Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Oliver Letwin and Geoffrey Cox Q.C., Conservative PPC for Torridge and West Devon, were the speakers at the Torridge Conservatives’ Trafalgar Dinner held at the Royal Hotel last Thursday, commemorating the 199th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.
Geoffrey Cox said; “Labour’s cuts, which the Conservatives will reverse, mean that for the first time since Trafalgar our Royal Navy will be smaller than that of France. At a time when Labour is cutting the Royal Navy and cutting many famous regiments, some of which are engaged in combat abroad, it is right that we should remember the heroic contribution that the armed forces, and in particular, tonight, the Royal Navy, have made to our survival as a nation.”
Oliver Letwin spoke about the national economic scene and about the need to defend Britain not only from terrorist and military threat but also from the desire of the Labour government, supported by the Liberal Democrats, to sign the country up to the new European constitution.
He said; “The constitution would mark the beginning of the end of Britain’s independence as a nation. The Conservative Party will oppose any European constitution, just as it opposes a European single currency.  It will seek to return major powers to our national parliament.”
“We will uphold our national independence”, he declared.

24th October 2004