Mogg mauls May on the family
He’ll attack PM at Tory conference for failing families as minister warns: We mustn’t talk down business
JACOB Rees- Mogg will accuse Theresa May of ‘doing nothing to support’ traditional families in a major intervention at the Tory conference.
The leading backbencher will tell party activists that successive governments – including the current one – have encouraged family breakdown with perverse welfare and tax policies.
Writing in the Mail today, he says that under David Cameron and Mrs May, the Tories have been unwilling to abandon ‘the metropolitan, Blairite approach’ to social policy.
The result, he argues, is that government policies are making ‘commitment less likely’. His comments will be seen as a pitch to the Tory Right and the start of positioning for a future leadership contest.
The intervention came as senior Tories descended into infighting over how to respond to Jeremy Corbyn’s populist attacks on business. Universities minister Sam Gyimah said the Tories were in danger of ‘talking business down’, and urged the Prime Minister to mount a ‘full-throated’ defence of capitalism at next week’s conference in Birmingham.
He also took a swipe at Boris Johnson, who responded to Brexit fears from big business by saying: ‘F*** business’. Mr Gyimah told The House magazine: ‘When we Conservatives veer between talking business down, ignoring voters’ concerns, and telling businesses to shut up or worse, it is a clear sign we have lost our way.
‘When it comes to our relationship with business, we must unscramble our compass to stand any chance of defeating the hard Left.
‘Whichever side you are on in the Brexit debate, we need to realise that if we are not the party of business then we are nothing.’
Former Cabinet minister Priti Patel urged the PM to cut taxes and red tape on business, saying a ‘clear Conservative vision’ was needed to tackle Mr Corbyn’s hard-Left agenda.
Miss Patel told The House: ‘ Gone are the days of flagship policies giving millions the chance to own their own home, start their own business, become share owners, and offer choice in public services. Now we are showcasing taxes on coffee cups.’
But former education minister Robert Halfon said the Tories had to respond to the issues highlighted by the Labour leader, adding: ‘The Corbyn description of what is going on resonates with millions of people.
‘Deep social and economic problems remain. We are stuck in the political rhetoric of the past, rather than providing a proper Tory vision for the future. It’s why even with “the most Left-wing leader in the history of mankind”, Labour remains pretty high in the polls. They are speaking
‘It is a clear sign we have lost our way’
to the problems faced by many. We too often speak only for the few.’
Mr Rees-Mogg will use a fringe event run by the Centre for Social Justice think-tank to call for a major change of social policy next week.
Drawing a link between broken homes and social problems such as drug addiction, criminality and rough sleeping, he will say the State should encourage parents to stay together instead of breaking up.
‘Politicians consistently say how important the family is, but then do nothing to support it,’ he will say.
‘Family breakdown is shown to make life harder. It affects children throughout their adult lives, reducing their chances of success. The State consistently fails to support families in spite of the costs, both personal and financial, this can lead to. It is more a question of benign neglect than an aggressive power grab.’
Polling for the Centre for Social Justice shows huge support for policies to stem family breakdown.
Three quarters of those asked said it was a serious problem, and 85 per cent said family stability was important, the Com Res poll showed.
The polling also showed one in four people directly link family breakdown and poor school exam results.
Also speaking at the meeting will be Lord Farmer, a former Tory Treasurer and a donor to the party and the Leave campaign, who will highlight ‘devastating’ levels of family breakdown. In parts of Britain, he will say, three quarters of children are bought up by single parents.
He will add: ‘Our exceptionally high rates of family breakdown drive and entrench social problems and rack up massive costs. The welfare system picks up the pieces when relationships crumble because people who were dependent on each other become dependent on the state.’