Election triumph has unleashed Blue Collar Conservatism
Working people ignored generations of voting tradition to put their faith in Boris Johnson and the Conservatives for the first time last week. Their vote secured Brexit and has ushered in a new age of Conservatism.
Like many of the new MPS arriving in Parliament this week, I innately believe in Blue Collar Conservatism. This is not a political sound bite: it is a core belief for millions of working people in this country.
While I launched Blue Collar Conservatism in January this year, it is the Conservatism I have stood for all my life. I endured years of abuse and smears by the Corbynista hard-left in my home city of Liverpool defending it – they literally hated the fact there were seeds of Conservatism in their backyard and wanted to stamp it out.
No amount of bullying, intimidation or misrepresentation of my views would stop me championing workingclass Conservatives. And like a blue wave carrying a boat-full of optimism, Boris and Brexit unleashed Blue Collar Conservatism across the country.
The refusal by the political and media class to accept the result of the EU referendum ignited the flame of change. The strong sense of betrayal allowed many people to look at the Conservative Party and Labour Party with fresh eyes. But this new political force goes much deeper than just delivering the referendum result.
Under Corbyn, Labour abandoned working people with an ideological commitment to failed socialist policies that would destroy jobs and leave everyone worse off. Traditional Labour voters have been let down by a party that does not understand their aspirations and ambitions.
Finally, working people have a real choice and can now choose the Conservative Party: the party of unashamed British patriotism; the party of law and order; the party of world-class public services; the party of all the regions; the party of working people for working people.
Today, I am joined on the green benches by a new team of Conservative MPS representing communities in the former Labour heartlands across the Midlands and North. In 2019, voters can now reshape the Conservative Party for a future generation. The political system must be receptive to change, too. The leadership has shown it is; so must the machinery of government and the media classes.
The Brexit process has revealed that so much of our political and media establishment is not just out of step with the people but has contempt for them. Under this People’s Government, it must now step in line with the public. Just as the political “red wall” came down, so too must the class divisions and regional divides: only then can this country truly prosper.
Working people backed Boris for the blue collar agenda and because he plotted an optimistic future: a positive vision of a confident, outward-looking, trading nation that will provide jobs, careers and opportunities for the next
Our aim is for people not to be talking about Silicon Valley but to be citing Rother Valley and Don Valley
generation. This plan to level up every part of the UK and revive our towns and cities has at its heart a commitment to investing in Britain’s people. With new industries built on new technology and innovation, this People’s Government will ensure that British workers will be equipped with the tools and training to flourish in the economy of the 21st century.
One of the best examples of this Government’s commitment to the working people is our plan to kick-start a green housing revolution – a new hi-tech housing sector, worth £40billion in the North.
A new post-brexit industry like this needs a brand new workforce, capable of building safe, quality and beautiful homes off-site in factories over a week and assembling the homes on-site in a day. That means skilled, high-quality jobs for life. The North has the potential to be the construction capital of the country and of the globe. Our aim is for people not to be talking about Silicon Valley but to be citing Rother Valley and Don Valley.
British politics has been through one of its most difficult periods. The political establishment clashed with the people, and the people won.
The Conservative Party has always adapted to the needs of the day. Its timeless values – faith in its people – allow for that. And if you believe in your people, you know you have to listen, learn and change when you are called on to do so and right now the winds of change are stronger than ever. Esther Mcvey is minister for housing and is also founder of Blue Collar Conservatism