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IT’S ON!
Tory conference goes ahead as Commons sits By Lyell Tweed
The Conservative Party Conference will go ahead, a party spokesman has confirmed. Parliament voted against the Government’s motion requesting a recess in order to hold their conference without parliamentary proceedings continuing early on Thursday afternoon. The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman, as tweeted by BBC political correspondent Chris Mason, stated that the PM was ‘disappointed’ about the result of the vote, which had thrown the conference itself into doubt. However, this was quickly followed up by a tweet which declared that the conference will go ahead ‘as planned’ as far as the party is concerned. A ‘Political Cabinet’ was immediately called by Johnson, which is typically used for discussing party political tactics. This confirmation of the conference proceedings immediately brought into question how and when MP would be sitting in Parliament during the conference. The leader of the house Jacob Rees-Mogg immediately announced non-controversial busi-
ness for when parliament resumes next week and ‘assumed’ that Johnson would attend Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday. It has since been announced by a Tory source that the Secretary of State Dominic Raab will take PMQs with Johnson instead of delivering his usual speech at the conference on that day. All that we know so far is that confusion is the order of the day’s play and much is yet to come in terms of announcements. The authorities are busy at work setting up the G-Mex and sur-
rounding hotels in Manchester city centre under the assumption that all goes ahead this coming Sunday. Protests have been planned and policy will still be being carved out to be announced in the coming days. Manchester businesses expected to have lost £32 million in the event of the conference being cancelled. The Conservatives still lead in the polls and will hope a Manchester convention can clear the wood for the trees after one of the most pivotal weeks in British political history.
Controversial French president Chirac dead at 86 By Liv Clarke
Former French President Jacques Chirac has died at the age of 86 in Paris. He had an enduring political career which has had a lasting impact on the people of France. Chirac began his political career as mayor of Paris before serving as Prime Minister from 1974 to 1976 and again He1986 was voted in as President of France from to 1988.
in 1995, following the presidency of François Mitterand and occupied the role until 2007 when Nicolas Sarkozy took over. During his time as President he was opposed to the United States invasion of Iraq in 2003, which reflected French public opinion on the situation. Chirac was an advocate of the European Union, leading the country to join the single European currency.
Preparations for the conference are still underway: Lyell Tweed
As a president he forced his country to confront its role during the Holocaust, breaking the silence of the occupation and apologising for France’s actions during the Vichy regime. Chirac engaged with the French public and took a hands-on approach, resulting in him being held highly in the public opinion. He managed to unite a France with a strong political divide. However, Chirac’s reputation was tar-
nished following accusations of embezzlement, during his time as Mayor of Paris. He was found guilty of corruption following a trial in 2011. Chirac suffered from a stroke in 2011, and suffered from memory loss during his later years. Politicians across Europe have responded to Chirac’s death. Former French President François Hollande revealed in a statement that “the French
people, whatever their convictions, have just lost a friend.” Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commision, was “moved and devasted” by Chirac’s death. Boris Johnson tweeted that “Jacques Chirac was a formidable political leader who shaped the destiny of his nation in a career that spanned four decades. His loss will be felt throughout France, across the generations.”