More Equalities Acts, non-dom bashing, some constitutional tinkering: these will be Starmer’s priorities, not making Britain more competitive.
The overwhelming bulk of Britain’s economic problems remain homegrown – and obscured by the impact of Covid, inflation, and Ukraine.
To date, the Parliamentary Party has been divided between a small number of committed critics, a larger one of enthuasiasts, and a larger one looking to see which side triumphs.
Paul wrote for ConservativeHome last year, arguing that since “traditional conservative voters no longer want to vote Conservative” in the so-called Blue Wall, “then a return to traditional conservatism may be just what’s needed.”
Both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer have been confronted by the reality of how voters respond to being asked to pay for green policies.
The tendency in recent Tory selections has been to pick people with long-standing ties to the constituency over those one might consider “big names” or “SW1 insiders”.
One should not be shy of admitting that any major short-term gains from our accession are primarily political. We already have trade agreements with nine of the current eleven members.
Against a darkening international environment, where the structural advantages and market liberalisations of the post-war decades are being rolled back, peddling the same old snake oil of a tax cut here or there just won’t wash.
It was the case that, according to a local source, Davis was a “hard-working local champion” and that “no candidate could have shifted local members”.
Only 12 per cent of tickets are now bought at offices, down 85 per cent from 1995 – at a time of union disruption and plummeting commuter numbers.
All election campaigns boil down to either “safety first” or “time for a change”. So if he isn’t meeting his five pledges, Sunak must give voters a reason to fear taking a chance on Labour.
The tentative signs are that the Shadow Chancellor is switching from an emphasis on industrial strategy and “green prosperity” to one on housebuilding and planning reform.
He must level with voters about the poor prospects of the public finances – and the need for both a return to austerity and serious decisions around generating growth.
A by-election in the predecessor seat to Tamowrth in 1996 saw a Tory majority of 12.5 per cent become a 31.6 per cent Labour one.