‘The message of these results is clear. If we go on like this, we will be dismissed.’
Boris Johnson on the lessons for the Government, and what he would do as Conservative leader
Ipredict a rout. In this miserable election that should never have taken place, for a Europarliament that should no longer represent us, the voters are delivering a crushing rebuke to the Government – in fact, to both major parties. I cannot find it in my heart to blame them. They gave us one chief task: to deliver Brexit. They have so far given us almost three years to do it. We have flagrantly failed to carry out their instructions. We have missed deadline after deadline, broken promise after promise; and today our employers – the people – have figuratively summoned us to the Human Resources department for a final warning about our performance.
The message from these results is clear. If we go on like this, we will be fired: dismissed from the job of running the country. The only way to avert that outcome is to honour the result of the 2016 referendum, and come out of the EU; and that means doing it properly – not with some frail simulacrum of Brexit, but clearly and sensibly, so that we are able to join every other independent country in being able to set our own tariffs and
make our own laws. If we fail yet again to discharge that mandate, then I fear we will see a permanent haemorrhage of Conservative support, and loyal voters who have left us to join the Brexit Party (and others) may simply never come back.
And though Labour is also suffering a desertion – and deservedly so – the insurgence of the new Brexit party is increasing the risk of political and economic disaster: a government led by Jeremy Corbyn and John Mcdonnell. They are not only Marxists, or semi-marxists, who would massively hike up taxes and spend literally hundreds of billions on ideologically driven plans for renationalisation. They still believe in the tenets of Bolivarian revolutionary socialism – despite the catastrophe in Venezuela. They condone anti-semitism. They apologise for the Kremlin. They cannot be allowed to govern this country – and we can prevent that disaster if, and only if, we can show now that we have listened, and are listening, to the voices of those millions who voted for change.
When the people of this country voted Leave, they didn’t expect to be ignored. They wanted evidence that government cared about them, and their needs. They were expressing their frustration at a system that seemed to suppress their wages, while boardroom pay continued to rise. They understood the benefits of allowing talented immigrants to come to the UK. They just thought it was reasonable for immigration to be democratically controlled. We must respond to these legitimate emotions – and we can.
We can bridge the productivity gap between London and the South East – the most economically dynamic region of Europe – and the rest of the country. We can cut business taxes, and cut red tape, and push ahead with free ports. We can provide the transport infrastructure and broadband, and the devolutionary measures that will promote local pride and initiative; and by championing start-ups and enterprise, and boosting skills and apprenticeships, we can help bring growth and dynamism to areas that for too long have felt left behind.
By unleashing the potential of the whole country we can bring the UK together, stimulate growth – and generate the extra tax revenues we need. And let us be frank, we need to spend more on schools, with a significant uplift per pupil. We need to make sure that we have enough police out on the beat. We have wisely allocated another £20billion to the NHS – but we must ensure that it reaches the front line.
It is only by having safe streets, efficient transport, and excellent public services, that you can create the ideal conditions for private sector investment and growth, which leads to more tax revenues – and you have the symmetry, the virtuous circle, that is One Nation Conservatism. That is how we can invest more in science, and in our universities, and lengthen our lead in batteries and other clean technology, so that we inspire a whole new generation with hope – because this country will be leading the world in tackling climate change and all the other threats to the natural world. With a progressive, green, pro-market agenda we can reach every community and every age group. We can reinvigorate Conservatism.
But if we are to recapture the attention of the electorate, we must show, now, that we can and will deliver what we said we would do.
When I was Mayor of London, I was almost fanatical in delivering on my pledges. I don’t just mean banning alcohol on the Tube, or axing bendy buses, or introducing cycle hire. I pledged to defeat knife crime – and we cut the murder rate by 50 per cent, and overall crime levels by about 20 per cent.
I promised we would build 100,000 affordable homes. We did more. I said we would improve the Tube, and we cut delays by 30 per cent. I said we would have the greatest ever Olympics – and we did, with regeneration that has transformed much of the East End. I said we would tackle poverty and inequality, and bring the city together.
When I took office in 2008, London had four of the six poorest boroughs in the UK. By the end of my two terms we had none in the bottom 20. It was because I was relentless in delivering on my commitments that I was re-elected in 2012 – when the Conservatives were 17 points behind in the capital.
Next week I will set out more of what I believe must be the winning agenda, for my party and for the country. We can set a clear course to be the most prosperous and most contented economy in Europe. But the absolute prerequisite is to get Brexit right.
We can and must deliver. No one sensible would aim exclusively for a no-deal outcome. No one responsible would take no-deal off the table.
If we are courageous and optimistic, we can strike a good bargain with our friends across the Channel, come out well and on time – by October 31 – and start delivering on all the hopes and ambitions of the people.