Conservatives launch conference with towns funding pledge

Rishi Sunak has arrived in Manchester for what could be his last party conference before the next election.

Ahead of the four-day event, he announced £1.1bn of cash for towns the government says have been "overlooked".

However, the prime minister faces pressure from across his party over issues including tax cuts and HS2.

And on the eve of the conference, a prominent supporter, the boss of Iceland supermarkets, announced he was quitting the party.

In a parting shot, Richard Walker accused the party of having "lost its way".

Mr Walker had been hoping to become a Conservative MP and was on the party's list of approved parliamentary candidates, but announcing his resignation on Saturday, he labelled the Tories "out of touch".

Elsewhere, some Tory MPs want tax cuts and Mr Sunak's predecessor, Liz Truss, will use a speech on the fringes of the conference to demand a reduction in corporation tax.

Speaking to the BBC's Politics East programme, the former prime minister said she believed the Conservatives could still win the next election providing they can show that that they have a vision for the future.

She said people "never vote on the past" but on who they think will do the best job in the future.

Ms Truss also praised the prime minister saying he had made "positive progress" with his announcements on changing some of the targets for net zero adding "but I want to see him do more on that front".

"I now want to see more action to open up our oil and gas supplies in Britain including using shale gas - we do need to make energy cheaper."

Speaking to the same programme, former Home Secretary Priti Patel said: "I think the country has looked at our party in government over the last 12 months and seen some pretty disappointing behaviour."

She added that the public would be thinking: "What on earth is going on with those MPs in Westminster?"

Also looming over this conference in Manchester is the question of the completion of the HS2 high-speed rail line to the city.

Mr Sunak has repeatedly refused to say if the will run from Birmingham to the North West.

Two former Tory prime ministers, Theresa May and Boris Johnson, have warned against the move. Mr Johnson argued it would a "betrayal of the North of England".

Cabinet ministers Kemi Badenoch and Suella Braverman also want a debate on whether to leave the European Convention on Human Rights.

Speaking to the Sunday Times Ms Badenoch said the option of quitting the European Convention on Human rights should be "on the table".

Mr Sunak will not make his main speech until Wednesday, however to mark the start of the conference, the government has announced £1.1bn of funding aimed at regenerating high streets and tackling anti-social behaviour.

The money will be shared between 55 towns - including Torquay, Rotherham and Kilmarnock - with each getting £20m over a decade.

Mr Sunak said politicians had focused on cities while taking towns "for granted".

"The result is the half-empty high streets, rundown shopping centres and anti-social behaviour that undermine many towns' prosperity and hold back people's opportunity - and without a new approach, these problems will only get worse."

He said the money would put funding "in the hands of local people" adding "that is how we level up."

The money - which is separate from the levelling up fund - includes money for seven towns in Scotland and four in Wales.

The government says it would work on determining the best approach with the Northern Ireland government, once devolution had been restored.

The department said the money had been allocated based on the Levelling Up Needs Index, which measures metrics including skills, pay and health.