Kevin Hollinrake brings out black Labrador Zuzu along with pint of warm ale at Tory conference

Conservative Chair Kevin Hollinrake brought out his black Labrador Zuzu and started sipping a pint of ale in the middle of his party conference speech.

The Thirsk and Malton MP was referencing comments made by Labour MP Jenny Riddell-Carpenter.

During Labour’s conference in Liverpool, the Nature Minister said that country pubs with “warm beer” and black Labradors were a “far-right nostalgic vision of Britain”.

The comments have become a major theme of the Conservative conference in Birmingham this week, with cardboard cut outs of Mr Hollinrake with a pint and Zuzu dotted about the place.

Jeremy Clarkson, who made a surprise appearance on Monday, referenced Ms Riddell-Carpenter, saying farmers are being attacked “from everywhere”.

The biggest cheer however came with Mr Hollinrake brought out Zuzu, who spends most of her time enjoying walks in North Yorkshire, onto the stage in Birmingham.

Mr Hollinrake had said his advice to party leader Kemi Badenoch was “just be yourself”.

He added: “Everywhere I go, people tell me how much they love Kemi, including in my local pub, that place where I go to drink my far-right fantasy pint. With my far-right fantasy black lab.”

Mr Hollinrake then took a sip of beer and raised his glass as the dog joined him on stage.

The Thirsk and Malton MP is a regular at The Star in Harome.

The founder of Hunters Estate Agents referenced his own background in his speech.

He said: “I owe this party so much. In my 20s, my life was a mess. No job, no prospects, deep in debt.

“But I had hope, a belief instilled in me by my parents, based on fundamental conservative principles.

“I turned my life around, worked hard, started a business, bought a house, made something with my life.

“I told you last year how we built, then almost lost our business and then rebuilt it. That was the proudest moment of my business life.”

Mr Hollinrake has previously told The Yorkshire Post about how he co-founded Hunters with John Waterhouse in 1992 with a first shop in Goodramgate, York.

It has had several tumultuous moments, having to survive the impact of Black Wednesday very early on.

In 2007, when Mr Hollinrake was a Conservative candidate for the first time, in Dewsbury, the financial crisis hit and he chose to get Hunters back on its feet.