Burnham is a Prime Minister who demonstrably tries, and the public will appreciate that for a while. But it is ultimately not good intentions that matter. Trying must be followed by succeeding, and that is a much harder test.
This, I repeat, is not an argument against devolution. But it is an argument for a hard-headed devolution that considers local responsibility to be more important than regional equality, and makes the tough argument that we have to live with the local consequences of devolved decisions.
In the context of Kemi Badenoch’s improving personal rating (now the least unpopular party leader in the country) and the growing evidence that the air is leaving the Reform balloon, in the gains of 18th June there are signs and genuine grounds for optimism.
Contrary to his parents’ wishes, the murder has become a political – and divisive – issue. Naturally there is close scrutiny of how the police acted and about wider police culture. But it has also revealed more about the character, temperament and political strategies of some leading politicians.
The strategic challenge for the Tories is that it has been losing support to both its right and left. Move decisively to the right and more votes get lost to left-wing parties, move decisively to the left and watch Reform steal the Tories’ lunch.
We know now that the country got out of its 1970s malaise thanks to a government committed to fiscal discipline and a market economy. Were matters worse in the seventies compared to today? Yes. Will matters resolve themselves as positively? Not necessarily.
For all the hope of bringing renewed dynamism to the British economy, Reform UK will not have assembled a pro-growth electoral coalition. The country may well need a brave and radical government, but the populist right – including Reform UK – is not going to provide it.
The Government – hoping to change the subject from scheduled fuel duty rises – accused fuel retailers of “price gouging” or“profiteering” despite no evidence to support that. Tory opposition is smart but short term. None of it addresses the realities of the public finances.
Wanting the US action against Iran to replace an evil regime with something much better is one thing, but the odds were always that is not going to be the case. In such circumstances, reticence in supporting the US was not a moral failure, but perfectly sensible.
This was a by-election that showed political support is fragmenting. Neither of the two traditional parties finished in the top two. The Greens got over 40 per cent of the vote but we’re now in a world where MPs will win with a vote share of just a third or even lower.
A move to the left will mean that more centrist voters will be up for grabs. It is a huge opportunity that the Conservative Party cannot afford to miss.
This isn’t about putting forward easy simplistic answers to complex problems because we know that rarely works and there’s plenty of others filling that space. It’s a serious centre right organisation making the case for growth and developing credible proposals.
The emphasis on the economy that has been pursued since Conference is beginning to bear results , with the Tories overtaking Labour and closing the gap with Reform. With the salience of immigration falling, that shift in approach has been vindicated.
Prosper UK wants to give voice to a yearning for politics that is serious, realistic, and pragmatic. Focused on the economy and willing to face up to trade-offs. That understands that business matters, as does credibility with investors.