Rishi Sunak’s speech to delegates at the Conservative party conference aimed to position himself as a bold departure from a broken political and economic consensus. However, this risky move reeks of desperation and panic. The public holds the Conservatives responsible for the current precarious state of the country, and it appears likely that the Labour party will emerge victorious in the upcoming election, potentially just a year away. This week, many Tories were fixated not on losing power, but rather on the fierce battle for leadership they expect to follow an inevitable defeat.
Presenting himself as the agent of change is Sunak’s last-ditch strategy. He must convince voters that the Tory party, in power for over a decade, still has momentum. Sunak distinguishes himself by being more fiscally conservative than Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, and Theresa May. His plans for improving the nation include reducing wasteful spending, preventing today’s children from picking up smoking to relieve pressure on the NHS, and enhancing the skills of workers by requiring students to study math and English until the age of 18. However, this last policy won’t be implemented until 2033, which diminishes its electoral appeal.
Sunak’s major decision, which was the worst-kept secret of the week, was to scrap the northern leg of the HS2 rail line. Making this announcement in Manchester, a city that would have greatly benefited from the project, only intensified the error. This move allowed him to portray the initiative as a wasteful endeavor that primarily served vested interests. Under Sunak’s leadership, only the London-to-Birmingham leg will remain, with the prime minister arguing that resources would be better utilized to connect cities in the north with each other, rather than focusing on the capital. While this prospect is not unappealing, it is a promise for the future, which creates skepticism given how easily assurances about HS2 were abandoned.
Sunak’s address aimed to redefine the divide between remainers and leavers by seeking a cross-class alliance against supporters of the long-standing political consensus since Margaret Thatcher’s departure. His speech touched on familiar themes such as migration, motoring, woke culture, and took jabs at so-called “rip-off degrees.” At times, it resembled a typical monologue found on the right-wing GB News channel.
The underlying crisis in British society, exemplified by the 2016 Brexit vote, remains unresolved. The Conservative party struggles to reconcile the public’s demand for improved public services with its own inclination for small-state policies. Sunak considers former chancellor Nigel Lawson, who endorsed him during the Tory leadership race, as his hero, citing the Thatcherite strategy of tackling inflation by shrinking the state and offering tax cuts as the key to winning elections.
Sunak appears to be following a similar path, but the deeper the malaise felt by the British people, the more transformative solutions are required. Unfortunately, such solutions are not being offered. This may explain why the Conservative vote share continues to lag behind Labour, despite high-profile announcements on issues like net zero and immigration. The UK has one of the highest levels of income inequality in Europe. Sunak is correct in asserting that the current governing model is no longer acceptable, but that’s because it benefits too few and fails too many. The prescriptions outlined in his speech today will not address this fundamental problem.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
