Conservatives to arrange second HQ in Leeds

The Conservatives plan to open a second headquarters in Leeds, the get together’s co-chairman will announce later.

The brand new HQ – a northern counterpart to Conservative Marketing campaign Headquarters in London – is predicted to open subsequent 12 months, Amanda Milling will say, as she opens the get together’s “digital convention”.

Some MPs have urged the PM to set out a broad post-Brexit imaginative and prescient for the get together.

It comes as Boris Johnson has promised low-deposit mortgages to assist younger folks get onto the housing ladder.

In an interview with the Each day Telegraph forward of his get together’s four-day convention, the prime minister mentioned he had requested ministers to work up plans for encouraging long-term fixed-rate mortgages with 5% deposits.

“We’d like mortgages that may assist folks actually get on the housing ladder even when they’ve solely a really small quantity to pay by the use of deposit, the 95% mortgages,” he mentioned.

“I feel it might be completely revolutionary, significantly for younger folks.”

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The Conservative Marketing campaign Headquarters, in Westminster, London, is the place normal election campaigns are run.

It was identified for a few years at Conservative Central Workplace.

In keeping with BBC political correspondent Iain Watson, it homes press officers who undertake the extra political duties which civil servants can’t do – together with attacking opponents and rebutting opponents’ assaults.

It additionally liaises with the “voluntary get together” – the grassroots foot troopers – and raises funds for nationwide campaigning.

The Conservatives argue that the brand new Leeds headquarters will reinforce their dedication to ship for these in northern constituencies who voted the get together for the primary time on the normal election in December.

“This new headquarters will present the get together with a base on the coronary heart of the blue wall,” Ms Milling will say.

“As a result of we’re in it for the lengthy haul. “We’re decided to make the blue wall a part of the material of our get together and our nation.

“One of the best ways we are able to ship for folks there’s to be there.”

PA Media

Leeds in numbers

• 793,139ONS inhabitants estimate in 2019

• 3out of eight constituencies are held by the Conservatives

• 23out of 99 council seats are held by the Conservatives

Supply: Leeds.gov.uk

One of many said goals of the digital convention is to exhibit that the get together is listening to these voters who mentioned they have been merely lending their assist to the Conservatives.

There will probably be loads of discuss “levelling up” – in different phrases, doing extra to unfold funding and alternative past London and the South East.

However some lately elected Conservative MPs consider the time period is obscure and never simply understood by voters.

One of many 2019 consumption informed our correspondent: “We have to put flesh on the bones of this agenda – it has be about greater than a few shiny new rail stations.”

One other mentioned the prime minister needed to “increase his sights” and supply a longer-term imaginative and prescient, amid considerations over narrowing polls.

‘Home agenda’

Mr Johnson informed the Telegraph that he was decided to press forward with a “huge home agenda” and ship on Conservative manifesto guarantees, regardless of the continuing coronavirus disaster.

The prime minister has promised to create “Era Purchase” with low-deposit mortgages to assist get younger folks onto the housing ladder.

He has additionally insisted he stays a low-tax, libertarian Conservative who pays for the price of the pandemic by way of a “free market-led restoration”.

In the meantime, Mr Johnson dismissed newspaper reviews that he and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have been now rivals as “genuinely unfaithful”.

“We’re as one,” he mentioned.

Requested about his coronavirus technique, the prime minister mentioned “all of that is being stored below fixed overview”.

“If we make progress, all of those measures are able to being modified,” he mentioned.

New guidelines, resembling limiting gatherings to a most of six folks and limiting opening hours for hospitality venues, are among the many nationwide measures which were launched across the UK.

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Mr Johnson additionally provided some weight reduction recommendation, after shedding greater than two stone following his expertise contracting coronavirus earlier this 12 months.

In keeping with the paper, he now weighs 15st 8lbs – having been 17st 6lbs – and mentioned his prime tip was “eat much less, transfer extra, weigh much less”.

Mr Johnson has beforehand revealed he has employed a private coach to reduce weight after acknowledging he was “too fats” when he caught Covid-19.

The federal government’s spending plans to satisfy hospital pledge

Evaluation by Alice Aitken, BBC Actuality Test

Chances are you’ll keep in mind that the Conservatives pledged to construct 40 new hospitals of their 2019 election manifesto.

On the eve of the get together convention, the prime minister confirmed £3.7bn in funding for the mission – a rise on the £2.8bn beforehand introduced.

Six Hospital Trusts had already been promised £2.7bn in funding whereas 21 others got a share of £100m in seed funding to develop proposals.

On Friday these Trusts have been informed they may all be fully-funded to ship 25 new hospitals.

A brand new hospital at Shotley Bridge in Durham has been added to the checklist and the federal government can also be inviting bids for an additional eight schemes.

They are saying these new schemes imply 48 hospitals will probably be delivered by 2030.

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