Minister makes the case for capitalism
THE CONSERVATIVES must mount a “full-throated” case for free market capitalism if they are to see off the threat of a “hard left” Labour Party, a Government Minister has warned.
Universities minister Sam Gyimah said the Tories had “lost our way” with business since the 2008 global financial crash.
With the Conservatives’ annual conference opening in Birmingham at the weekend, Mr Gyimah said if it is not the party of enterprise, “then we are nothing”.
Writing in magazine, he said that while Tories needed to be honest about the failures of capitalism, simply echoing the criticisms of the left would drive voters away.
“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,” he said.
“When it comes to our relationship with business, we must unscramble our compass if we are to stand any chance of defeating the hard left.
“And 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.”
His comments appear in part to be aimed at Tory Brexiteers who responded dismissively to business warnings about the consequences of leaving the EU. He said the party was at its best when it was “pro-enterprise and proendeavour” in a way that made clear its motive was to improve the lot of the ordinary citizen. JEREMY CORBYN urged mourners to help “build a better world” when he spoke at a ceremony to name a square in the centre of Brussels after murdered Batley and Spen Labour MP Jo Cox,
The Labour leader described Mrs Cox as someone who “lived her life to make lives better for everyone else”. As plaques were unveiled, he told a crowd of friends and relatives in Place Jo Cox: “She always gave this message that we have far more in common that unites us than can ever possibly divide us.”
The mother-oftwo, who was killed by neo-Nazi terrorist Thomas Mair in 2016 in Birstall, frequented the Ancienne Belgique concert hall which backs onto the square when she worked in Belgium. She lived in the country for six years before being elected to Parliament in 2015. Mr Corbyn thanked the people of Brussels for the “truly wonderful gesture” to honour the 41-yearold who was “so cruelly killed, so young, in such a brutal way”.
He attended the ceremony with Tracey Brabin, the MP who has taken over Mrs Cox’s Batley and Spen constituency, and shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer. Mr Corbyn was later heading to meet Michel Barnier, the EU’s Brexit negotiator.
Shaking hands with Mrs Cox’s sister Kim Leadbeater and parents Gordon and Jean Leadbeater, he ended his speech by saying: “In her memory let’s build that better world. We can change the world, thank you.”
After the speeches, a choir led by close friend Suzy Sumner performed music including an African liberation song in a nod to her work on that continent.