Once again welcome to Cardiff.
And a particularly warm welcome to members from across the whole of the United Kingdom who have joined us for the Spring Forum.
I am delighted to see so many of you here in Wales. I know we are going to have an excellent weekend.
We are being joined by many of my Cabinet colleagues.
Bringing this conference to Cardiff indicates the importance of Wales to our party and to the Government.
As we meet this we know in a few we weeks we face elections across the country.
In Wales, to the National Assembly.
The Scottish Parliament.
Councils across England.
On the same day we’ll also see a referendum on the Alternative Voting system.
In Wales we’ve waited years for another referendum and now two come along at once.
And only yesterday the people of Wales voted in our own referendum for direct law making powers to the National Assembly over areas like health and education.
So as Wales voted yes, and with elections just weeks away, we have every reason to step up our efforts to end Labour’s dominance of Welsh politics.
Our challenge over the coming weeks is to show the positive steps our Government is taking at Westminster.
Later my colleague Nick Bourne will outline the exciting plans our Assembly Members have for Wales.
We will show how we can put power back into the hands of people and communities, building a better future.
And this will be a tough election against a Labour party entrenched for far too long in Wales.
Always taking Wales for granted.
Welsh Conservatives will not take Wales for granted
We will work for every vote.
We want devolution to work in the interests of all.
Underpinned by our commitment to the Union.
It’s only the Conservative Party that genuinely offers that hope and aspiration.
Wales is now the only part of the United Kingdom where Labour clings to power.
And if we all work together, we can make sure this is not the place which Labour will use as a springboard to revival across the United Kingdom is Wales.
When they left office at Westminster the country was on its knees and the economy was in the danger zone.
That should be reason enough for each and every one of us to get out campaigning every day from now until the next General Election.
Starting with the Assembly election campaign next month.
That campaign is our chance to build on our success in Wales,
After all, last May we gained five Welsh seats at Westminster, returning eight MPs.
The year before we topped the poll in the European elections.
Inflicting the first defeat on Labour in a Wales-wide election since 1918.
The year before that we won more council seats and took control of more councils.
And in 2007 we won more votes and more seats in the Assembly.
We all want more elected Conservatives.
And that is our mission in May.
We’ve shown that in Government for around ten months.
We’ve shown that in government we are prepared to take the tough decisions needed to repair the economy and rebuild the public finances.
We are rebuilding and re-balancing the economy to promote growth and prosperity.
Labour doubled the national debt and left us with the biggest budget deficit in our peacetime history.
As a result each day we are spending £120 million every single day just to pay off the interest on Labour’s debt.
This is money that could have been spent on public services.
The £42.7 billion in debt interest payments this year is equivalent to the cost of …
Four Olympic Games …
1.3 million nurses for a year …
... or the cost of building one junior school every hour of every day
that’s Labour’s legacy.
Since we formed the Government we’ve embarked on a radical transformation in the way our country is governed.
Promoting growth, aspiration and modernisation.
Being responsible about what we spend and transparent about what we do. .
We started by finding savings across every Government department of more than £6 billion.
We looked in detail at every piece of Government expenditure, reducing those budgets so we can pay down that debt which could cripple our economic recovery.
We protected the health budget in England because we know how important our precious NHS is.
We’ll do the same in Wales
We’re freeing up our schools and teachers in England because we know how significant education is to the next generation.
We’ll do the same in Wales.
And we’re creating the environment in which our businesses can grow and thrive creating the jobs we so badly need in Wales, and right across the United Kingdom.
We cancelled Labour’s damaging jobs tax
We’re delivering tax breaks for small businesses and bringing in a competitive corporate tax regime.
In Wales we’ll develop enterprise zones to match our commitment in England.
We are reducing the myriad of regulations that satisfy the bureaucrats but stifle business enterprise.
We’re investing in key infrastructure like rail electrification which will result in faster journey times from London to Swansea, Cardiff and Newport.
This project is fundamental to developing a strong economy and making Wales a more attractive place to do business.
It will deliver the time savings, cleaner, greener trains and link south Wales to the electrified rail network for the first time.
And thanks to our vision for Wales we’re seriously exploring the possibility of electrifying the Valley lines which will really open up opportunities for communities that have never existed before.
But it’s not just south Wales. We are delivering for north Wales too.
Like the £10mn investment in superfast broadband the Chancellor announced last week.
We’ve announced the procurement of the A400M and strategic tanker aircraft in which Airbus will play a key role;
And ensured Anglesey is firmly in the running for future nuclear energy generation – a decision which could bring thousands of jobs to North Wales.
I am proud that it is the Conservative Party which is delivering these vital projects for Wales.
We take seriously our responsibility to families and the vulnerable too.
Our radical reform of the welfare system will target help to get people back to work and ensure work pays.
At the same time it will support vulnerable people ensuring the system provides support when they need it most.
And there’s more
We’re investing in a green economy.
We’re boosting our search for trade and investment.
We’re supporting our farmers and rural communities.
We’re handing power back to communities while cutting the cost of government and politics by reducing the number of politicians.
