Speaking at Tory conference, former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott said: “You have a right as a sovereign nation to protect yourself from what is in effect a peaceful invasion.

“So whether it’s bringing back the Rwanda possibility, or possibly establishing processing centres in British dependent territories like Ascension Island or somewhere like that as opposed to putting people up in nice hotels in nice towns in Britain.

“Whether it’s holding people in a mothership on the English Channel and putting them in unsinkable life rafts with just enough fuel to get back to France in the middle of the night, or whether it’s conducting very vigorous mafia-busting operations in northern France.

“Britain has to get serious about this and it’s going to involve deeply upsetting the French but Britain has got a lot of experience in that department and it needs to happen again.”

Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge has branded Labour’s plan to procure up to 12 submarines “a fantasy” and claimed that the Government is using “smoke and mirrors” to make defence spending look bigger than it is.

In his Tory conference speech, he said: “Labour’s big headline from their strategic defence review was to procure up to 12 attack submarines by the 2040s.

“Now that’s a key phrase: up to 12 submarines. I could promise to buy up to 12 Ferraris, but it won’t happen if I haven’t got the money.

“Unlike my Ferraris, those submarines are a fantasy, because the money to pay for them doesn’t exist.

“Strong defence needs a strong economy. Instead, we have Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer unable to cut welfare and deliver the cash that defence needs.

“As a result, they’ve had to resort to smoke and mirrors to make defence spending look bigger than it really is.

“Because if Labour get their way, defence spending could soon be redefined to include rural broadband, the Lower Thames crossing and civil scientific research vessels. I kid you not, in future, UK defence spending could include Boaty McBoatface.”

James Cartlidge has criticised Reform UK leader Nigel Farage for “blaming Nato for provoking Putin” when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Speaking at Conservative Party Conference, the shadow defence secretary said: “There are those who claim that Nigel Farage’s party are the true conservatives, but let us remind ourselves what happened when Putin launched his all-out invasion.

“On that day, what did Farage do? Whose side was he on as our continent was suddenly threatened with war for the first time since 1945? That day, he chose to blame Nato for provoking Putin.

“What did we do that day? Instead of blaming our closest allies, we took real action to defend freedom by arming the Ukrainians at lightning speed.

“NLAW anti-tank weapons, half a million artillery shells, the first government to provide main battle tanks and Storm Shadow missiles, and by training 50,000 Ukrainian soldiers.

“This is what it means to be a true conservative – standing up to Putin, just like Churchill did to Hitler, Thatcher to Galtieri and in this party, we will always stand up for freedom and be prepared to defend it.”

Robert Jenrick urged the Conservative Party “survivors” of the 2024 election to “get behind Kemi” when questioned about whether he still harboured leadership ambitions.

The shadow justice secretary told a live recording of the Telegraph’s Daily T podcast at the Tory party conference: “We’ve suffered our worst ever election defeat just over a year ago, and we are in the foothills of turning this party around.

“Being Leader of the Opposition in this situation is an immensely difficult and challenging task, and what we have to do, those of us who are in Parliament, the designated survivors of the Conservative parliamentary party, those of you who are members and supporters of the party here today, is get behind Kemi.

“Give her the support that she deserves so that she can do the difficult job of rebuilding this party.”

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy accused Robert Jenrick of attacking “British values” by threatening to “trash the institutions and traditions that hold our country together.”

Responding to the shadow justice secretary’s speech to Conservative party conference, Mr Lammy, who is also Justice Secretary, said: “Robert Jenrick calls himself a patriot, but he tramples on the British values he claims to defend.

“He calls himself a Conservative, but he threatens to trash the institutions and traditions that hold our country together.

“The independence of judges from politicians is not optional. It is the cornerstone of British democracy. When politicians start deciding which judges can stay or go, that is democratic backsliding and Robert Jenrick knows it.

“Unlike Robert Jenrick, the public knows Britishness isn’t about retreating into suspicion or judging people by the colour of their skin. It’s about pride in what we build and contribute together.

“While the Conservative Party feeds off division and decline, Labour is delivering the patriotic renewal our country needs.”

Rob Jenrick concludes his speech with a rallying cry to Tory activists.

“Conference, every tide turns. I can feel Britain’s fortunes turning. So let’s pick ourselves up. Let’s dust ourselves down. Let’s draw on Britain’s greatness to make it greater still.

“Let’s fight for a future, let’s build this new order. Let’s take our country back.”

Reform UK has a seven-point lead in a new YouGov poll with 27%.

