Last Wednesday, Conservatives from all corners of the country made their journey back from Birmingham. But this year’s journey for many was different – with militant unions paralysing our rail network yet again for the day. That many of us were forced to drive or take a coach home served as a reminder that those who seek to divide us are the same people who talk our country down and damage the lives of hardworking people up and down the country. The anti-growth coalition was out in full force.
They cannot be allowed to win.
That is one reason why I am backing our Prime Minister. We simply cannot afford to allow infighting and division to hand the keys to Downing Street over to Keir Starmer and a dysfunctional coalition that will not only threaten our economy, but the United Kingdom itself. The public does not vote for divided parties, and rightly so.
Nicola Sturgeon, the Lib Dems and the Labour left want to take this country backwards. They have no credible plan to fix our economy, no plan to lower energy bills and no plan to recover our NHS from the impact of the pandemic. Instead, they are focused on fringe issues such as constitutional rows to break up our Union, changing our electoral system to a confusing and unnecessary European model, and infighting over whether to condemn the strikes crippling our economy and making families’ lives a misery. My Conservative colleagues should remember who the real enemies are.
But that is not the only reason why I am standing firm by the side of the Prime Minister. Her Plan for Growth, her priorities and her values are the right ones to get Britain moving. She is taking firm and decisive action on the issues that matter most to hardworking people. Real Growth will come from real Conservative values and principles, and Jacob Rees-Mogg’s Bill to abolish embedded EU legislation will open new horizons for competitiveness, enterprise, technological innovation and new investment.
When she took office, she inherited the highest tax burden in 70 years, public services upheaved by the pandemic and a barbaric illegal war on our continent threatening the security not only of our nation, but our food, energy and economy. The scale of the challenge the Prime Minister is facing cannot be underestimated. Difficult choices are inevitable in this scenario, and anyone who claims otherwise is not being frank with you.
Cutting taxes is the right thing to do. Letting people keep more of their own money – rather than dictating how they spend it is a fundamentally moral position.
Taking decisive action to lower energy bills is the right thing to do. The Government cannot stand by and allow bills to rise to £6,000 – the action the Government has taken will quite literally keep the lights on in homes and businesses this winter and provide energy security for the future.
Gripping the problems in our NHS and public services is the right thing to do. Given the scale of the previous tax burden, the public rightly expect our public services to deliver. That means getting a GP appointment in good time, fixing the courts backlog to deliver justice for victims and making sure police are cutting real crime – not twitter rows.
These are the principles the Conservative Party was built on: low taxes, protecting the most vulnerable, ensuring sound stewardship and value for money of public services, and keeping our country safe. Each one of those principles will contribute to growing our economy if we stay true to them.
Yes, difficult choices lie ahead. But the Conservative Party must remember those principles and values which unite us. Our constituents are watching – and they will not forgive us for putting politics above delivery. For refusing to take the bold action needed in these unprecedented times to get our economy back on track.
The Prime Minister is right when she says that Britain’s best days are ahead of us, but only a united Conservative party can deliver them.
Remember the core values that unite the Conservative Party
The only alternative is surrender to the anti-growth coalition led by Labour