These are just some of our achievements.
They show we are combining fiscal responsibility with social responsibility and a bold vision to build a better future.
And we have to go further.
We didn't come into politics – or come together in this coalition – to act as accountants with the sole responsibility of balancing the books.
We have a vision and that vision led by our Prime Minister David Cameron which will transform the fortunes of our country.
I fully accept that the actions we are taking to tackle the deficit will touch many people’s lives in the coming years.
But if we did not act, the consequences would be grave.
We came together in coalition with the Liberal Democrats to change our country for the better in every way.
In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to achieve this we also need to work with the devolved administrations.
I have always said that in respecting devolution we must work with the Welsh Assembly Government so that both institutions operate in the interests of Wales.
So we will work with the Assembly to promote social mobility …
… to open up opportunities …
… to give people a bigger say over decisions affecting their lives …
… and restore our economic fortunes in Wales.
At Westminster the Government has embarked on a massive transfer of power from Whitehall to local communities.
We are giving people more power to take decisions and shape their area.
Providing more choice and flexibility in public services.
Letting charities, social enterprises, private companies and employee-owned co-operatives compete to offer people high quality services.
And encouraging and enabling people to play a more active part in society.
In Wales we accept that some of the levers to achieving this are devolved.
But as far as we are concerned the Big Society should be here to stay.
We don’t want the story of this government to be just an economic recovery.
We want it to be a social recovery too.
Because for all the action we’ve taken on pulling our economy from the brink, our society still hangs there.
Our society is broken and we need to fix it – and the Big Society will help us do that.
The big question we have to ask ourselves is this.
Do we want a country where politicians, bureaucrats and the powers-that-be treat everyone like children who are incapable of taking their own decisions and taking responsibility for their lives?
Or do we want a country where we treat adults like adults, and give them more power and more responsibility over their lives?
The Big Society is not just a government initiative.
It’s about giving you the initiative.
To take control of your life and work with friends, neighbours and colleagues to improve things around you.
Of course, the consequence of devolution is that decisions are taken in Wales, for Wales, which might be different to those on the other side of the border.
But Wales must not be disadvantaged because political dogma or ideology draws down a slate curtain along the border with England.
The people of Wales have a right to access the best services, locally, on whatever side of the border those services might be provided.
That is the challenge for the next Assembly as it gets to grips with its new powers.
To ensure devolution benefits communities across Wales.
But that the people of Wales are not denied the benefits of decisions taken elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
There is no reason why popular or successful decisions taken in one part of the country cannot be applied in another.
That’s why yesterday marked the beginning of a new chapter in Welsh politics.
The Assembly will make laws in the devolved areas without first seeking competence from Westminster.
Assembly ministers will now have to take full responsibility and answer for everything under their control.
For me, it’s important that devolution is not used as a political weapon with which to drive a wedge between Wales and Westminster.
This is bad for government, and it’s bad for Wales.
Devolution is not about keeping the peace within one political party.
We need devolution to work well and serve the people of Wales.
We also need to manage the process of devolution, not react to it.
Devolution is, after all, localism by another name.
It goes to the heart of what we want to achieve as a government.
Putting control in the hands of people and communities.
Bringing to an end the days of Big Government and centralised decision making.
Making sure the people of north, mid and west Wales are listened to by the Assembly Government as much as the people of Cardiff.
Yesterday’s referendum result provides an opportunity for change.
A chance for the Assembly to be seen to take responsibility.
To own its own decisions.
Without blaming Westminster all the time.
Devolution.
Localism.
They can be the solution.
The Assembly should now ensure it injects the core principles of devolution into every community in Wales.
Because devolution should not stop in Cardiff.
True devolution is about allowing people in Bangor, in Builth Wells, in Carmarthen and in Chepstow to take control of their own lives.
Over the coming months the Government at Westminster will begin the process of looking at how the Assembly is funded.
We promised we’d do so after the referendum.
And we’ll hold true to that promise.
I will be starting the process of bringing increased accountability for financial matters to Wales.
That’s why I will be looking to find a way for Welsh electors, in the best interests of Wales, to know that the Welsh Assembly Government is fully accountable for the money they spend.
So, conference, there are big challenges ahead.
But we have an effective and dedicated team to meet those challenges.
There are questions we must ask ourselves in the weeks ahead about how we meet our challenges head-on.
And how we work together to achieve them.
We are not going to let Labour off the hook.
We must continue our forward momentum as a party in Wales.
We have an amazing team to take Wales forward.
Building on the success of recent years.
We must offer an alternative vision and a fresh outlook.
Or run the risk of allowing Labour to dominate for decades to come.
In the last 10 months we’ve been laying the foundations for change at Westminster.
Now is the time to build on them in Wales.
Starting with the Assembly elections in May.
We have 61 days to deliver more leaflets.
61 to knock on more doors.
61 days to get that message to our electors.
61 days to expose Labour’s lies.
So let us leave this conference in no doubt.
It’s up to us to provide a new voice for Wales.
Building a better future for Wales.”