Will Sunak’s ‘plan for motorists’ cut through to local votes?

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Good Morning. Can Rishi Sunak’s Driver’s Plan turn around his party’s fortunes? Of course he hopes so. Some thoughts on whether he was right in today’s notes.

car chase

Jim Pickard has an inside look at Sunak’s Motorist Plan, which will be at the center of Rishi Sunak’s speech to the Conservative Party conference next week as he An attempt to restore the Conservatives’ poll numbers and move beyond the HS2 controversy.

The measures will include “postponing plans for low-traffic communities and cracking down on parking charges”. England is expected to take steps to tighten rules in 20mph speed zones. Local authorities are also likely to face further restrictions on how they spend their money, with limits on spending by some local authorities to ensure some funding is allocated only to roads.

Will it work? There are three things worth noting here. First, we don’t have as many polls to draw from as I would like.As far as I know we have A YouGov poll on 20mph zones Support has been fairly consistent across the country since last year, with more people supporting the measures than opposing them.

Since that poll, Wales’ Labor government has introduced a default speed limit of 20mph on roads where cars and pedestrians meet across the country. YouGov conducted a poll this month Showing more people oppose the measure than support it, a Redfield & Wilton poll shows the opposite.

So, really, do whatever you want. What I can draw from are my own impressions from talking to people and covering elections across the country.

Secondly, and I think this is pretty understandable, the measures that are being discussed are generally a matter for local government. When I cover the election, or when I go door-to-door, even people who don’t vote – even people who tell me they haven’t heard of Keir Starmer or, in one case, Suna K-Know that local transportation arrangements are the job of local government.

Opposition to these plans is often a favorite campaign argument among Conservative MPs. Although low-traffic communities and clean air zones are projects of Boris Johnson’s Conservative government in Westminster, there has been little enthusiasm for them from Conservative campaigners in the country. Instead, Labor and Lib Dem MPs are campaigning on the plans.

One thing I’ve noticed however is that local council elections often become a referendum on the government of the day and how it handles major national issues, unless the electorate believes that the local council really, truly, real Disrupting traffic management within the jurisdiction. The Uxbridge by-election was just that: it came before new charges were introduced for some drivers, at a time when it was widely believed the charge would apply to more cars than it actually was, and in one borough where the measure fell particularly hard . As a result, the Conservatives were able to narrowly hold on to one of their most stable seats.

So if I were a Labor MP in one of the few places where these transport plans are being implemented I would be very nervous indeed have The party proved unpopular enough to change the local election results, which could make the difference between a Labor majority government and one in some sort of alliance with the Lib Dems, given how many seats Labor would have to pick up.

But if I were a Conservative MP in an ordinary marginal constituency I would also be concerned that Labor and the Lib Dems’ enthusiasm for these plans did not stop them gaining seats in parliament at the recent election.

Now try this

I cooked Marcella Hazan’s Last night’s bolognese recipe. It’s very good, freezes well, and overall it’s exactly what you want to make before going to a conference for a few days.

I hope to see paragraph At the cinema before heading to Manchester for the Conservative Party conference (fourth time lucky, right?) – thanks for all your dining suggestions! However you spend it, have a great weekend.

Today’s headlines

• blackout in sky | The government’s push to remove Huawei equipment from Britain’s telecoms network has disrupted mobile services for Sky TV customers, the first sign of disruptions industry executives have long warned of.

• Bringing electricity to Britain from Morocco | New Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho has declared a £20bn plan to transport solar and wind power from the Sahara Desert to the UK via the world’s longest undersea cable as being of “national significance” project.

• opinions, notes | BBC star presenters such as Gary Lineker will be banned from participating in party political campaigning or endorsements under new internal rules on the use of social media, but will be allowed to express their views on political issues and policies.

• Post-Brexit penalties | Britain has been fined 32 million euros by the EU’s top court for allowing cruise ships to use low-tax red diesel, with lawyers saying the case sets a precedent for future disputes.

• “I don’t want to play” | London Labor mayor Sadiq Khan accuses the Tories of using the Croydon teen stabbing as a “political football”, Hitting back Tory minister Richard Holden said: “I’m not willing to enter the contest.” Elianne Andam, 15, died after being attacked on her way to school, Sky News reported.