Priti Patel has said it is "naive and misguided" to think that only men can be Russian covert operatives as she defends the need for security checks for Ukrainian refugees.

       Speaking at the Conservative Party Spring conference in Blackpool, where she received a standing ovation from delegates, she said: "I've been asked why couldn't we suspend security checks on people escaping Putin's war?

       "Times of conflict, my friends, emphasises our need to remain watchful. I know from the briefings I receive from the intelligence and security services that instability around the world brings with it greater threats.”

       She cited the Salisbury Novichok attack as an example of how a “small number” of people can “wreak utter havoc” by slipping into the UK under the radar.

       "Only four years ago, the Russian military intelligence services used a chemical weapon on British soil - it happened in Salisbury, whose inhabitants would have felt completely safe,” Ms Patel told the conference. "The truth is that a very small number of people can wreak utter havoc and Russia has a history of covert, hostile activity.

       "And I'm afraid it is naive and misguided to think that only men can be covert operatives or that refugee flows would not be subject to some form of exploitation. There are those who would come to our country, to this country, who would mean us harm and plot to strike at our very way of life."

       She also used her speech to highlight Government plans to increase the penalty for people smuggling from the current 15 years to a life sentence and said that “more robust” measures will be used to punish adults who pretend to be children to gain asylum in the UK.

       Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Putin's invasion of Ukraine has "shattered our post-Cold War complacency", reports our chief political correspondent Camilla Turner.

       She said we "cannot and will not" rest until we see Ukraine's sovereignty restored, and told delegates that she has heard some people in Ukraine "sing God Save The Queen" as they use British military equipment.

       Ms Truss said: "When we’re facing a tyrant like Vladimir Putin, the only thing he understands is strength."

       She went on to tell delegates: "Now is the time to end the culture of self-doubt, the constant self-questioning and introspection - the ludicrous debates about languages, statues and pronouns. Our history, warts and all, is what makes us what we are today."

       Liz Truss used her speech to reiterate the Conservative commitment to freedom.

       "This crisis has shown the strength of the free world," she said. "When people are free to choose, they choose freedom."

       "We live in a great country, a great democracy and we should be proud of it."

       Concluding our speech, Ms Truss said: "Putin must fail and with Britain at the front, we will ensure he does."

       Addressing Vadym Prystaiko, Liz Truss said: "Ambassador, everyone in Britain is saying Slava Ukraini."

       Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has vowed to continue standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine until their sovereignty is restored.

       "We stand up for freedom. We fight bullies. We galvanise our allies around the world," she said.

       "We cannot stand by to see freedom repressed and see the clock turned back to the horrific oppression of the Soviet era. We cannot and we will not rest until Ukraine's sovereignty is restored."

       Concluding his speech in Blackpool, Ben Wallace welcomed Ukraine's ambassador Vadym Prystaiko to a raucous standing ovation from all those in attendance.

       Alister Jack describes how he managed to win over the "initially sceptical" SNP to back the UK Government's Freeports scheme, with two to be delivered in Scotland, reports Simon Johnson.

       "Something you would have thought all parties in Scotland would welcome. Sadly there is still one that doesn’t: the Scottish Greens," he says, renewing his attack on Nicola Sturgeon entering a coalition with them.

       "It just shows how irresponsible it was for the SNP to invite into government a party that is fundamentally opposed to economic growth.

       "Even some people in the SNP are beginning to realise what a disastrous mistake that was."

       Meanwhile, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack is giving his speech to the Scottish Tory conference in Aberdeen, reports Simon Johnson.

       He said: "The people of Scotland rightly expect their two governments to work together because they understand it is the best way to unlock the potential of devolution. Now, it is not always easy to work with this SNP-Green Scottish Government.

       "Of course it can be difficult trying to deliver the benefits of devolution alongside a Nationalist administration in Edinburgh that does not believe in devolution.

       An administration whose politics demand constant friction with the UK Government and a freshly brewed grievance every morning. They may not be able to manufacture a ferry, ladies and gentlemen, but they sure know how to manufacture a grievance."

       Defence Secretary Ben Wallace compared Vladimir Putin to the leader of Argentina during the Falklands War 40 years ago.

       He said that like Leopoldo Galtieri, Mr Putin had sent young soldiers to die for his own political reasons.

       "Just like in 1982, Putin's arrogant assumptions have directly led to the casualties and attrition among the Russian army," Mr Wallace told the Tory spring conference in Blackpool.

       "The Kremlin assumed that Ukraine would not fight - he was wrong. The Kremlin assumed his army was invincible - they were wrong.

       "And they assumed the international community would splinter and they've been proven wrong."

