The Prime Minister, David Cameron, and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers, rallied NI Conservatives at the Northern Ireland reception at the party conference in Birmingham, this evening. The event was sponsored by the FSB, whose chairman, Wilfred Mitchell, also spoke,
“It’s absolutely critical that we keep offering people in Northern Ireland a meaningful say in Westminster politics and a chance to vote for a national party”, Mr Cameron emphasised. “NI Conservatives can also play a big role in the debate on welfare reform, which is so important for the governance of your part of the UK. This is the right thing to do - it’s the right way to get people into jobs, rather than consigning them to dependency on benefits, as the statistics in Great Britain prove so starkly. That is the Conservative message and it’s important that we say it loudly and clearly in Northern Ireland.”
Theresa Villiers thanked local Conservatives for “working so hard for the Conservative cause in Northern Ireland”. She noted that, “Northern Ireland is excelling in so many fields, including the outstanding performances of our golfers in Gleneagles.”
Ms Villiers described the NI Conservatives as a, “moderate, common sense voice in the politics of Northern Ireland. Something which is absolutely vital and I will support you 100% in your efforts, as we look to get an outright Conservative majority at the General Election.”
NI Conservatives chairman, Harry Cullen, said that the party is “the party of aspiration, the party of business and the party of getting on.”