Labour is second on 20%, while the Tories and Lib Dems are joint third with 17%.

He cites young people fleeing to Australia and Dubai, not just because of the better weather.

He says Britain may be “down, but not out”, because “there is a better way”.

“There is so much good in our country worth fighting for. We’ve got so much to cherish about who we are.”

Jenrick says the Tories will restore the office of Lord Chancellor to its “former glory”,

“We will reverse the constitutional vandalism of Tony Blair and New Labour.

“The Lord Chancellor will once again appoint the judges, no more quangos!

“And they will be instructed never to permit political activists of any political hue to don the wig ever again.”

Robert Jenrick has hit back after Labour politicians including Attorney General Richard Hermer criticised him for attacking judges.

“Labour just don’t get it, they really don’t.”

He says Britain has a problem with biased partisan judges. He’s uncovered dozens of judges with open borders charities who fight to keep illegal migrants in this country while serving as judges.

“It’s like finding out halfway through a football match that the ref is actually a season ticket holder for the other side.”

He says they dishonour the entire justice system and they must have “no place in our justice system”.

He says the Tories will abolish immigration tribunals entirely.

“In ways that matter most profoundly, the fantasists mascarading as experts are seeing their myths busted.

“The people got it right, while they got it wrong. Wrong on mass migration, wrong on free speech, wrong on net zero, wrong on two tier justice, make no mistake the old order is collapsing.

“For too long the chattering classes drowned out the voice of the people. Our job conference is to make sure that the people’s will prevails.”

He warns it won’t be easy.

Robert Jenrick says “we all knew Keir Starmer would be a bad Prime Minister, but I don’t think anybody knew he would be this bad.

“He’s combined the management style of David Brent, with the adminstrative grip of Blackadder’s Baldrick.

“He’s proven himself to be a freebie-grabbing, free speech stifling, criminal releasing, tax raising, farmer-hating, Brexit-betraying, aspiration-sapping, sorry excuse for a leader.

“This is someone who makes a hole in the air look substantial. Peter Mandelson appears trustworthy, and Mr Bean look like a model of competence and grip.

“But despite all this, and this might surprise you, I think we’ve got reason to be optimistic.”

Jenrick on the Manchester Synagogue attack last week – “Thoughts and prayers yes, absolutely. But I don’t know about you, I’m fed up with platitudes.

“I believe in justice and action.”

He adds a Britain without our Jewish neighbours and friends “is not Britain”.

Jenrick says it’s “not all doom and gloom”.

He received good news last month from Angela Rayner – “Keir Starmer’s emergency reshuffle – otherwise known as ‘phase 2’ – led to a great privilege for me.

“I now shadow a new justice secretary – David Lammy.

“Now David Lammy has a somewhat chequered past. You might recall his appearance on Celebrity Mastermind.

“You do not need to be lawyer that that is a violation of the trade descriptions act.

“He was asked which famous blue cheese is paired with port. He replied, ‘Red Leicester’.

“It gets worse – ‘which Marie won the Nobel Prize for physics. He replied instantly, ‘Marie Antoinette’!

“And my personal favourite – ‘Which monarch succeeded Henry VIII?’ His answer? ‘Henry VII’.

“I’m not sure MasterMind was the show for David. Perhaps he could try Pointless. He would work as both a contestant and an answer’

Jenrick says he wants to tell the story of “four famous blondes” who tell the predicament the Tory Party is in today and how “we’re going to get out of it”.

He admits it’s currently “tough being a Tory”.

– Michael Fabricant who went on Big Brother lasted four days

– Emily Hewertson who went on Big Brother lasted 11 hours

– He says he’s now heard a third Tory blonde is in negotiations to enter the Big Brother house – Liz Truss

But he jokes the negotiations have broken down because shes’ asking to be paid by the minute.

“Too soon, perhaps, too soon.”

– Fourth is not Margaret Thatcher or Boris Johnson, but Lord Hesseltine.

Jenrick says he and Hesseltine “do not agree on everything”, but he told him that as a young man in opposition in the 70s he would wake up every morning and ask his wife ‘how am I going to fight, fight, fight Labour today’.

“And at the end of the day he would lie in bed again and ask his wife ‘tomorrow how am I going to fight, fight, fight Labour’.

“Now I don’t say that to my wife in bed, but I do think it.”

Robert Jenrick receives standing ovation as he arrives on stage for his speech.

One of the councillors who defected to Reform UK said he was “embarrassed to wear the badge” of the Conservatives.

Four Gravesham Borough Council Tories have announced their move to Reform UK, including Aaron Elliott.