       Mr Wallace said that during the Soviet war in Afghanistan, mothers of those killed in action called the dead their "boys in zinc" because of the metal coffins they used.

       "None of us should let today's Russian president forget to despite dozens of presidents and prime ministers urging him not to invade, the international community's calls for peace, he chose zinc."

       Priti Patel has defended the Home Office's checks on Ukrainian refugees saying it is "naive" to believe that only men can pose a threat to the UK's security as she warns of heightened threat of chemical, biological and cyber attacks from Russia.

       "I've been asked why couldn't we suspend security checks on people escaping Putin's war?" she said.

       "Times of conflict, my friends, emphasises our need to remain watchful. I know from the briefings I receive from the intelligence and security services that instability around the world brings with it greater threats."

       "Only four years ago, the Russian military intelligence services used a chemical weapon on British soil - it happened in Salisbury, whose inhabitants would have felt completely safe."

       She added: "The truth is that a very small number of people can wreak utter havoc and Russia has a history of covert, hostile activity."

       "And I'm afraid it is naive and misguided to think that only men can be covert operatives or that refugee flows would not be subject to some form of exploitation."

       "There are those who would come to our country, to this country, who would mean us harm and plot to strike at our very way of life."

       Priti Patel has announced that illegal entry to the UK will impact on asylum claims made by migrants

       "Access to the UK's asylum system should be based on need and not the ability to pay people smugglers. If you enter the UK illegally, via a safe country where you could have claimed asylum, you're not seeking refuge from peril, but picking the UK as a preferred destination," she said.

       "For the first time, whether you enter the UK legally or illegally will impact on how your asylum claim progresses and on your status in the UK if your claim is successful."

       Ms Patel also announced that the maximum sentence for people smuggling will increase from 15 years to life.

       The Home Secretary has said the UK will tighten controls on the UK financial system, including in the areas of money-laundering and cryptocurrency.

       "No criminal or kleptocrat will be able to hide behind a UK shell company ever again," she vowed.

       Priti Patel reiterated in her speech that the UK is open to Ukrainian refugees.

       "The British government and the people of the United Kingdom are utterly determined that Putin will fail in his war and that we will open our homes and our hearts to Ukrainians," she said.

       "We will always stand for freedom and the values that are fundamental to our way of life."

       "As Ukrainians know as hell rains upon them, the United Kingdom stands with them in their hour of need."

       Home Secretary Priti Patel has hailed the "incredible" repsonse by Poland to the refugee crisis.

       "A few weeks ago I was on the Polish border with Ukraine. What I saw was a human tragedy on a heart-breaking and unprecedented scale," she said.

       "What I also saw was the incredible response of our dear friends in Poland. From the government to volunteers who have mobilised an incredible response to welcome and manage refugees."

       "I saw the most remarkable humanitarian work from the government and people of Poland. I have to tell you, it broke my heart."

       George Eustice concluded his speech by highlighting the need to keep supply chains open in order to ensure the world can remain fed despite Ukraine's wheat harvest being impacted by the invasion.

       "In Ukraine today, the determination to get this year's crop in the ground shows that Ukraine is a country that believes in its future and that refuses to give up," he said.

       "There is over 200 million tonnes of wheat in storage around the world at the moment. Those who operate the market need to be able to move stocks around freely in order to satisfy global demand."

       "The UK is largely self-sufficient in wheat production," he added "But we are working with like-minded countries around the world to ensure the free flow continues."

       The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has kicked off day two of the Conservative spring conference by paying tribute to the "tenacity" of Ukrainians and in particular the country's farmers.

       "In recent weeks, we've all been moved by the incredible courage of Ukraine's president, the extraordinary bravery of the Ukrainian army and the extraordinary courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people," he said.

       "We have also seen the morale-boosting sight of Ukrainian farmers towing away Russian tanks with their tractors, just one of the many symbols of Ukraine's extraordinary tenacity."

       Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden said there was "revulsion" about P&O Ferries' actions in sacking 800 staff.

       He told Times Radio the Government was trying to establish whether the move was legal.

       "That is why the Transport Secretary (Grant Shapps) has asked the Insolvency Service to look at the notification requirements, for example, and see whether further action is appropriate," Mr Dowden said.

       "All of us feel, frankly, a revulsion at the kind of sharp practices from P&O. There has been a complete lack of engagement, a lack of prior notice or indeed any empathy whatsoever for the workers."

       The Government has already said it is reviewing all contracts it has with P&O Ferries and its owner DP World.

       "I think they should be in no doubt that the Government is considering very closely its relationship with them," Mr Dowden said.

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