Michael Gove’s Conservative conference speech, full text

It’s wonderful to be here in Manchester – speaking to you as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The fact that I’m on this stage this year is proof that this Government is committed to recycling. And, let me tell you, no-one is a bigger supporter of re-using once discarded material than me. So I’m naturally keen on politicians coming back to the frontline from a period of doing other things.

But I do have a problem when those politicians return to the fray with a message that – in their absence – the public have got it wrong. When Tony Blair or Vince Cable tell us that the referendum decision to leave the EU must be overturned, that the votes of 17.4 million people should be disregarded, that we should exit from Brexit and stay in the European Union – then I feel it’s time to stand up for something precious, something special to us all, something that defines us a nation.

Democracy.

So let’s send a clear message from this hall today. We’re leaving. We’re taking back control. We’re going to make a success of life outside the European Union. And nowhere are the possibilities for progress greater than with the environment.

We now have a once in a lifetime opportunity. For the first time in more than forty years we can – together – now determine our own environmental policies. We can do what we think is best to make our country cleaner, greener and more beautiful. For everyone who loves the natural world these are exciting times. And that is why I feel privileged to be part of a great team at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs determined to seize the moment. My colleagues George Eustice, Thérèse Coffey, John Gardiner, Charlotte Vere, Nigel Adams, Kevin Hollinrake and Rebecca Pow are the Tory Green Team.

We are fortunate to...