Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Rishi has plan to tackle the enemy
WE are facing challenges on many fronts but nowhere more so than on the economy. The first priority of our incoming Prime Minister must be to get inflation down as a matter of urgency.
In the words of Rishi Sunak, inflation is the enemy that makes everyone poorer.
He has a plan to tackle it – and that is why we are backing him to be our Prime Minister.
We know that people across our region are worried about their energy bills as we move towards the winter months.
As Chancellor, Rishi put in place a framework to support hard-working families and pensioners to bring bills down.
He has already been clear that he will go further in giving direct support to millions of people this winter, so that they have the peace of mind that they so desperately need.
Of course, Rishi wants to cut taxes but he will only do so when the time is right.
We cannot saddle our children and grandchildren with debts that we aren’t willing to pay ourselves, nor can we bury our heads in the sand when it comes to the scale of challenge that we are facing.
The simple truth is that Rishi is being honest with people, telling the country what it needs to hear rather than what it might want to hear.
In areas like Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset, Rishi will deliver on our priorities.
He knows that levelling up isn’t just about northern cities; it’s about rural and urban areas, north and south, towns, cities and villages.
He also fundamentally understands the challenges that we face in this part of the world. He has a plan to get to grips with NHS backlogs, reform of social care and the lack of NHS dentists in the area.
It is unacceptable that people are currently being deprived of the treatment that they need, and Rishi has a plan to deliver the reform of the system that is so desperately needed.
A rural MP himself, Rishi understands the rural economy – its challenges and its untold potential.
All of our constituencies boast fantastic local businesses. They are ready to expand, create well-paid jobs for local people, offer apprenticeships and invest in R&D.
As Prime Minister, Rishi will support them to do so and he would run the most pro-rural government in recent history.
He has also set out an ambitious package of measures to support our world-leading farmers and growers.
In our next leader, we need to elect someone that has sound judgment – as Rishi does. Here in the South West, we are facing a resurgent Liberal Democrat Party.
Earlier in the campaign, Liz Truss outlined a plan to regionalise public sector pay and to pay public sector workers like doctors, nurses, teachers and police officers less in areas around the country.
Not only is this a terrible idea, it would have lost many of us our seats had we been in a General Election campaign.
We need a leader who can win an overall majority at the next General Election. The risk of a Keir Starmer minority government propped up by Ed Davey and Nicola Sturgeon is a three-way catastrophe, threatening the economy, threatening Brexit and threatening the future of the Union.
Polling is clear that Rishi is the person that can win a majority.
He is significantly more popular among swing voters, many of whom may be otherwise attracted to the Liberal Democrats in areas like ours.
Rishi is the right choice for our party, our region, and the country.