Tory conference day one

The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith tweets:

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweets:

Following claims that a reporter was "spat at" by a protester earlier outside the Conservative party conference, TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady tweets:

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Greater Manchester Police and the TUC say 60,000 people took part in today's demonstration march outside the Conservative party conference in Manchester.

There were four arrests: one for assault, one for being drunk and disorderly, and two before the start of the march for obstructing police.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said he was pleased with how the event had gone.

He said:

Quote Message: 60,000 people exercising their democratic right, we'd call that a successful day

60,000 people exercising their democratic right, we'd call that a successful day

BBCCopyright: BBC

On the issue of holding a vote for UK military action in Syria, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond tells the BBC:

Quote Message: Parliament is not sitting at the moment - when we go back we will want to take soundings across Parliament, ensure we explain the position, brief people appropriately so they understand what’s going on - make the case we want to win the argument not just win the vote. We would like a broad consensus across the house. The tradition in this country has always been that when we send troops into combat - even if it is air strikes - that we do this on a bi-partisan basis and build a consensus behind it. I don’t think it will be healthy to start having party political differences on issues about national security like this.

Parliament is not sitting at the moment - when we go back we will want to take soundings across Parliament, ensure we explain the position, brief people appropriately so they understand what’s going on - make the case we want to win the argument not just win the vote. We would like a broad consensus across the house. The tradition in this country has always been that when we send troops into combat - even if it is air strikes - that we do this on a bi-partisan basis and build a consensus behind it. I don’t think it will be healthy to start having party political differences on issues about national security like this.

The BBC's assistant political editor tweets:

BBC Newsbeat politics reporter Greg Dawson tweets:

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Singer Charlotte Church addressed the rally in Manchester before the march.

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said restrictions in the Trade Union Bill were "the biggest attack on the democratic organisation of working people for 30 years". 

"This is about attacking our right to strike. And we say no way," she said.

Great Manchester Police tweets:

The BBC's political correspondent Tim Reid tweets:

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Unite general secretary Len McCluskey told the rally the protest was "sending a very clear message to this Tory Government" that they faced a fight. 

He said this would be easier because in Jeremy Corbyn, Labour has a leader "who will stand shoulder to shoulder with us".

Quote Message: If they think a fluke victory in which 75% of the electorate did not vote for them gave them a mandate to continue their cuts then they've got another thing coming. If they think they are going to have a smooth ride over the next five years, they've got another thing coming. There will be hundreds of thousands of people hounding them, snapping at them and resisting them.

If they think a fluke victory in which 75% of the electorate did not vote for them gave them a mandate to continue their cuts then they've got another thing coming. If they think they are going to have a smooth ride over the next five years, they've got another thing coming. There will be hundreds of thousands of people hounding them, snapping at them and resisting them.

Another Telegraph reporter at the conference says the protest had "turned nasty".

On Syria and the threat from the Islamic State group, also referred to as ISIL, Mr Fallon says:

Quote Message: ISIL recognises no borders and has to be taken on wherever it roots. So we shouldn’t leave it to French, Australian or American aircraft... Nor should anybody - including Russia - prop up the tyrant… Syria deserves to be free of ISIL and Assad.

ISIL recognises no borders and has to be taken on wherever it roots. So we shouldn’t leave it to French, Australian or American aircraft... Nor should anybody - including Russia - prop up the tyrant… Syria deserves to be free of ISIL and Assad.

It's Defence Secretary Michael Fallon's turn to talk to the conference now.

Quote Message: Our defence spending will now increase every year and we will meet that Nato target… not just this year or next year but every year of this decade.

Our defence spending will now increase every year and we will meet that Nato target… not just this year or next year but every year of this decade.

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Former universities minister David Willetts has told the BBC that he remains concerned that the reforms to tax credits should not damage incentives to work.

Mr Willetts, who is also the chairman of the think tank Resolution Foundation, said he also welcomed the national living wage.

