Conservative party leader and British prime minister Rishi Sunak has switched to election mode, using his conference speech to try to cast himself as an agent of change despite his party being in power for the last 13 years.
“It is time for a change and we are it,” declared Mr Sunak at the end of his speech from the main stage at the Manchester Central Convention Complex, where the Tories have gathered since Sunday. It is expected to be the party’s last annual conference before next year’s election.
The prime minister said he wanted to break a “30-year status quo” in British politics of ducking tough decisions. He laid out three set-piece policy pivots that were widely trailed in the days leading up to his speech, which lasted for close to an hour.
Firstly, he cancelled the northern leg of Britain’s long-planned HS2 high speed rail project, freeing up £36 billion (€41.5 billion) to spend on other regional projects. Mr Sunak also promised to create Britain’s first “smoke free generation” by effectively outlawing smoking for anyone born from 2009 onwards.
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Finally, he announced a big shake-up of Britain’s secondary education and technical system, scrapping A-level exams and second-level technical qualifications and replacing them with a new merged qualification, the Advanced British Standard.
The prime minister also attempted to cast the Conservative party under his leadership as being sensible on the economy, on the side of veterans of the armed forces, and in favour of “common sense” on touchstone social issues such as the debate over transgender rights.
“A man is a man and a woman is a woman,” he said, to widespread applause in the hall. He also strongly argued that Britain is not “a racist country”, citing his own background as the son of Indian immigrants: “My story is a British story.”
Mr Sunak’s speech was the final act of a four-day Tory conference that had been dominated by interventions from political rivals. His ousted predecessor, Liz Truss, was prominent as she pressured Mr Sunak’s government to cut taxes, while Brexiteer Nigel Farage, who had not attended a Tory conference for more than 25 years, drew huge attention when he arrived on a GB News media pass.
Mr Sunak’s team attempted to regain the initiative with a direct appeal to Tory grassroots to keep Labour, which is 20 points ahead in most polls, out of power. The first of three warm-up speeches before the prime minister’s address came from leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt, who urged party members to “stand up and fight”.
The second came from Johnny Mercer, a minister of state for veteran’s affairs. He zeroed in on the government’s recent passing of legislation to give immunity to people, including former British soldiers, for killings committed during the Troubles. Mr Sunak later referred to the same topic, suggesting the Tory pro-veteran’s narrative could be a big part of its election package to voters.
Mr Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, gave the third unscheduled warm-up address, giving the delegates details of how the couple met and what the prime minister is like in private.
In between policy announcements, Mr Sunak also took direct aim at Labour leader Keir Starmer, who was the subject of several personal attacks from the Tory main stage over the conference.
“[Starmer] is the walking definition of the 30-year status quo that I am here to end,” said Mr Sunak. “If this country is to change, it is only us who can deliver it.”
