'I’ve had the best job in government – being Secretary of State for Northern Ireland', Heaton-Harris tells Conservative Party conference

Chris Heaton-Harris has highlighted his ‘honour’ at seeing and meeting ‘so many amazing people, social enterprises, businesses, and voluntary organisations’ as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Taking to the stage at the Tory conference in Manchester, he praised local businesses including Harland and Wolff, Game of Thrones Studios, Hinch Distillery and O’Neills sportswear company for their ‘contributes to our economy and the Union’.

He told delegates: "For the last 391 days I’ve had the best job in government – being Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

“In that time I’ve travelled the length and breadth of Northern Ireland and it has truly been an honour to see and meet so many amazing people, social enterprises, businesses, and voluntary organisations.

“I’ve been to places like Harland and Wolff - world-leaders in ship building, where, thanks to a Ministry of Defence contract, ship building is returning to Belfast. Places like the Game of Thrones Studios - the TV series that has generated huge amounts of money for the Northern Ireland economy.

“Places like Hinch Distillery - the home of some of Northern Ireland’s finest whiskey and gin. As my SpAds will know, that was a really tough visit., I can tell you…

“Northern Ireland has so much to offer - not just to the 1.9 million people that live there, or the 5 million tourists who visit every year, but to us all as an integral part of the United Kingdom.

“This was demonstrated to me yesterday, down the road in Leigh where I had an excellent visit with our MP there, the brilliant James Grundy, to a company called O’Neills, a sportswear company with a factory in Northern Ireland, and a design centre in Leigh that employs 40 people.

“You will no doubt have seen their name emblazoned on rugby and football kits of teams across the United Kingdom, including the brilliant Leigh Rugby Union Football Club who I also met yesterday. O’Neills is just one example of how Northern Ireland contributes to our economy and the Union.

“And I’m proud it’s my job to represent Northern Ireland and I’m proud it’s the job of my great Ministerial team too and I have superb support from Steve Baker and Lord Caine and our amazing PPS Tom Hunt and our brilliant Whips, Rob Largan, Lord Courtown and Lord Mott.

“And it’s our job to bang the drum for that small, bustling, proud part of our country and that’s what we do day in and day out and I thank you all for it.

“Conference, I don’t need to remind you we are the Conservative AND Unionist Party. This party and this government will never shy away from our support for the Union. Northern Ireland is stronger for it, its future is strengthened by it and the United Kingdom is and will be greater for it.

“I didn’t mention Harland and Wolff earlier by accident - no, those 900 jobs are being created by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence for ships that will protect the United Kingdom - a contract that is an obvious and direct benefit of our Union.”