9.45pm Melanchthon on CentreRight: Cameron's good start on the post-Lisbon world
7.30pm ToryDiary: Fourteen out of twenty for George Osborne's speech
7.30pm WATCH: Ken Clarke's message to Lord Mandelson – "Why on earth did you save GB for the nation? The nation is not grateful"
4.45pm Jonathan Isaby on CentreRight: Someone in Manchester didn't fix the roof while the sun was shining
4.15pm Local Government:
3.30pm ToryDiary: Cameron "caught" with glass of champagne
3pm ToryDiary: Guardian welcomes Osborne's speech but Right is more cautious
2.45pm WATCH Two clips from the Shadow Chancellor's speech this morning:
1.00pm Local Government: When will someone in Birmingham Council take responsibility for the social work shambles? Cllr Les Lawrence should resign.
12.45pm ToryDiary: One year public sector pay freeze is central pledge of George Osborne's deficit speech
12.15pm Jonathan Isaby on CentreRight: David Cameron went hunting. So what?
From Noon: LIVE BLOG OF GEORGE OSBORNE'S SPEECH
10.15am WATCH: David Cameron tells BBC Breakfast about Tory plans to raise the retirement age and how he is seeking savings elsewhere
Stephen Dorrell MP on Platform: The Conservatives "get" public service reform; Labour do not
Bob Greig in Seats and Candidates: Why I – a single Dad who has never voted Tory – now want to become a Conservative MP
Memories of conferences past on Platform: David Gold recalls when The Sun compared the party (and its leader) to a dead parrot
Nick Seaton in Local Government: More CTCs will be great news – but what about more grammar schools and independent schools?
WATCH: Tories plan pension age rise
Theresa Villiers promises to put a brake on number of speed cameras
"The Conservatives will today promise to halt the relentless rise in speed cameras which milk millions of pounds a year from motorists. Shadow Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers will warn that a Tory government will axe any funding for new cameras and halt the rolling out of hated average-speed checks. 'Labour's army of speed cameras is not the best way to make our roads safer,' she will say. 'We will switch to alternative, better ways to improve road safety. Labour's dependence on fixed speed cameras has blinded them to the effectiveness of alternatives. It is time to say enough is enough on fixed speed cameras – we have reached the high-water mark'." – Daily Mail
Tories plan to save £23 billion by axing 175,000 civil service jobs
"Senior Tories have drawn up plans for swingeing Whitehall cuts which could slash up to 175,000 Civil Service posts, the Daily Express can reveal. Shadow Cabinet Ministers have prepared audacious proposals for axing bureaucracy to reduce soaring Government debt and divert billions more to cash-strapped public services and the Armed Forces." – Daily Express
The Tories propose new civil service and parliamentary reforms
"The shadow Cabinet Office minister, Francis Maude, announced that private-sector executives would form the majority of new non-executive members of government department boards, and be handed powers to recommend the dismissal of permanent secretaries, the most senior civil servants in Whitehall… Measures proposed by [Sir George] Young include ending the Labour practice of government bills being automatically guillotined, so cutting the time available for detailed debate on bills; giving select committees more reserved time to launch Commons debates on reports; requiring ministers to give topical statements on the issues of the day, rather than relying on opposition-led debates to ensure topicality in parliament; and handing the Commons more control of the agendas so that motions backed by a large number of MPs would have to be debated on the floor of the house… The Tories announced plans to hold simultaneous referendums in 12 cities to see if there is public support for the new post of mayor." – The Guardian
> Yesterday in Parliament: Conservatives propose giving more power to Parliament over its business and establishing public consultation on legislation
Andrew Lansley vows to save £1.5 billion by cutting NHS red tape and targets
"The Conservatives would save £1.5 billion over four years by cutting back NHS bureaucracy, Andrew Lansley claimed today. The saving — one third of the health service’s administration budget — would be achieved by scrapping targets and making GPs more responsible for their budgets. Both reforms would improve patient care as well as save money, the Shadow Health Secretary said in his speech to the Conservative Party conference in Manchester." – The Times
George Osborne says the Tories would abolish NI for new companies…
"George Osborne has announced plans to abolish national insurance for new companies during the first two years of a Conservative government. The shadow Chancellor said that he believed the scheme would create 60,000 new jobs and send the message that "this country is open for business". – Daily Telegraph
> WATCH: George Osborne announces tax break for new businesses
…as the party unveils a "bold" jobs package
"David Cameron has unveiled what he proclaimed as "the biggest, boldest programme to get Britain working that this country has ever seen". The Tory package included a new promise to waive employer national insurance on the first 10 employees of any new business created within the first two years of a Tory government, which shadow chancellor George Osborne said could create 60,000 jobs. Other announcements included a chain of technical schools in England's biggest cities, 10,000 extra university places and a check-up on every Incapacity Benefit claimant to see whether they are really unfit to work." – Press Association
