The South West "can look forward to a brighter future" once the pandemic is over, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

Speaking at the virtual South West Conservative Conference over the weekend, the Prime Minister highlighted the government's plans to ramp up vaccinations and testing in the region while protecting jobs and supporting businesses through the pandemic.

More than 1.1 million people in the South West have now received a vaccine, protecting about one in five of the region's population.

Mr Johnson said: "As our vaccine programme is rolled out across the country, and we see many thousands of people vaccinated each day, I am confident we can look forward to a brighter future."

The PM said the Conservatives were pushing on with their headline manifesto commitments to boost the NHS, police and schools.

Eleven of the 40 new hospitals promised will be in the South West, and more than 400 extra police officers have been recruited in the region.

Mr Johnson highlighted commitments to 'level up' the country, create 250,000 green jobs and boost the defence budget.

The South West can also look forward to hosting the G7 Summit in June, with the PM choosing Carbis Bay in Cornwall as the location.

"Cornwall is the perfect location for such a crucial summit," said Mr Johnson.

"I'm very much looking forward to welcoming world leaders to this great region and country."

The South West Conservative Conference was attended by more than 400 party representatives from across the region, including MPs, councillors, Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) and local election candidates, officers and members.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Environment Secretary George Eustice were among the keynote speakers.

Other ministers to speak included Nadhim Zahawi (Minister for Vaccine Deployment and Minister for Business and Industry), Johnny Mercer (Minister for Defence People and Veterans and MP for Plymouth Moor View), Rebecca Pow (Environment Minister and MP for Taunton Deane) and Amanda Milling (co-chairman of the Conservative Party).

Several other South West MPs played leading roles, including Neil Parish (Tiverton and Honiton), Simon Jupp (East Devon) and John Penrose (Weston-super-Mare).

The five South West Conservative candidates for the PCC elections in May – Alison Hernandez (Devon and Cornwall), Mark Shelford (Avon and Somerset), Dave Sidwick (Dorset), Chris Nelson (Gloucestershire) and Jonathon Seed (Wiltshire and Swindon) – led sessions on local campaigning.

THE South West "can look forward to a brighter future" once the pandemic is over, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

Speaking at the virtual South West Conservative Conference over the weekend, the Prime Minister highlighted the government's plans to ramp up vaccinations and testing in the region while protecting jobs and supporting businesses through the pandemic.

More than 1.1 million people in the South West have now received a vaccine, protecting about one in five of the region's population.

Mr Johnson said: "As our vaccine programme is rolled out across the country, and we see many thousands of people vaccinated each day, I am confident we can look forward to a brighter future."

The PM said the Conservatives were pushing on with their headline manifesto commitments to boost the NHS, police and schools.

Eleven of the 40 new hospitals promised will be in the South West, and the 20 existing hospitals to be upgraded will include Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester.

More than 400 extra police officers have also been recruited in the region.

Mr Johnson highlighted commitments to 'level up' the country, create 250,000 green jobs and boost the defence budget.

The South West can also look forward to hosting the G7 Summit in June, with the PM choosing Carbis Bay in Cornwall as the location.

"Cornwall is the perfect location for such a crucial summit," said Mr Johnson.

"I'm very much looking forward to welcoming world leaders to this great region and country."

The South West Conservative Conference was attended by more than 400 party representatives from across the region, including MPs, councillors, Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) and local election candidates, officers and members.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Environment Secretary George Eustice were among the keynote speakers.

Other ministers to speak included Nadhim Zahawi (Minister for Vaccine Deployment and Minister for Business and Industry), Johnny Mercer (Minister for Defence People and Veterans and MP for Plymouth Moor View), Rebecca Pow (Environment Minister and MP for Taunton Deane) and Amanda Milling (co-chairman of the Conservative Party).

Several other South West MPs played leading roles, including Neil Parish (Tiverton and Honiton), Simon Jupp (East Devon) and John Penrose (Weston-super-Mare).

The five South West Conservative candidates for the PCC elections in May – Alison Hernandez (Devon and Cornwall), Mark Shelford (Avon and Somerset), Dave Sidwick (Dorset), Chris Nelson (Gloucestershire) and Jonathon Seed (Wiltshire and Swindon) – led sessions on local campaigning.