Mr Elliott said on Facebook: “As a group, we could no longer sit back and watch our country go down the pan.

“Years of failure at a national level from both Labour and the Conservatives left us, through no fault of our own, embarrassed to wear the badge.

“We’ve seen much of our electorate move to Reform UK, largely in line with our values, while the Conservative Party in Westminster has drifted away.”

A London Assembly member has heckled a debate on gender identity at the Conservative party conference.

Andrew Boff, who was sitting in the front row, said the event was “not a debate” and views being presented by the panel were “one sided”.

But former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies insisted she would not apologise for standing up for women’s and girls’ rights.

She said: “I heard this gentleman down here and please, you’re very welcome to stand up, I have no problem with inclusion.

“However, no trans woman has ever been excluded from sport, they’ve just been asked to compete where it’s fair.”

Chris Philp has vowed that the Conservatives would triple stop and search by allowing it to be carried out without suspicion in crime hotspot areas.

The Shadow Home Secretary said: “It’s insane that the smell of cannabis alone, or somebody wearing a menacing mask alone, does not generally allow, legally, a stop and search.

“Now in my view, a single suspicion indicator should be enough.

“So, in our hotspot areas, we will allow routine stop and search without suspicion. Anyone can be searched.

“We will change the law to do this, and we will triple the use of stop and search. Lives will be saved and knives will be taken off our streets. We have the courage to do that, Labour does not.”

Chris Philp promised that the Conservatives will hire 10,000 extra police officers if elected.

He told the party conference: “We commit today to hiring 10,000 extra police officers at a cost of £800 million a year, funded by some of the Chancellor’s savings announced on Monday.

“These 10,000 extra police officers will catch more criminals, and they will protect our streets. That is our commitment.

“And we will use some of these extra officers to deliver surge hotspot policing in 2,000 high-crime neighbourhoods around the country.

“They will deliver eight million hours of hotspot surge patrolling and prevent 35,000 crimes by doing so.

“Every area where there is a serious crime problem should have intensive hotspot patrolling all year round. That will deter crime and it will catch criminals. So we will mandate this hotspot patrolling.”

Nigel Farage has spoken out after Reform UK announced the defections of 20 Conservative councillors to his party.

He wrote on X: “This morning we announced that 20 Conservative Councillors have defected to Reform UK. The Conservative Party is finished.”

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp has pledged to scrap the “absurd” anti-racism commitment plan published by the College of Policing and the Police Chiefs’ Council.

He told Conservative members: “Now, what I’ve got to tell you now will shock you.

“There is a so-called anti-racism commitment plan published by the College of Policing and the Police Chiefs’ Council that literally says policing should not be colour blind. Let me be clear, yes, it should!

“Treating racial groups differently to engineer the same arrest rate, even if the offending rates are different, is immoral, plain wrong. People should stand equal before the law. It is that simple.

“Woke nonsense in policing has to end and, as home secretary, I will scrap that absurd document.”

Chris Philp has said that the Tories would ensure “sustained negative net migration” by setting a binding annual cap on immigration that is voted on by Parliament.

The shadow home secretary also said his party would ensure that those who have come to the UK to work, but have not worked or worked on low wages, leave when their visa expires.

In his Tory conference speech, he said: “Let me say this: the days of mass low-skill migration has to end.

“And that is why we will ensure that those who have come already to work, but have then not worked or have only worked on low wages, they must leave when their visa expires.

“And that is why only those who are making a contribution can stay here permanently, and those who are not citizens cannot expect to receive any benefits funded by taxpayers.

“And that is why we will set a binding annual cap on immigration, voted each year by our sovereign Parliament, and a Conservative government will set that cap at a low level to ensure that more people leave than arrive.

“And that means we will deliver sustained negative net migration.”

Nigel Farage has branded the Tory party ‘finished’ after he revealed a whopping 20 councillor defections to Reform.

Taking to X, Mr Farage said: “This morning we announced that 20 Conservative Councillors have defected to Reform UK.

“The Conservative Party is finished.”

The full list includes councillors from up and down the country, including former Tory Party press officers and government special advisers.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said she does not believe shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick is “racist” and was just talking about what he saw, after he said he “didn’t see another white face” during a visit to an area of Birmingham.

She said: “In and of itself, it’s a factual statement. If he said he didn’t see another white face, he might have been making an observation. There’s nothing wrong with making observations.

“But what he and I both agree with is that there are not enough people integrating. There are many people who are creating separate communities.”

