Pledge for the red wall
BORIS JOHNSON has vowed to not let coronavirus get in the way of his plans to transform the forgotten parts of Britain.
The Prime Minister has insisted that his election promises on the “levelling-up agenda” have not been forgotten, in a message for the Blue Collar Conservatism Movement virtual conference, which begins on Express Online tomorrow.
The Blue Collar Tories helped land Mr Johnson an astonishing election victory in December, with candidates sweeping seats in former Labour heartlands previously known as “the red wall”.
The Express has teamed up with Blue Collar founder Esther Mcvey for the online conference, aimed at giving a voice to people at grassroots level.
It will run on express.co.uk every day from Monday to Friday offering content from the north-west, north-east, the Midlands and Yorkshire, on issues including law and order, social mobility, transport, education and the economy.
Speaking at the start of the unique event, the Prime Minister will congratulate the Blue Collar Tory group that now has more than 120 MPS on its books.
He will say: “I hope the Blue Collar Conservatives have a fantastic virtual conference. Your group has done so much to fight for the issues that matter to the everyday lives of working people, from education to crime and jobs.
“And this chimes so closely with our levelling-up agenda. It’s why, even in the midst of this pandemic, we haven’t forgotten our promises. We’ve been getting on with investing in our schools, hospitals, roads, railways, police and much more.”
Among the promises made have been to invest in infrastructure, particularly local train services, to increase job opportunities and productivity.
The PM has already committed £80billion to restore and improve roads and £3billion for the rail network.
He is also under pressure to extend his “help for high streets” drive beyond the £1billion already committed to 50 towns, with red wall MPS calling for a permanent end to outdated business rates.
Mr Johnson will also come under pressure to make good on promises to invest in education and support vocational training.
Ms Mcvey, who has produced the content for the conference in locations such as Sedgefield in the north-east, Mansfield, Manchester and Birmingham, wants to give grassroots voters a chance to have their say as well as hearing from key Conservative MPS and regional mayors.
She said: “Blue Collar Conservatism has always been about taking politics to the people, getting outside the Westminster bubble.”
Daily Express Editor-in-chief Gary Jones said: “The Express is proud to partner with Esther and the Blue Collar Conservative movement to give our readers the chance to have their say on what really matters to them.
“The Express and Blue Collar Conservative movement share many of the same values. We very much support the need for fairness and levelling up in our society with all given the opportunity to succeed.
“All too often the silent majority don’t get the chance to voice their concerns and ambitions for the future. Well, now they can. Please do let us know what you think about the issues we’re facing today.”
At the end of each day there will be a livestream event from the Blue Boar pub in Westminster, where MPS will answer questions from people who have sent them in during the day.
To get involved, watch the Blue Collar Conservatism content exclusively on express.co.uk/politics and email questions or points to opinion@bluecollarconserv atism.co.uk or use #bcc20 on social media.