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A year ago, Rishi Sunak was hailed as the man who would bring management skills to the British prime minister after years of turmoil. He is trying to reinvent himself as that approach fails to excite voters as the election approaches. Now the leader claims to be ready to take “radical” decisions, defend common sense over misguided consensus, and deliver real results in a way that seven previous prime ministers over 30 years, five of them from his own Conservative Party, have failed to achieve. of change. Do.
As well as the much-leaked centerpiece of his conference speech – scrapping the northern section of the high-speed rail line, Britain’s biggest post-war infrastructure project – he has unveiled a series of slightly bizarre policies that may underpin some Conservative base. Some ideas — cracking down on smoking, expanding graduation eligibility — are worthwhile for now. However, even if Sunak has announced “pragmatic” downplayed climate policies, they are not enough to constitute a coherent plan to address the major long- and short-term challenges facing the country.
Some people in the north of England, the Midlands and elsewhere may welcome the scrapping of the badly over-budgeted Birmingham-Manchester section of HS2. The promise to spend £36bn on “hundreds” of projects has superficial appeal. rail, road and bus plans, including strengthening east-west links in what the government calls the “Northern Network”. However, the main purpose of HS2 is to relieve the burden on existing rail lines and roads – by removing cars and, most importantly, trucks – so that they can be used more efficiently.
Years of preparation for the Manchester-Birmingham stage have now been wasted. Multiple lengthy new processes had to be initiated. It is also far from clear that governments and the construction industry can manage hundreds of small, parallel projects better than one large project. Better regional networks could ultimately make life easier for some voters. But they cannot fully make up for the lost vision and potential to drive investment in a more integrated economy through fast, interconnected north-south and east-west links.
What’s the rest of Sunak’s outline plan? Gradually raising the smoking age so that today’s young people never start smoking has the potential to improve health and in time reduce pressure on the NHS. But it will do little to relieve pressure on today’s chronically overwhelmed system and create record waiting lists. Reforming post-16 education to create wider “higher British standards” is an admirable aim, although there are few clues as to how the government will recruit the extra staff needed to teach more subjects and teaching hours.
Meanwhile, many of Sunak’s ministers appear more interested in preparing for future leadership contests after next year’s election debacle – especially Suella Braverman, the home secretary. He delivered a pointed speech, warning of a “hurricane” to migrants. The impression is that the party has turned to right-wing populism and “counter-woke” culture wars rather than providing credible answers to the fundamental questions facing Britain today. These are how to accelerate investment, boost productivity and use the climate transition to boost sluggish growth.
Only by doing so can the UK reduce the tax burden from its post-war highs over time while starting to rebuild public services. After 13 years in power, the Conservatives appear desperate to find a way to stay in office for another five years. The new, fiercely pragmatic Sunak has yet to make a convincing case for how they will use it.
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