Millions appalled by Labour legacy, says Tory chairman

Gordon Brown’s administration abandoned the very people they pledged to protect and left the nation on the verge of bankruptcy, Tory Party chairman Baroness Warsi said.

Speaking at the opening of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Lady Warsi said it was “bizarre” that Labour were attacking the coalition for taking the “difficult” decisions on the economy they couldn’t take themselves.

She hailed the “strong” coalition with the Liberal Democrats telling activists: “It’s simple: two parties, one purpose: together in the national interest.”

Lady Warsi also had some harsh words for Labour’s new leader Ed Miliband. To cheers she said: “Don’t you dare say you are a friend of the working classes. Don’t you dare say you’re a friend of minorities. Don’t you dare say you’re the friend of people in the North.

“Because I am all of those things and you are no friend of mine.”

She invoked her own Dewsbury childhood in a “one up, one down” property and said her father was not prepared to accept such a life.

She went on: “In the mills, my Dad was told that Labour was the party for him. They said that Labour looked after the poorest. That it looked after the vulnerable and minorities.

“But conference, today, my dad and millions of decent, hard-working, fair-minded people like him, are appalled at the state Labour have left this country in. Appalled that Labour abandoned the very people they promised to protect.”

Labour had left Britain in the deepest and longest recession and had doubled the nation’s debt.

She said: “This is Labour’s legacy to Britain. This is their gift to the poor. And that’s why they should never ever be allowed to do it again.

“The fact is that Labour said they’d abolished boom and bust but they brought bust back to Britain with one almighty bang.”

Lady Warsi said governing in the national interest was “what we do best”.

She claimed that under David Cameron the party had “reclaimed” the centre ground of politics and added: “It’s because we changed our party that we can change our country. We’ve done it before. We will do it again.”