Newly-elected Conservative MP Conor Burns made a special trip to English UK’s annual conference to pledge his support for language centres.

Mr West, who represents Bournemouth West, introduced himself to members at the end of a session and then made himself available to chat. He said: "I will do anything I can to take your cause direct to ministers."

He asked members to contact him with information and documents, and said he would be seeking a meeting with the new Home Office team. He had already contacted the Speaker, John Bercow, about an adjournment debate, he said, and had been advised there should be no reason this could not happen as part of his maiden speech.

Accompanying Mr Burns to the conference was his campaign manager, Richard Powell, who is himself a Bournemouth Councillor. He said that they were intending to start a campaign group to lobby the Government over Tier 4 visa issues. They had already made senior Conservatives Ian Duncan Smith and William Hague aware of the issue.