Cameron in 'Obama rip-off' row over big speech

By MAIL ON SUNDAY REPORTER
Updated:

Hero: Henry Beckhough was saluted in David Cameron's speech

Hero: Henry Beckhough was saluted in David Cameron's speech

David Cameron has been accused of pilfering a speech by Barack Obama with his tribute to a 96-year-old Tory activist in his conference address last week.

The Prime Minister’s moving salute to Harry Beckhough had the Party faithful in Birmingham in raptures.

He praised Harry for standing up for freedom and supporting Tory heroine Margaret Thatcher.

And he reeled off the historic events Harry had witnessed including the Second World War, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the economic ups and downs in the last century.

But the speech had echoes of Mr Obama’s address on the night he won the US election in 2008.

Then, he singled out 106-year-old Ann Nixon Cooper, praising her for fighting for freedom and supporting Democratic hero Martin Luther King.

He also reeled off the historic events she had witnessed including the Second World War, the fall of the Berlin Wall and, yes, the economic ups and downs in the last century.

Each line of Mr Obama’s remarks was punctuated with ‘she was there’.

Each line of Mr Cameron’s remarks was punctuated with ‘Harry was with us’.

Tory officials insisted any similarity between the speeches was merely ‘a coincidence’.

A Conservative spokesman said: ‘We have not copied Mr Obama’s speech, it is a coincidence. Mr Cameron often pays tribute to long- serving party members.’

But Labour MP Stephen Pound said: ‘This is not just an echo of Obama’s speech, it is a shameless rip-off.’

David Cameron
Barack Obama

The Prime Minister was accused of pilfering a speech by Barack Obama in his tribute at the Tory conference last week


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