Theresa May says Conservatives must be 'moderate' party to defeat Jeremy Corbyn
2 min read
The Conservatives must be Britain's "decent, moderate and patriotic" party to defeat Jeremy Corbyn at the next election, according to Theresa May.
In her keynote speech to close the Conservative conference in Birmingham, the Prime Minister will say that millions of people who have never supported her party are "appalled" by the modern-day Labour party.
She will say that the Tories must be a party "for everyone who is willing to work hard and do their best", regardless of their background..
Mrs May is under huge pressure to unite her party at the end of a conference which has exposed deep splits over her approach to Brexit.
Rejecting her internal critics, the Prime Minister will insist that the UK's "best days lie ahead of us" while warning about the dangers of Mr Corbyn's buoyant Labour party.
She will say: "Don’t let anyone tell you we don’t have what it takes: we have everything we need to succeed."
Taking aim at Labour, which has been riven by splits of its own over anti-Semitism and Brexit, Mrs May will say: "Millions of people who have never supported our party in the past are appalled by what Jeremy Corbyn has done to Labour.
"They want to support a party that is decent, moderate and patriotic. One that puts the national interest first, delivers on the issues they care about and is comfortable with modern Britain in all its diversity.
"We must show everyone in this country that we are that party. A party that conserves the best of our inheritance but is not afraid of change. A party of patriotism but not nationalism. A party that believes in business but is not afraid to hold businesses to account.
"A party that believes in the good that government can do but knows that government will never have all the answers. A party that believes your success in life should not be defined by who you love, your faith, the colour of your skin, who your parents were, or where you were raised – but by your talent and hard work.
"Above all a party of unionism, not just of four proud nations, but of all our people.
"A party not for the few, not even for the many, but for everyone who is willing to work hard and do their best."
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