Standing ovation for Digby

THERESA May led a standing ovation for Gordon Brown’s former trade minister yesterday after he called for the country to unite behind her and called Brussels bureaucrats “bully boys”.

Lord Digby Jones, a former director general of the CBI who served in the last Labour government, was cheered by Tory members when he said if there was another EU referendum he would vote Leave again.

Poking fun at the Remainers demanding another poll he said: “I’ll give you another vote if we can make it the best of seven.”

But he called for party members to back Mrs May’s “pragmatic” Chequers plan with a common rule book with the EU for a “business friendly Brexit”.

The leading business figure, who does not belong to a political party, was welcoming the Tories to his home city Birmingham with a plea to see Brexit through and to stop Jeremy Corbyn. PHILIP Hammond will today pledge an extra £125million to get youngsters on the path to career success by helping businesses offer more apprenticeships.

In his conference speech the Chancellor will announce a scheme to encourage large employers to help set up apprenticeship programmes in smaller firms in their supply chains.

He will also announce £30million to encourage big business to mentor small business, in a drive to share best practice.

Foreigners and firms paying their tax abroad will be charged more stamp duty to buy homes in the UK to stop them pricing Britons out of the housing market, Theresa May told BBC’s Andrew Marr yesterday.

Mrs May also set out plans for a post-Brexit, modern-day nationwide Festival of Britain in 2022 to “showcase what makes our country great today”.