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Greenpeace protesters ambush Liz Truss's speech at Tory Party conference

Greenpeace - TOBY MELVILLE /REUTERS
Greenpeace - TOBY MELVILLE /REUTERS

Liz Truss’s keynote Conservative Party conference speech was interrupted by two Greenpeace protesters on Wednesday morning.

Rebecca Newsom, the environmental group’s head of public affairs, and Ami McCarthy, its policy officer, heckled the Prime Minister from one of the front rows of the ICC auditorium in Birmingham.

They held up a banner that read: "Who voted for this?"

The women interrupted Ms Truss by shouting about fracking, which the Prime Minister has said she will bring back on the condition of consent from communities in the affected areas.

As a commotion broke out in the hall, Ms Truss said: "Let’s get them removed."

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Conservative Party members booed the activists, chanting "Out! Out! Out!", and applauded loudly as they were escorted out by security.

Ms Truss proceeded to joke: "Later on in my speech I’m going to talk about the anti-growth coalition. I think they arrived in the hall a bit too early.

"They were meant to come later on. So we’ll get onto them."

In a statement issued by Greenpeace moments after the protest, Ms Newsom said: "Who voted for this?

"In a healthy democracy, people should get the government programme they voted for, but Liz Truss is putting most of it through the shredder.

"People voted for strong action on climate, a fracking moratorium, world-leading environmental protections, and tackling poverty and inequality. What they’re getting instead is fracking, a potential bonfire of rules on wildlife and nature protection, and now the prospect of benefit cuts."