Schwarzenegger blow for Tories

A Tory spokesman confirmed that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be back

Saturday, 01, Sep 2007 12:00

Conservative party hopes to inject some Hollywood blockbuster glamour into its annual conference have been dealt a blow by the withdrawal of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The movie star turned politician has had to pull out of an appearance at the conference later this month, where he was due to deliver a keynote address on climate change, owing to stateside commitments that have also seen a trade mission to India postponed.

A statement from the Californian governor, who previously starred in films such as Terminator and Total Recall, described Tory party helmsman David Cameron as an "outstanding leader" and added that he was "very disappointed" at not being able to attend the conference in Blackpool on September 30.

But a spokesperson explained that the Republican politician still intended to speak at the conference's opening day via live satellite link.

"I look forward to participating in the conference live via satellite and will continue to work with David on combating climate change," Mr Schwarzenegger said.

A spokesman for the Tory party admitted it was "a shame that Governor Schwarzenegger will not be attending the conference in person".

"We're delighted though that he will be addressing delegates live and he wants to assure party members that he'll be back," he added.