Please see an excerpt from the speech given by our Treasurer, Sean Anstee CBE:
"Good evening all and welcome to the LGBT+ Conservatives Candidates’ Fund Christmas Drinks Reception. We do like long event titles here.
It is my pleasure to welcome you all this evening and to host our proceedings for today’s event.
This has been quite the year for the Conservative Party and this organisation, and as we emerge from the rubble of the election, we have plenty to celebrate and be proud of – but also a very clear goal in 2025: to hold Labour, 'Free Gear Keir' and Rachel from Complaints to account and put a strong, positive, distinctive and engaging Conservative message to the public"
"But, it is Christmas, so I bring to you, the 12 days of LGBT+ Conservatives Christmas. This year we have seen:
- TWELVE – MONTHS of membership recruitment, ending us with the most members we have had since 2018 – an increase of 60% over the last 6 years.
- ELEVEN – YEARS since Same-Sex Marriage was enacted – something we rightly celebrated last year with Lord Cameron.
- TEN – Downing Street, this time last year we were kindly invited to host this evening in Number 10 where many of you met Rishi – a real highlight for this organisation.
- NINE-TY PLUS events this year, including socials, campaigning, coffee mornings, in not just London but Manchester and Birmingham too.
- EIGHT – HUNDRED attendees at our Closing Party in October, probably the loosest and most raucous of them all, supporting local nightlife in Birmingham.
- SEVEN – TEEN episodes of our podcast Never Kissed a Tory, which we will work hard to bring back next year.
- SIX – MONTHS of campaigning in by-elections, with so many Tory gains. Thank you to all those who helped in Blackmoor Vale in Somerset, Harbourside in Gosport, Hemel Hempstead, Denne in Horsham, Calver in Derbyshire. Special thanks to Lewis, Peter, Johnand Robert who ran campaigns in Runnymede, Maidenhead, Elmbridge and Eltham – where we made stunning gains. When we work together and have a united strong Conservative message – we win.
- FIVE – Conference events, the most we’ve hosted in a long time – including a special and first ever partnership with Conservative Home, which featured the moment in which Emma Best AM called for Amy Lamé to be sacked – which she was two days later.
- FOUR-TY candidates supported through our candidates’ fund for Mayoral and General election campaigns.
- THREE – big policy announcements from the government before July, including removing barriers in IVF for lesbian couples, an online trial of PrEP and removing historic HIV discrimination in laws.
- TWO – big campaigns over the year, one of which to expand PrEP online – which the Rt. Hon. Stuart Andrew MP mentioned at the THT event, and was on Rishi’s agenda to include in ‘Pharmacy First’ but obviously sadly ran out of time, but also the push for a third expansion of HIV Opt Out testing. This builds on the amazing announcement that the Rt. Hon. Victoria Atkins MP gave last year at Sir Elton John’s reception last year.
- ONE – NEW patron, the brilliant Conservative MP Blake Stephenson who we were proud to support financially but also in three Ring2Win sessions.
The running theme of this work is real action. Real material change. What matters is real, meaningful change – not pride flags on buses or virtue signalling.
The Conservative Party has an incredibly positive record 2010 to 2024.
The Conservatives have led the world on ending HIV – this is a huge source of pride for our members, many of whom lost friends, family and loved ones to HIV in the 1980s and 1990s.
Our organisation celebrates is 50th year anniversary next year – we have always been part of the Conservative success story
Who better to talk about what matters – than our guest for this evening.
He is the Conservative Shadow Secretary for Justice, holding the Labour government to account in an area that really matters – justice. Not the least as Labour has released thousands of criminals onto our streets since they took to power.
Robert will help Kemi and the Shadow Cabinet as we hold Labour to account and show the country that we are worthy of their vote again in 2029.
Sean Anstee CBE -
The LGBT+ Conservatives
