What a warm-up...methinks
ONE of the Government’s leastknown members found political stardom yesterday when his surprise turn as Theresa May’s warm-up act earned him a standing ovation.
Lawyer Geoffrey Cox electrified the gathering with a tour-de-force performance.
The 58-year-old MP for Torridge and West Devon, promoted after 13 years on the backbenches to become the Government’s chief legal adviser as Attorney General in July, arrived on stage unannounced – and unrecognised by most – to pave the way for the Prime Minister.
The QC gave her a hard act to follow, treating the conference to a speech which quoted The Rolling Stones and 17th-century poet John Milton, delivered without notes in booming, sonorous tones which Mrs May later suggested everyone would envy.
Strolling up and down the stage, he made it easy to imagine him prowling a court room in formal legal robes rather than his baggy-looking suit.
The Leave voter implored the party to unite behind Mrs May in her talks with Brussels, to “seize the prize that millions voted for in 2016”.
He urged hard-line Brexiteers to accept that the “nature of negotiation is, with apologies to the Rolling Stones, that you can’t always get what you want.”
And he quoted a speech by Milton to Parliament: “Methinks I see in my mind a noble and puissant nation rousing herself like a strong man after sleep, and shaking her invincible locks. Methinks I see her as an eagle mewing her mighty youth, and kindling her undazzled eyes at the full midday beam.”
Activists approvingly saw his emphasis on “her” as a reference to Mrs May.
Conservative MEP David Campbell Bannerman tweeted: “Absolutely superb speech from Geoffrey Cox. Richard Burton voice; Churchillian style; Rumpole humour. A hidden star!”
Bookmakers immediately added Mr Cox to their list of potential next Tory leaders... albeit at odds of 100-1.