and homeowners the length and breadth of the country. Without our tough action we would need a bailout: instead we are arguing about how much we should contribute to the funds available to the IMF! Our country is strengthened by the tough action taken by this Government.

Contrast this sensible approach with the loony ideas of Ed Balls and Ed Miliband. Ed Balls argues that the way out of a debt storm is to borrow more, ramp up spending and add even more debt! He doesn’t want to reduce the debt but increase it! They say 2 Eds are better than one but in this case we’d be better off with none! They want to take us back to the mad, bad days of the 1970s when Labour kept borrowing until the money ran out and Britain, yes Britain, had to accept a bailout from the IMF. It didn’t work then and it won’t work now. Under a Conservative Government, Britain will always stand on its own two feet. We are a haven in the storm, free from the whims of the markets and government by bureaucrats.

Many countries in Europe no longer control their own financial destiny. The will of their people is ignored as they are governed by Eurocrats. Conservatives will never allow our country’s fate to be determined by bureaucrats in Brussels. Conservatives have always firmly opposed the Euro and Britain will never enter the Euro while I am Prime Minister.

Thanks to the work of Iain Duncan Smith we will soon have a benefits system which makes work pay. No more languishing on benefits without the will to get up and get back into society. Those who play the system will have to shape up and get back to work or face the consequences. We will not accept the situation under Labour where the less you did the more you were paid. For too long this country has done a disservice to those on benefits, allowing their talents to waste away while those in work strived to pay for not only their own family but the shirkers next door. This government will not shirk the tough decisions. We are in government to make a difference.

I don’t get out of bed each day and think, ”What will the papers say if I do this or don’t do that?” I have a vision for this country where those who are willing to work hard and make a difference are rewarded while those who play the system face hard consequences.

All Labour can offer is a return to the bad old ways of the 1970s when things got worse not better: out of control Trade Unions; out of control borrowing; out of control spending. We sorted it out before and we are doing the same now. It hasn’t been easy, it wasn’t easy in the 1980s but after the pain came an extraordinary explosion of growth for every level of society: growth in wealth, incomes and well-being.

I benefited from this but so did many others: council tenants were able to own their own homes, a policy we have revived thanks to Grant Shapps, our new Chairman; a policy sadly forgotten under Labour. We have announced plans to build more homes without adding to the debt, boosting the construction sector and getting Britain back to work. This government has freed up planning regulations, creating a planning system that helps rather than hinders and is truly fit for the 21^st Century. Our changes to the planning system will boost growth without ruining the countryside. We are the controllers of our own destiny and the only limit is our own political will to change.

 I have travelled the world sealing crucial deals for British business which will create jobs back here in Britain. These were in no way connected to my mates.

There have been cuts to our Armed Services: a decision I personally regret but due to the billions of wasted Labour pounds that left a black hole in the defence budget. Under this Government we are sorting the mess out, securing Britain’s future. There was no money left but a Conservative Government will never hurt our country’s ability to defend itself. The army will be leaner, meaner but still one of the best equipped, most capable and admired armies in the world. Discussions are underway to renew Trident, keeping our country safe well into the 21^st Century and ensuring we remain a big player on the world stage.

Our brave troops will be withdrawing from Afghanistan leaving a safer, fairer country where girls can go to school alongside their brothers. There are still problems but through training the Afghan army I believe we will never again see the country as an international haven for the world’s worst terrorists. Thanks to the work of Theresa May the same is true of our own country. Under Labour the preaching of hate was deemed acceptable. Never again will Abu Hamza and his cronies be able to take over the streets of London and preach intolerance. We stand firm against hate, terrorism and those who seek to attack our way of life. Those are Conservative values.

With an ageing population we have had to take tough decisions on the NHS and pensions. These changes will ensure we can continue to pay our way in the world and not leave a legacy of debt for our children. The pensions system will be fairer as a result and pensioners can be safe in the knowledge that there will always be a safety net to look after those who have done the right thing and worked hard to save for their retirement. The NHS will offer the world’s best healthcare, combining the best of public and private practices. A health service truly fit for the 21^st Century, controlled by those who know best: GPs, free from the unnecessary, centralised bureaucracy of Labour.

In education Michael Gove has established a raft of new Free Schools, at a fraction of the cost of those new schools built under Labour, putting parents at the heart of their child’s education. Existing high-performing schools have been set free from bureaucracy by our extended Academies programme, allowing talented teachers to teach children as they see fit, not by ticking boxes. Renewed rigour in the exam system will allow the best to rise to the top and ensure fairness for all.

We have begun to fix the broken system we inherited from Labour. It has not been easy but I’m sure in the years to come you will see Britain growing again and delivering sustained prosperity for all, not just those at the very top.