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4 October 2011

Conservative conference lookahead | Tuesday 4 October

The who, when and where of the Conservative conference.

By Jenny Greenwell

Look Out For:

Theresa May’s speech at 11:10 . The Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equality is expected to announce a big change to current deportation rules. Mrs May is set to say that foreign offenders will be unable to use Article 8 of Human Rights Act and the “right to family life” to stay in Britain.

The new rules will mean that offenders can be deported regardless of whether they have family or children in the UK. The change comes after criticism from some Tories, who say that the article is widely misused by criminals, and that it prevents the deportation of extremists who may cause trouble at next years Olympic Games.

The crackdown will please the Tory faithful, many of whom have said that Article 8 is too lenient with foreign offenders. But it won’t go down well with human rights groups, who will criticise the new plans for splitting up families and punishing children.

Also look out for Boris Johnson’s speech at 10:00. Always a Conservative party conference favourite, The London Mayor will be likely to concentrate on the lessons learned from August’s riots. Boris will announce the introduction of 25 new summer school “boot camps”, in a bid to prevent any future .

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Signs of Trouble:

Apart from the demonstration outside the Conservative Party Conference from Anti-cuts protesters, unions and animal rights activists, Andrew Lansley’s speech on the NHS is likely to become a flashpoint. The Secretary of State for Health will have defend the controversial health and social care bill, after 260 senior doctors and health experts recently called on the House of Lords to throw out it out, saying it will cause irreparable harm to the NHS. It will be a tough speech for Lansley, especially as recent rumours have suggested he will not survive the spring reshuffle.

On the fringe

Who should profit from the penal system?

The Secretary of State for Justice, The Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke QC, joins New Statesman Assistant Editor Sophie Elmhirst (chair), the Assistant General Secretary of NAPO Harry Fletcher, PJ McParlin, the Chairman of POA and the G4S Head of UK Care and Justice Richard Morris, to discuss Britain’s penal system, at a New Statesman fringe event. The debate will start at 18:30.

Conference Timetable

10:00 – Boris Johnson, Mayor of London

11.00 – Theresa May, Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equality and Kenneth Clarke, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice on Home Affairs

14.30 – Young People and Cities speech by Tim Loughton, Minister of State for Children and Families and Greg Clark, Minister of State for Communities and Local Government

15.15 – Speech on Schools by Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education

16.15 – Andrew Lansley, Secretary of State for Health speaks about the NHS.

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