THE BORIS REVOLUTION TO SHAKE UP BRITAIN
EXCLUSIVE PM’s ambitious blueprint for radical reforms to modernise nation
BORIS Johnson will unveil an ambitious plan for rebuilding Britain in the coming weeks, Tory insiders have revealed.
The Prime Minister has an ambitious blueprint for radical reforms to modernise the UK.
Mr Johnson will make a major speech promising to “build, build, build” within the next fortnight, setting out proposals for boosting growth and helping the economy recover from the coronavirus lockdown.
And his party troops have been instructed to go on the offensive in the
so-called “Blue Wall” constituencies in the Midlands and North of England captured from Labour at the last general election to trumpet the Government’s ambitions for transforming their areas.
One Tory backbencher said: “We’ve been told to get ready for a major speech and a big shift in tone.
“The feeling is that we’re on a steady course in dealing with coronavirus and the time has come to start talking about the Government’s longer term ambitions.
“The space is opening up for a wider political debate after weeks of focus on the disease.
“The Prime Minister wants us to get back to talking about the plan for levelling up and rebuilding the country.”
A senior Government insider said: “The message will be ‘build, build, build’. We will have a lot more to say on this next week.”
Downing Street officials took the decision to scrap the daily televised briefings as a first step towards shifting the Government’s message towards a new approach.
Mr Johnson’s major speech will focus on jobs, health and the economy.
He is expected to rush forward a string of major projects including his hospital building programme.
Ministers have already earmarked £100billion for infrastructure projects in the Midlands and the North which the PM now wants to accelerate to help the economy recover.
Among the projects to be speeded up will be the Tory election manifesto commitments to build 300,000 new homes a year and make substantial progress on building 40 new hospitals by the end of the decade. He will argue that investment and growth are vital for firing up the economy after weeks of lockdown rather than a return to austerity.
His speech will be closely followed by a new package of measures from Chancellor Rishi Sunak to support businesses as the schemes set in place during the lockdown are wound down.
Mr Johnson is also expected to be far more visible over the coming weeks, after being shut up in Downing Street leading the coronavirus response.
The relaxation of social distancing rules will make it easier for him to make public appearances.
Whitehall insiders say the Prime Minister is working closely with his senior adviser Dominic Cummings and his policy chief Munira Mirza on the text of the big speech.
Plans
Mr Cummings, who masterminded the Vote Leave campaign in the run-up to the EU referendum four years ago, is also understood to be drawing up plans for an overhaul of the Civil Service.
He is said to be convinced the coronavirus crisis has exposed widespread bureaucratic failings in Whitehall and is intent on stripping power from the Cabinet Office. Mr Cummings is known to want a more modern, data-driven organisation running Whitehall.
News of the preparations for the PM’s speech comes as business leaders intensify warnings that many firms could go bust once Treasury support schemes end.
The Confederation of British Industry said the companies most affected by the coronavirus crisis cannot wait until the autumn for further action.
A report from the CBI said a recession was a certainty and unemployment was already rising despite the “lifeline”
of the Government’s job retention scheme to furlough workers.
The report said businesses needed further action including extensions of grant support schemes for smaller companies and business rates relief in England.
It also called for the deadline for the Coronavirus Business Loan Scheme to be extended beyond August for a further three months.
CBI director general Dame Carolyn Fairbairn said: “The Government’s support of business during the crisis has saved countless firms, but the rising number of redundancies and benefit claimants shows just how damaging this pandemic has been for our economy.
“The survival of many businesses in hard-hit sectors still hangs in the balance over the summer as schemes begin to wind down. These firms cannot wait until the autumn for further action.
“The Government has already shown its ability to be bold and decisive. By getting ahead of this tidal wave of economic damage with targeted support, it can help businesses survive, protecting the jobs and life chances of a generation.”