Quote Message: We at Resolution are today producing figures that show that people on low pay are really going to gain from the national living wage and that's very important and very important for the message which the Conservative Party is putting out this week. But we do remain concerned that the reforms to tax credits should not damage incentives to work.

We at Resolution are today producing figures that show that people on low pay are really going to gain from the national living wage and that's very important and very important for the message which the Conservative Party is putting out this week. But we do remain concerned that the reforms to tax credits should not damage incentives to work.

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This delegate was left with egg on his face - and jacket - after one was thrown at him as he arrived for the start of the party conference. 

But at least he managed to keep a smile on his face.

BBC political correspondent Tim Reid says Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt was jostled by protesters outside the Tory conference.

"He was making his way into the venue in Manchester when anti-austerity marchers spotted him," our correspondent says.

"He had to be escorted into the venue by police through a barricade. He is now inside the secure zone."

AFPCopyright: AFP

Quote Message: Whatever the Labour leader says, this Conservative government will never sell out the Falkland islanders. Less than three years ago they voted almost unanimously to remain British... the Falkland islanders have every right to develop their economy and this Conservative government will back them every step of the way. from Philip Hammond Foreign Secretary

Whatever the Labour leader says, this Conservative government will never sell out the Falkland islanders. Less than three years ago they voted almost unanimously to remain British... the Falkland islanders have every right to develop their economy and this Conservative government will back them every step of the way.

The BBC's assistant political editor tweets from the conference:

One Telegraph political reporter at the conference says her colleague was "spat at" by a protester while they were outside.

Mr Hammond says the government "will meet the 2% target for defence spending".

He said that makes Britain "the only major country in the world" to hit international targets both on defence and overseas aid spending.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond tells the conference: "Finally my first as a minister in a proper Conservative government."

Describing last week's Labour conference as "the 80s revival gig in Brighton" and the Liberal Democrat conference as a "party in a phone box in Bournemouth", he says: "We are going to show the British people what a real party of government looks like."

Lord Feldman of Elstree, chairman of the Conservative Party, opened the conference. Of the party's election victory earlier this year, he said:

Quote Message: It was an extraordinary night, an amazing victory, we won for our country and everyone here can be so proud of the part that they played.

It was an extraordinary night, an amazing victory, we won for our country and everyone here can be so proud of the part that they played.

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The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith said: 

Quote Message: These curbs to tax credits will bring in around £4.5bn - now that’s a significant chunk of the £12bn of welfare savings the chancellor has penciled in so If he is going to backtrack on that he has got to find £4bn of welfare savings from elsewhere and we know clawing back from benefits is extraordinarily difficult. My sense is team Cameron want to hunker down on this one because they believe in time people will be better off once the national living wage kicks in at £9 by the end of this Parliament. Also with the projected increases in tax allowances but there is no doubt they are going to take a lot of heat over it in the short term.

These curbs to tax credits will bring in around £4.5bn - now that’s a significant chunk of the £12bn of welfare savings the chancellor has penciled in so If he is going to backtrack on that he has got to find £4bn of welfare savings from elsewhere and we know clawing back from benefits is extraordinarily difficult. My sense is team Cameron want to hunker down on this one because they believe in time people will be better off once the national living wage kicks in at £9 by the end of this Parliament. Also with the projected increases in tax allowances but there is no doubt they are going to take a lot of heat over it in the short term.

PACopyright: PA

Quote Message: Millions of low to middle income working families will be the victims of the chancellor's cruel tax credits snatch-and-grab next year. Ministers are punishing millions of working people who just want to provide for their children. The government must think again, admit tax credit cuts were a huge mistake, before millions of families suffer yet more pain under austerity. from Dave Prentis UNISON general secretary

Millions of low to middle income working families will be the victims of the chancellor's cruel tax credits snatch-and-grab next year. Ministers are punishing millions of working people who just want to provide for their children. The government must think again, admit tax credit cuts were a huge mistake, before millions of families suffer yet more pain under austerity.

PACopyright: PA

Singer Billy Bragg warmed up the crowd of protesters in Manchester with a set on stage.

