Planet Normal: I had to be snuck into NatCon behind a bin, says Miriam Cates

On the latest Planet Normal podcast, which you can listen to using the audio player above, columnists Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson speak to Conservative MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge about the events that unfolded at the National Conservative Conference in Brussels.

Mirim Cates attended the National Conservative conference in Brussels, an annual gathering of people with ‘conservative views who believe in strong nations and strong national identities’.

‘Just to make your listeners aware, of this is nothing far-Right at all. These are elected politicians from across Europe, people like Nigel Farage, who people might not agree with, but is very much a mainstream popular politician. But the mayor decided that the conference was not welcome.’

‘In the end, the police tried to make their way into the building but realised there’s not a lot they could do, but prevented anyone else from coming in. And so when I got there, I had to be snuck in through the service entrance behind a bin to make sure that I could get in and deliver the speech, which was on protecting children and keeping children safe.

‘Although it was corrected by the legal system, which is good, it was sadly celebrated by some of those on the Left in this country. If you can’t defend your opponents’ right to free speech, then you cannot expect to have free speech yourself.’

Listen to Planet Normal, a weekly Telegraph podcast featuring news and views from beyond the bubble, using the audio player above or subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your preferred podcast app