David Cameron tells Tory conference: 'We will not let Britain down'
"David Cameron insisted that allowing the Government to fail was not good enough for a Conservative Party that must convince the electorate to vote for "bold" change. In a surprise appearance on stage at the Tory conference in Manchester, the party leader told delegates “to go out and win” the next election." – The Times
> Rolling blog of policy announcements in Manchester
Boris defends the City's bankers and pleads for Crossrail's survival
"Boris Johnson has come to the defence of City bankers, saying they make a vital contribution to the British economy despite being "pariahs". The mayor of London said he knew he was "out on a limb" in praising bankers, whose excesses many blame for the financial crisis." – BBC
"Boris Johnson renewed his call for Crossrail to be protected by the Tories this morning as he announced a further £2.6bn cuts in Transport for London expenditure." – Building magazine
"Just hours after challenging the Tory leader with his renewed referendum call, Mr Johnson also threw down a tax-and-spend gauntlet to shadow chancellor George Osborne with a plan to slash £5billion from Tube costs and a freeze council tax bills. Underlining his status as the darling of the Tory rank and file, the London Mayor claimed to have found scope for massive savings by eliminating waste, keeping a lid on pay and getting rid of consultants. Mr Johnson urged the shadow chancellor to follow his lead in cutting Whitehall down to size and keeping taxes low." – Daily Mail
"EastEnders star Boris Johnson wowed the Tory conference by hinting at the sensational new plot line which he has scripted for his own character." – Andrew Gimson's sketch in the Daily Telegraph
The Standard's Paul Waugh posted the full text of Boris Johnson's speech
> Yesterday's ToryDiary: Boris tells George Osborne: If I can find savings in London, you can find savings in Whitehall
Steve Richards: Europe will be one of the great regrets of Cameron's career
"It may seem a little early to contemplate David Cameron's memoirs but I can imagine already what form the opening chapters will take. When he looks back at his years in opposition he will explain with justified satisfaction how he got his party off its knees and mounted a recovery. He will also express two big regrets. The first regret will take him back to his leadership campaign in 2005 when he pledged to take his party out of the main centre-right grouping in Brussels." – Steve Richards in The Independent
Tory leadership struggles to hold the European dividing line – The Times
Ken Clarke voices opposition to Europe referendum
"Ken Clarke risked widening Tory splits on Europe when he reminded the Tory party conference that he has previously declared himself “totally opposed” to referendums. The Shadow Business Secretary said people wanting to know his views on the Lisbon treaty should look at what he said in the House of Commons – where he called Tory desires to negotiate our relations with Europe “absolute fantasy”. However Mr Clarke refused to rule out campaigning for a “yes” vote if there was a vote on the treaty." – The Times
William Hague delivers battle cry for victory
"William Hague yesterday slammed Gordon Brown’s “empty, dispirited, shoddy, divided, burnt-out wreck of a Government” – but warned Tories they could not take general election victory for granted." – Daily Express
> WATCH: William Hague ridicules Lord Mandelson in his first of his addresses to the Conservative conference
Residential care scheme may need top-up payments, Tories admit
"Elderly people who pay £8,000 to join the Conservatives’ proposed residential care scheme may still have to pay annual top-ups, The Times has learnt. Andrew Lansley, the Shadow Health Secretary, called the scheme “a guarantee that absolutely all fees for permanent residential care would be waived for life”. However, the party acknowledged yesterday that it would set a ceiling on the benefits, meaning that an unknown number of elderly people would have to pay more to cover their fees." – The Times
> Saturday's ToryDiary: Pensioners will keep their home and get free residential care if they pay £8,000 insurance fee under Tory plans
Support for Labour is rooted in dislike for Tories
"A big majority of voters do not believe that the Conservative Party has really changed under David Cameron’s leadership but think that it is doing well mainly because of Labour’s unpopularity, according to a special conference poll for The Times. The Populus poll, carried out over the weekend before the start of the Conservative conference in Manchester, shows that a big part of the party’s support is negative and based on dislike of Labour, rather than positive enthusiasm for the Tories. It also suggests that the Cameron brand is stronger than that of the Conservative Party." – Peter Riddell in The Times
> Yesterday's ToryDiary: Before David Cameron only one in five voters deserting Labour switched to the Conservatives – it's now nearly all of them
Rachel Sylvester: There are mixed messages coming from Manchester
"The messages coming out of this conference are mixed. The Conservatives switch between hugging hoodies and mugging them, they alternate between promising to help the vulnerable and pledging a benefit crackdown on the “workshy”. As they struggle to combine Thatcherite instincts and One Nation rhetoric, they offer a confusing combination of optimism and pessimism. Even the backdrop to the conference platform keeps switching between glorious sunshine and gloomy black." – Rachel Sylvester in The Times
Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary and visit PoliticsHome.com for breaking political news and views throughout the day.