He changed the lyrics to his best-known songs to add topical references such as "take the money from Trident and spend it on the NHS" and "these Tory cuts will get me the sack".

You can watch events at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester as they happen by clicking on the Live Coverage tab at the top right of this page.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon and International Development Secretary Justine Greening are all due to speak from 1400 BST. 

In the meantime, here is a rundown of today's main stories: 

• David Cameron tells the BBC's Andrew Marr Show cuts to in-work tax credits will go ahead despite calls from within his own party to think again 
• Mr Cameron announces a voluntary seven day contract for GPs in England
• Thousands of people attend an anti-austerity protest near the Conservative conference venue 
• David Cameron reveals, on the Andrew Marr Show, he would be prepared to use Britain's nuclear weapons
• He rejects an offer from Unite union leader Len McCluskey to accept higher strike ballot thresholds in return for allowing online voting, saying such a move would be open to fraud 
• Mr Cameron said he could not guarantee he'll get the changes he wants from his EU negotiations but there was nothing he could bring back that would satisfy some Eurosceptics in his party 

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Shadow international development secretary Justine Greening has told the BBC that families on minimum wage will be better off despite plans to cut tax credits.

Quote Message: When you look at not just the tax credits but the big tax reductions we've brought through, raising the personal allowance... when you look at the changes we're making on the national living wage - actually, by the end of this parliament, a family on minimum wage will actually be £2,400 a year better off

When you look at not just the tax credits but the big tax reductions we've brought through, raising the personal allowance... when you look at the changes we're making on the national living wage - actually, by the end of this parliament, a family on minimum wage will actually be £2,400 a year better off

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Speeches are due to start at 13:10 BST, with the rally expected to finish just after 15:00 BST. 

Those giving speeches include Frances O'Grady, general secretary of the TUC, and Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite.

ITV political correspondent Paul Brand has this video, taken from the rally. It shows some SSI workers are among those taking part.

Redcar's SSI steelworks is to be mothballed, with 1,700 jobs lost.

People have been gathering for an anti-austerity protest in Manchester - held to coincide with the start of the Conservative party conference. 

The TUC says it expects between 50,000 and 80,000 people to attend, with unions Unison, the NUT, GMB, USDAW, RMT and FBU represented.

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Here's David Cameron arriving for the first day of the Conservative Party conference. His speech will come on Wednesday, the final day.

This afternoon, the conference will hear from Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon and International Development Secretary Justine Greening.

Mr Goldsmith also says he's promised his constituents to fight off the threat of a third runway at Heathrow - and adds that he doesn't think it is a "politically-deliverable project".    

And he says he would be "mad" not to speak to Australian strategist Lynton Crosby,  who is set to advise him in his campaign, describing him as a friend of his.

"His job is to ensure a campaign is organised and disciplined," says Mr Goldsmith, dismissing claims Mr Crosby is too controlling.

He added that the "campaign is led by the candidate, not the campaign manager". 

Zac Goldsmith admits that standing for mayor of London was initially a "preposterous thing to even entertain".

"I did take some persuading," he adds.

The "extraordinary amount of support" he's had in London was enough to make him think he "wouldn't be wasting people's time", says Mr Goldsmith. 

He says Boris Johnson has a "fantastic legacy" as mayor. He wouldn't set out to be "Boris mark 2", describing Mr Johnson as "a unique figure in British politics". 

Earlier, David Cameron addressed concerns about tax cuts, saying other changes meant that working families on the minimum wage would be better off.

He rejected analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) which said that was "arithmetically impossible". 

Deputy director of the IFS Carl Emmerson defended their work today, saying: "We stand by what we have said.

"Our analysis is there for everyone to see."

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Zac Goldsmith, Conservative candidate to be the new mayor of London, says he was "thrilled" to be selected. 

But he accepts that what he describes as "the Corbyn revolution" will make his job harder. 

"There's no doubt something extraordinary happened in the Labour party that no one had anticipated," he says, comparing it to a "tsunami". 

