Tory conference 2018: a look back at Theresa May's speech from last year

James Morris30 September 2018
WEST END FINAL

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All eyes will be on Theresa May next week as she delivers her keynote speech at the 2018 Conservative party conference.

Mrs May will be giving her main address to the conference on the final day on Wednesday.

The Prime Minister will be hoping for no repeat of her disastrous speech at last year's conference, which was marred by a prankster and the PM suffering a coughing fit.

Campaigners marching for a “Final Say” second referendum on Brexit are also expected to be out in force for most of this year's event in Birmingham.

The first day's agenda includes an opening speech from Party Chairman Brandon Lewis at 2pm.

Afterwards there will be speeches from International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

But the main focus of the conference will be the Prime Minister who last year delivered one of the most disastrous political speeches in living memory.

It went so badly that commentators questioned how long she could carry on in the top job, while backbencher Grant Shapps launched a failed coup.

One year on, Mrs May is still in power despite a string of turbulent developments in British politics including her Chequers Brexit deal and Windrush.

Here is a look back at the implausible series of disasters that ruined her big speech 12 months ago.

Prankster’s P45

A security breach meant comedian Simon Brodkin, well known for pranks on public figures, was able to interrupt the Prime Minister's speech and hand her a mock P45 form.

Ms May, facing mutiny following the Tories’ disastrous general election months beforehand, took the document and put it on the floor.

Simon Brodkin is removed from the conference hall after handing Theresa May a mock P45
Peter Bryne/PA

Mr Brodkin, who performs under the alias Lee Nelson, quipped that the P45 was “from Boris”. He was arrested but police took no further action.

‘Ahem’

Theresa May coughs as she delivers her keynote speech last year
Peter Bryne/PA

Soon after the P45 stunt, Ms May suffered her infamous coughing fit.

The Prime Minister battled on, but the speech was marred by an awkward series of pauses, croaks and wheezes.

She even had to take a cough sweet on stage, handed to her by chancellor Philip Hammond. When the cough persisted, she jokingly had a pop at him for not curing her problem.

‘Buiding a cntry tha orks or ryone’

An 'f' was the first letter to drop from the slogan behind Ms May
Peter Bryne/PA

As if the speech couldn’t have appeared any more amateurish, lettering from the Tories’ main conference slogan, behind Ms May’s spot on stage, began falling off.

“Building a country that works for everyone” eventually became “Buiding a cntry tha orks or ryone”.

Boris Johnson

Amber Rudd sat next to Boris Johnson at the conference
Joe Giddens/PA

Ms May’s authority had already taken a battering in the space of one speech. But a set-to between then-home secretary Amber Rudd and then-foreign secretary Boris Johnson managed to damage it even more.

A stern-looking Ms Rudd was filmed apparently having to cajole Mr Johnson into standing up to applaud the Prime Minister’s speech.

Visit eveningstandard.co.uk/politics for all the latest on the 2018 Conservative conference.

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