CHARGED-UP
Rishi Sunak unloads on his ‘extreme’ Net Zero critics as he opens his first Conservative Party Conference as PM
CHARGED-UP Prime Minister Rishi Sunak led a Tory resurgence last night by telling his party faithful it is time to step up a gear.
Opening the Conservative conference in Manchester he said that, after stalling the 2030 ban on new petrol cars, critics “came for me — and they will keep coming”.
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But, pitching himself as the real change option at next year’s election, the PM said: “We can’t be dominated in this debate by people on the extremes who just think that you should do this at absolutely any cost for people, ordinary people.”
And he batted away calls for immediate tax cuts by comparing himself to prudent Margaret Thatcher.
Earlier yesterday he made a passionate defence of his slowing down of net zero targets, hitting out: “Change may be uncomfortable for people. People may be critical of it, but I believe in doing the right thing for the country.”
And he said he would not flinch just because there had been a backlash, adding: “I’m not going to shy away from that.
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“If I believe the right thing to do is to chart a new course for net zero that will save ordinary families £5,000, £10,000, £15,000, £20,000, I’m going to do it.”
He insisted: “It’s fine to criticise me, it’s fine to disagree with me — but then you have to explain to families why you think it’s right to impose those costs.”
Today ex-PM Liz Truss will warn her successor that “we need to make the case for Conservatism again” — calling on him to slash corporation tax and build more houses.
And, as Mr Sunak addressed party conference for the first time since replacing her last year, he continued to be dogged by calls for tax cuts while taking heavy fire over threatening to axe the northern leg of HS2.
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Cabinet big beast Michael Gove stepped up the pressure to cut taxes.
The Levelling Up Secretary suggested income tax or national insurance should be reduced rather than inheritance tax.
He said: “We should incentivise people to work harder. We should make sure they are better rewarded for the enterprise, the effort, the endeavour that they put in.”
But Mr Sunak said it would be more helpful to bring down inflation.
The PM said it was a “deeply Conservative approach” adopted by Mrs Thatcher and Nigel Lawson.
He added: “This is in the tradition of great Conservative governments, bringing inflation down, because that’s the bedrock on which you build a strong economy. It’s inflation that’s making people feel poorer and that’s why it’s the right priority. And we are making good progress.”
Mr Sunak has been buoyed by recent opinion polls showingLabour’s lead narrowing
Tory party chief Greg Hands accused Sir Keir Starmer of being a “man who will literally say anything that suits him at that time” — then showed the audience a pair of flip-flops featuring the Labour leader.
All change, all change at Manchester
ALL change, all change at Manchester, writes Harry Cole.
There’s a new Rishi Sunak in town - or so the conference spin goes.
All General Elections are about change - Keir Starmer wants it to be a change of government with weary voters desperate for something different.
But now Sunak is getting on the change train - betting the house that he can put enough distance between himself and the past 13 years of Tory rule.
The PM’s pollsters have told him - despite being at the centre through the chaos of Boris and Liz Truss - voters still see him as relatively new on the political scene.
Sunak’s team don’t want to get to polling day and think they could have done more - so expect the kitchen sink this week in Manchester.
But change is risky - as the barrage of criticism the PM has already had so far shows.
It’s a roll of the dice by a leader with few options left.
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