It's the reason, he thinks, that Sadiq Khan was elected as the Labour candidate.

Quote Message: It doesn't mean that Londoners rush to the Corbyn camp. I don't believe that's happened at all, I don't believe that Britain has.

It doesn't mean that Londoners rush to the Corbyn camp. I don't believe that's happened at all, I don't believe that Britain has.

A lot of people have been "animated" by what happened and will throw themselves into the campaign, Mr Goldsmith believes.

Quote Message: As a campaiging machine, Labour is going to be formidable - it already is formidable. It makes our job harder, but I don't believe it changes the outcome.

As a campaiging machine, Labour is going to be formidable - it already is formidable. It makes our job harder, but I don't believe it changes the outcome.

The unauthorised biography, due to be published tomorrow, came up earlier when David Cameron was interviewed by Andrew Marr. 

Mr Cameron said: "I think everyone can see why this book was written. The author wrote an article himself explaining why he was doing this."

Quote Message: I think everyone can see through it, so frankly I am not going to dignify it with individual responses. I think people have had a look and they have made their mind up.

I think everyone can see through it, so frankly I am not going to dignify it with individual responses. I think people have had a look and they have made their mind up.

Isabel Oakeshott, co-author (with Lord Ashcroft) of a controversial new biography of David Cameron, replies: 

BBC News assistant political editor Norman Smith has made a short video on what David Cameron's five conference headaches could be... 

The Conservative party conference will open this afternoon. But what can we expect from the four-day event? 

BBC political reporter Pippa Simm has this guide to what's likely to come up in the next few days. 

It includes a full run-down of who is making speeches and when. 

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Business secretary Sajid Javid was asked about the situation at Redcar steelworks, which is to be mothballed with the loss of 1,700 jobs.

Accused of hanging the steelworks "out to dry" by refusing to keep the ovens going, he told Andrew Neil: "We don't own the ovens. They're owned by a company in Thailand."

That company, SSI UK, which has a Thai parent company, has now gone into liquidation.

Quote Message: If we put a single pound of British taxpayers' money into the company there's no guarantee that it would help a single British worker.

If we put a single pound of British taxpayers' money into the company there's no guarantee that it would help a single British worker.

Quote Message: It would help the banks in Thailand, and I'm not going to use British taxpayers' money to bail out Thai banks.

It would help the banks in Thailand, and I'm not going to use British taxpayers' money to bail out Thai banks.

Instead, he said his party was "providing workers with whatever support we can".  

There's been a fair amount of talk on tax credits today.

But what exactly are they? Read our explainer here on how they work. 

And this guide explains just who will be affected by benefits changes.

APCopyright: AP

The prime minister, pictured with wife Samantha yesterday while watching a football match in his constituency, has said his party will introduce seven-day GP services by 2020. 

He's said today, in a statement issued by his party: "I think a seven-day NHS is a really exciting prospect, because as I say, parents and people in our country want to access the NHS on a seven-day basis. 

"Let me be clear, this doesn’t mean that all staff in the NHS have to work every seven days, it just means the services are available, so I can announce today that we will be publishing a new GP contract to get rid of the box ticking and the form-filling.”

Quote Message: Our plans for a truly 7-day NHS will transform services for millions of patients. It will offer hardworking taxpayers and families the security of the care they need at a time that is convenient to them.

Our plans for a truly 7-day NHS will transform services for millions of patients. It will offer hardworking taxpayers and families the security of the care they need at a time that is convenient to them.

In case you missed his interview with Andrew Marr earlier, David Cameron was also asked about the case of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, a young man arrested on a protest while still a teenager. 

He urged Saudi Arabia not to crucify and behead the man, saying his message to their government would be: "Don't do it."

Quote Message: We raised this case with the Saudis, as we raise all human rights cases with them, and we don't agree with the way that they go about these things.

We raised this case with the Saudis, as we raise all human rights cases with them, and we don't agree with the way that they go about these things.

Quote Message: We have never stood back just because they are partners when it comes to national security and have given us vital intelligence information that has stopped bombing attacks in Britain.

We have never stood back just because they are partners when it comes to national security and have given us vital intelligence information that has stopped bombing attacks in Britain.

Quote Message: But we never stint in telling them we don't agree with them on these human rights issues.

But we never stint in telling them we don't agree with them on these human rights issues.

Jeremy Corbyn had raised the issue in his first Labour party conference speech as leader, asking Mr Cameron to personally intervene.

Priti Patel says she "completely disagrees" with the notion that the Conservatives have been given a gift with the election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour party leader. 

"Let's not forget that six months ago we were in the thick of a general election campaign," she says. 

Labour are "doing what they're doing" while the Tories are "focusing on what we said we'd deliver on," the minister adds.

Lord Heseltine is now speaking on the show. 

Asked if David Cameron would ever campaign to take Britain out of the European Union, he replies: "I don't see that he would and he's made his intentions pretty clear. 

"He wants to secure arrangements that he can recommend to the British people."

But Lord Heseltine, saying that he believes Britain's position is "enhanced" as a member of the European Union, stresses:

Quote Message: David Cameron's not pro-European. I'm not pro-European. I'm pro-Britain.

David Cameron's not pro-European. I'm not pro-European. I'm pro-Britain.

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At the Conservative party conference, these journalists were careful not to miss a word of The Andrew Marr show by recording the interview on their dictaphones.

BBCCopyright: BBC

A reminder of one of the main lines to come out of the prime minister's interview with Andrew Marr. 

David Cameron said cuts to in-work tax credits would be going ahead - despite calls from within his own party for him to rethink. 

You can read the full story here.

Reports today have suggested as many as 18 ministers and former ministers could be considering standing as Tory leader. 

According to the Sunday Times, they include Theresa May, Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt, Chris Grayling, Graham Brady, Liz Truss, Andrea Leadsom, Justine Greening, Dominic Raab, Stephen Crabb, Anna Soubry, Penny Mordaunt and Priti Patel, all of whom are said to have discussed with friends the prospect of running.

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And on that subject, George Osborne - pictured here in Manchester on the eve of the conference - says he will "see how it flies" when David Cameron stands down as Tory leader.

He's spoken to the Mail on Sunday.

Quote Message: "I never look at him and go, 'I should be sitting there, he's occupying my Cabinet seat, he's stolen my birthright'. I owe it to him to do this job to the best of my ability until the day he stops being Prime Minister.

"I never look at him and go, 'I should be sitting there, he's occupying my Cabinet seat, he's stolen my birthright'. I owe it to him to do this job to the best of my ability until the day he stops being Prime Minister.

Quote Message: If I were for one moment to think, 'I'm not going to put this in my Budget because it might hinder my chance of becoming PM' or 'I'm going to avoid saying something controversial because there may be some Conservatives who don't like it and that might damage my chances' - if I ever thought like that I should be sacked.

If I were for one moment to think, 'I'm not going to put this in my Budget because it might hinder my chance of becoming PM' or 'I'm going to avoid saying something controversial because there may be some Conservatives who don't like it and that might damage my chances' - if I ever thought like that I should be sacked.

The guests on Pienaar's Politics today include Minister for Trade and Investment Lord Maude and Employment Minister Priti Patel. 

You can listen live here.

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David Cameron refuses to "dignify" the allegations in Lord Ashcroft's book with a response.

The book was written as an act of "revenge, as he says," says the PM on Lord Ashcroft's motives.

Asked about Ashcroft's claims he was promised a seat in the cabinet in return for large donations to the Tory party, he says the party needed money to clear its £28m debts. 

But he adds: "No one should end up in government because they are a donor. That would be wrong". 

And the fact Ashcroft did not get a job proves that the party did nothing wrong, he argues.

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"If you believe in the nuclear deterrent, as I do, you have to accept there are circumstances that justify its use," says David Cameron.

The PM is quizzed about the Ministry of Justice bidding for a contract to build a prison in Saudi Arabia - an issue raised by Jeremy Corbyn in his Labour leader speech in Brighton.

He says the UK does not support the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, but dodges the issue of the prison contract.

David Cameron urges Putin to "change direction" and back UK and US efforts to attack so-called Islamic state. rather than "backing the butcher Assad." which will lead to "more instability" and increasing tension.

"There is nothing I am going to bring back that will satisfy these people," says David Cameron, of demands by Eurosceptic Tories such as Owen Paterson.

Will he allow Tory MPs to campaign for an out vote?

The time to take that decision is when the negotiations have been completed, but cabinet ministers will be expected to back him, says Mr Cameron. That's "collective responsibility".

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David Cameron rejects Len McCluskey's offer to accept higher strike ballot thresholds in return for allowing online ballots.

The PM says online voting is too open to "fraud".

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David Cameron rejects calls to mitigate cuts to tax credits due to come in at the end of the year. It's part of a plan to let people keep more of the money they earn, when the National Living Wage comes in, he says.

It's going to be a "miserable Chrismas" for those families that get a letter saying their tax credits have been cut, suggests Andrew Marr.

Parliament has voted on it and people will be better off when the National Living Wage increases kick in, says Mr Cameron.

The government is publishing a new GPs contract, says David Cameron, to pave the way for a seven day NHS, with services on offer from 8am to 8pm

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David Cameron insists the Tory conference will not be an orgy of "back slapping" over their unexpected general election victory. There may be some mild celebrations, he concedes.

David Cameron says his party will not be distracted by Labour's apparent move to the left under Jeremy Corbyn

Quote Message: As others are losing their heads and lurching off, we will be in the common ground delivering for the working people of Britain

As others are losing their heads and lurching off, we will be in the common ground delivering for the working people of Britain

Len McCluskey neatly sidesteps the issue that dominated the end of the Labour conference - Jeremy Corbyn's refusal to push the nuclear button if he becomes PM.

Mr McCluskey, who like other big union leaders does not want to scrap Trident because it will cost jobs, says it is all "hypothetical stuff" because it the UK could not fire its weapons without US approval.

He urges Labour MPs not to "fall into the trap" of arguing about Mr Corbyn's stance on renewing Trident because it's all going to be decided in Parliament next year.

Len McCluskey once again reserves the right for his members to break the law in protests, as Andrew Marr predicts a "shouty" TUC march later in Manchester.

Len McCluskey has never met David Cameron, he reveals. Now's his chance.

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Unite leader Len McCluskey says he has written to David Cameron asking him to consider alllowing online ballots for strike action. He also says new trade union laws will only hit English workers. Perhaps Andrew can put this to the PM later, says Mr McCluskey.

Alex Salmond booked a BA flight under the name James T Kirk, according to the Mail on Sunday.

It causes some amusement on the paper review sofa.

Tory leadership fatigue is already setting in. Times journalist and former Tory MP Matthew Parris and Helen Lewis, from the New Statesman talk about a "three year beauty contest" to succeed David Cameron.

It's prompted by a Mail on Sunday profile of George Osborne, in which he reveals his fondness for gangster rap and tells how his son almost drowned when he was three. 

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David Cameron has promised to increase Britain's military capability to fight Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, including a doubling of the RAF's fleet of drones.

The prime minister also told the Sunday Telegraph the UK would spend hundreds of millions of pounds on state-of-the-art equipment for special forces.

He said it was essential to meet the terrorist threat facing the UK.

Last month, Mr Cameron announced an RAF-operated drone had killed two Britons linked to IS in Syria, describing the action as an "act of self defence".

Read more here.

Tens of thousands of people are expected at the TUC national rally and march in Manchester later. Buses are travelling from all round the country. 

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady will tell marchers that the Trade Union Bill is proof that the government is not on the side of working people.  

Hello and welcome from a grey and overcast Manchester on the first day of the Conservative Party conference. Stick with us for live coverage in text and video of David Cameron's appearance on the Andrew Marr show. Unite trade union leader Len McCluskey is the other big political guest.