Like Thatcher in 1979, Kemi Badenoch can win power and stand up for Britain

Change? Small change is all that will be left in our pockets once Labour has unleashed its ruinous plans

We are less than two months into a Labour government, already many of our worst fears are being realised, and there is more to come. It is vital that we galvanise our party and restore people’s trust.
This is a big moment for the Conservatives. We must do what we can in opposition to protect the British public from Labour’s class warfare, their tax raids, and their attacks on pensioners and on our countryside.
But we must also restore a sense of optimism and patriotism, policy driven by principle and, crucially, trust.
Every Conservative stood on a manifesto to cut taxes at every stage of life, from stamp duty for first-time buyers to National Insurance. We didn’t get the opportunity to deliver these plans because we lost the public’s trust.
The stakes for restoring trust could not be higher. Labour’s empty pre-election rhetoric revolved around “change”, but it seems that small change is all that will be left in our pockets once Labour has unleashed its ruinous plans on our country.
In June, I warned that raising taxes is encoded in Labour’s DNA. I also warned that if Labour won the election, they would cynically claim that the public finances they inherited were far worse than they understood to justify tax rises, and that is exactly what they have done.
We left government with inflation back at target, the economy growing, and low unemployment, not a note telling the incoming Chancellor that there was no money left. The job was far from finished, but a corner had been turned, and we had taken the first steps on the long road to cutting taxes.
In contrast, since taking office, Labour has simply gone into reverse gear, and come the autumn as the leaves fall, Labour’s mask will slip as they set their first Budget.
Despite promising more than 50 times during the election not to raise taxes on working people, Labour will present to the country the tax rises they have had planned all along.
As His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, we must hold Labour to account for their broken promises on tax. But we must also offer a consistent and positive Conservative vision of the future to the British people, based not just on policy but on principles.
I have worked closely with and admire all six candidates vying to be our party’s next leader. Each has a great deal to offer our country, and a vital role to play in rebuilding the Conservative Party so that we form the next government.
The situation when the next general election is fought could be much like 1979 – overmighty unions, and taxes stifling enterprise. Back then we had a strong, authentic and resolute leader; someone of conviction and principle willing to tell hard truths, make tough decisions and stand up for what she believed in.
We need that again, and I see that in Kemi Badenoch.
I know how passionate and committed she is to rebuilding our party from the grassroots up, empowering our members and local associations, and, crucially, putting together a strong, broad and collaborative team in Parliament that can take the fight to Labour.
Like Lady Thatcher, she instinctively understands that the government is the custodian of the public purse and must respect it, while also ensuring people are able to keep more of the money they earn.
But Kemi also understands the practical steps we must take to tackle intergenerational inequality so that our young people feel they have a stake in our country and a bright, blue future within it. Already Kemi has demonstrated her exceptional ability to get to grips with government in numerous departments, and at the Despatch Box she has exuded the kind of confidence and courage required to hold Labour to account and to assure the public that she understands their frustrations and their aspirations.
She can re-empower and re-energise our base and bring our party back together. She can build a clear and authentic policy platform that isn’t reactive, but a first principles foundation for a prosperous and fair future for our country, that will enable everyone to fulfil their potential and have a clear stake in society.
We shouldn’t let the last few difficult years sour our achievements since 2010. It was Conservatives in government that turned our education system around, driving up standards and securing record outcomes for our children and young people.
It was Conservatives in government that halved unemployment. It was Conservatives in government that doubled the personal tax allowance and delivered a record increase in the National Living Wage. It was Conservatives in government that built more homes than Blair and Brown. All that we achieved was an investment in our country’s future, and by the end of this Parliament I fear that Labour will have tried to undo that work.
With Kemi as the next leader of our united party, and our country’s next prime minister, I know we can once again restore trust and deliver for the British people.