Boris Johnson says only 127 foreign tanker drivers have applied to come to UK so far – politics live

Q: ConservativeHome has you sixth from bottom in its ranking of cabinet ministers. Was it more fun being outside government?

Johnson suggests it odd to be criticised for the fact there has not been a populist uprising on the conference fringe. “It is all going horribly right,” he says.

And that’s it. The PM’s interview round is over.

I’ll hoover up the best lines shortly.

Q: You have daughters. Do you worry about them walking home at night.

Johnson says he wants streets to be safe, and people to be confident.

There was a big announcement about street lighting yesterday, he says. He says he is seriously concerned about the amount of time it takes for rape cases to be dealt with. Women are infuriated and feel betrayed, he says.

Q: Are you going to raise the minimum wage?

Johnson says the minimum wage commission has to report. The government will look at what it says, he says.

Q: You could raise it unilaterally.

Johnson dodges the question, and says he raised the living wage as mayor of London.

Q: You have managed to unite pig farmers with the Socialist Workers party. They are all outside the conference shouting at you?

Johnson says he did an interview on Sunday with a “guy” [Andrew Marr] who asked about pigs being slaughtered. He says he had to point out that that is what happened to them.

Q: But this is about them culled.

Johnson says anyone who has had a bacon sandwich has been eating a dead pig.

Johnson says he wants to see pay grow.

And, on the cost of living, he says he wants to bring it down in the long term. He says the government is investing in transport and energy. Energy prices are going up because the UK is reliant on foreign gas, he says.

Q: Will you go for a full term, and not hold an election in 2023?

Johnson says he is focusing on the job in hand. He says the government is not talking about that option.

Q: How will the red wall be able to judge levelling up?

Johnson says he does not like these terms. He says levelling up is for the whole country.

He says gigabit broadband is being extend. That will help Times Radio, he says. It has gone from 7% coverage to 65% in just two years.

Johnson suggests there will be quite a lot about Northern Powerhouse rail in his speech tomorrow.

Tom Newton Dunn is interviewing Boris Johnson for Times Radio.

Q: How is the speech coming along?

Johnson says we will have to wait until tomorrow.

Q: When are we going to get a levelling up policy. Give us an example?

Johnson cites his tutoring programme for pupils.

And he asks which group is seeing the highest growth in wages. It is people on low pay. That is levelling up. He says he does not object to people on high incomes, like Newton Dunn.

Q: Ben Houchen said recently you need to set out a plan for levelling up.

Johnson says you can see an “incredibly levelling up agenda” in the north-east. He cites the Treasury going to Darlington, and the free port on Teesside.

Johnson claims people do know what levelling up means. Talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not, he says.

Johnson says his decision to lift Covid restrictions has been vindicated. And he claims if “Captain Hindsight” had been in charge, the UK would still be in lockdown.

And that’s it. The Today interview is over.

Times Radio is next.

Q: Do you have a plan to make women and girls more safe?

Yes, says Johnson. They are making streets safer, hiring more police and investing in more street lighting.

But he says he also wants to speed up the criminal justice process.

Q: But the government has cut courts funding. Will you put more money into it?

Johnson says the government is putting money into all services.

Q: The budget has been cut by a quarter in the past decade.

Johnson says more money is being put in. He says more prosecutors are being hired. But problems like the amount of mobile phone evidence that needs to be examined is causing problems.

He says he also wants to increase sentences for rape and violent sexual offences.

Q: Shouldn’t you have a separate women’s minister, instead of expecting the foreign secretary to do it?

Johnson says Liz Truss does an outstanding job.

Q: Do you really have a plan for levelling up? You sacked your education secretary, and your education recovery commissioner resigned. What will you do to level up in schools?

Johnson says there is a £3bn catch-up fund, and the government is recruiting teachers in disadvantaged areas to help turn schools round.

Some families get tutors for their children. But not all families can afford this. So the government is offering pupils tuition they would not otherwise get. There are six million courses being provided.

Johnson acknowledges that people are having problems with the cost of living.

But he says it would be wrong to take more money from taxation and use it to subsidise lower pay.

He says he wants to see business and industry pay people more to help them, and that is what is happening.