She added: “I heard that one of the MPs of that area was accusing him of racism. I completely disagree with that. I want to make that very clear.

“In fact, I’m quite worried about these sectarian MPs who’ve been elected in Birmingham, very, very divisive politics, people who are more interested in talking about Gaza than what’s happening in the UK.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch brushed off a string of councillor defections to Reform UK.

Nigel Farage’s party released the names of councillors switching parties while Mrs Badenoch conducted a series of broadcaster interviews.

The Conservative leader told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I’m always very sorry to lose people from the party, but as you can see from this conference, we are changing the Conservative Party talking about a stronger economy, stronger borders.

“Reform is a party that wants to spend more on welfare. We know there’s some Conservatives who agree with those policies, on increased welfare, on nationalisation and if that’s what they think is right for them, then we’re sorry to lose them. But we need to make it very clear that we are the party of fiscal responsibility.”

Reform UK is announcing a series of Conservative councillor defections to the insurgent party this morning.

Kemi Badenoch said she would take “a step back” if she thought someone else had the ability to “turn our country around”.

She told Times Radio she was “making a sacrifice” by not seeing her children “as much as I would like” because “this job is really important”.

She added: “We need to turn our country around, and we’re the only party that can deliver that stronger economy and stronger borders that this conference is about.

“If I thought someone else could do it, then I’d be taking a step back. I think that I’m the right person and I’m the best person.”

Robert Jenrick said he wants to have an “open, honest” conversation about integration in the UK after comments emerged that he made about not seeing another white face in Handsworth, Birmingham, earlier this year.

The shadow justice secretary told Sky News: “I want to live in a country which is well integrated. I want people to be living side-by-side, I never want to see segregated or even ghettoised communities. We want people of all skin colours, of all religions, to be living in harmonious, well-integrated communities with our kids growing up alongside each other.

“And I’m afraid in certain parts of the country, there are communities where that just isn’t the case, and parts of Handsworth in Birmingham, where I was earlier in the year, a place I know quite well, growing up in the West Midlands, just don’t resemble that. That makes me very worried.”

Kemi Badenoch warned “identity politics will destroy our country”.

Robert Jenrick blasted the Sentencing Council, accusing it of creating a two-tier justice system.

“The Sentencing Council is not fit for purpose. Never again can the British people face the prospect of two-tier justice.

“We are slipping into a two-tier nightmare under Keir Starmer.

“All too frequently the law is not applied equally. No more – every single person in this country must be treated exactly the same, regardless of their background.

“The public are sick of voting for tougher sentences and getting the opposite. So, in future the Justice Secretary, accountable to Parliament, will be responsible for setting sentencing policy. No longer will an unaccountable quango be able to subvert the will of the British people for criminals to be properly punished.”

Highlighting the crisis in the justice system, Robert Jenrick will warn judges, under law, can lock up burglars for 14 years.

But the Sentencing Council says thieves who break into someone’s home should be imprisoned for between 0 and six years – a staggering difference of 57%.

And thugs who attack emergency workers can be jailed for up to two years.

But sentencing guidelines handed to judges states they should be locked up for 12 months.

Kemi Badenoch denied that the Conservatives had struggled to fill seats at the party’s conference.

Asked whether she was worried that the main had been half empty for many speeches, she said it was “simply not true” and that there had been “standing room only” when she addressed the gathering on Sunday.

She told BBC Breakfast: “We have had our fringes very full. People have been complaining to me about having to queue to get in.

“You can hear my voice is hoarse. I was at an absolutely packed Young Conservatives event where we were singing Sweet Caroline. I probably shouldn’t have been doing that.

“We’re having a great time, and I’m really pleased with the number of people who have come to our conference.

She added: “A lot of the people who came just because we were in government, the corporate lobbyists, yes, they’re not there, but our members are here. This is one of the first conferences I’ve been to where it has really felt like the members owned it, and I’m really proud of that.”

Robert Jenrick will vow to abolish the Sentencing Council to tackle “two-tier justice” in his speech to Tory conference today.

The shadow justice secretary will also pledge to crack down on “pro-migration bias” in the judiciary, by sacking lawyers who are involved in “political activism”, such as campaigning for open borders, according to The Telegraph.

It comes as Mr Jenrick called on judges to come down on “scumbags that shoplift and burgle” like a “ton of bricks”, telling the Daily Express: “I believe in the broken window theory of policing – if you allow so-called low-level crime it will only spiral.”

It is the third day of the Conservative Party conference in Manchester.

Speakers including shadow home secretary Chris Philp and shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick.