Tory party conference LIVE: Kemi Badenoch vows to ‘get Angela Rayner’ ahead of grilling

has as a “nuisance” who was determined to “punish Britain”.

Speaking as the Conservative Party’s annual conference got underway, the former Prime Minister accused the French President of “weaponising” the ongoing small boats crisis during his time in office.

In his forthcoming book, Mr Johnson recalled suggesting, although he claims he was “improvising”, a new road link across the English Channel to link the two countries.

However, he claims Mr Macron dismissed the idea with an abrupt “non”.

In an excerpt of Mr Johnson’s Unleashed published in the Mail on Sunday, the former PM said it seemed Macron was “suddenly appalled at the idea of all those rapacious Brits swarming across a bridge to his relatively underpopulated country”.

Ms Badenoch faced criticism from other candidates after she appeared to criticise maternity pay as “excessive”.

On Times Radio, the shadow communities secretary described statutory maternity pay as “a function of tax”, and said: “Tax comes from people who are working, we’re taking from one group of people and giving to another. This, in my view, is excessive.”

She sought to clarify matters subsequently, adding:

But speaking to Sky News on Sunday evening, saying maternity pay was “a good thing” and adding: “I don’t think it is excessive.”

She claimed there was “some mischief being made on social media trying to misrepresent me.”

Two candidates for the Tory leadership are to set out their stall on the main stage of the Tory conference, as former prime minister Liz Truss also makes her headline appearance.

Tom Tugendhat and Kemi Badenoch will face questions from party members in Birmingham, while Ms Truss is expected at a fringe in-conversation event on the second day of the four-day gathering.

The ‘ last conference in Birmingham in 2022 was dominated by Tory infighting over Ms Truss’s ill-fated mini budget.

The contest to replace as leader has taken centre stage at the party’s first conference since their general election defeat.

and Robert Jenrick, the other two candidates, will face questions on Tuesday, before all four contenders make speeches on Wednesday before the close of the conference.

All four candidates spoke at a reception for the Conservative Friends of on Sunday evening, setting out their support for the nation.

Kemi Badenoch has told she will be training her sights on the Labour deputy Prime Minister as she for being the next leader of the Conservative Party.

In a speech to the annual conference, which got underway today, Ms Badenoch, who rowed back initially suggesting she believed maternity benefits needed to be stripped back, also took several swipes at opponents , Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat.

She said: “We are going to get , we’re going to get Rachel Reeves and we’re going to get and to do that we need someone who’s going to cut through, somebody who is going to stand up to them and also face down Farage.

“Somebody who will resonate with the public. James thinks he’s the best – dream on, James. If you want change, vote for renewal, vote for Kemi.”

Stay tuned for regular updates from the Conservative Party’s annual conference in Birmingham.

This year’s event will enable all four leadership candidates – Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick, and Tom Tugendhat – to state their cases at what promises to be a lively debate.