Plea for Tory unity as Brexit feuds continue
Political editor David Williamson reports on Andrew RT Davies’ plea for the Conservatives to show unity for the sake of the ‘national interest’
WELSH Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies made a plea for unity yesterday at the Conservative conference in Manchester as speculation continued to swirl about Theresa May’s political future.
Mr Davies urged the audience to put “personal agendas to one side” and warned of the danger of Jeremy Corbyn entering Downing Street.
Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson stamped on suggestions she could lead the party, saying she was “not standing” and Conservatives should talk about “real issues” rather than “the Tory psychodrama.”
Mrs May was asked if Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is “unsackable” following his latest Brexit remarks, but Lord Heseltine said “leaving him there until he completely oversteps the mark is a wise thing to do”.
WELSH Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies issued a plea for unity as the party’s conference kicked off in Manchester, with the Prime Minister already facing questions about her future.
Mr Davies sought to use the spectre of Jeremy Corbyn winning the keys of Downing St to get people to put aside “personal agendas”.
Pundits and bookmakers had predicted the Conservatives would make major gains in Wales when the election was announced but the party ended up losing three seats to Labour.
Mr Davies argued that Welsh Tories must “speak outside our traditional voter base” and reach younger voters.
Warning that Tory disunity threatened the UK’s national security, he said: “The stakes are high and it is incumbent on all of us in the Conservative party to unite, put personal agendas aside and fight for the greater good.
“The challenge upon us is immense and we must work united behind our Prime Minister as she leads us on this historic journey.
“Because if we don’t, we risk everything: the economy; jobs; public services; the Brexit negotiations; our national security; and the frightening prospect of Jeremy Corbyn in 10 Downing Street...
“Our country needs a united Conservative Party governing in the national interest.”
The Labour party conference ended on a high last Wednesday, with Jeremy Corbyn now more secure at Labour’s helm than at any time in his leadership.
Mr Davies launched a full-throttle attack on Mr Corbyn and stressed the need to win over young voters.
He said: “To defeat the unforgiving socialism of the Labour party, we need to show that Corbyn is nothing more than a seductive and destructive lie. And we need young people on our side.
“And that begins by speaking to them – speaking to their needs. If we don’t, then false prophets and their falsehoods will flourish.
“At a time when Labour are happy to shamelessly swindle our young people with promises that can’t be kept, and [which they] have no intention of keeping we need to persuade young people that fairness and aspiration matter more than quick fixes and expensive gimmicks, to say how the Welsh Conservatives would use the new tax-raising powers in Wales in a way which uniquely benefits young people.
“How we’ll put extra money in their pocket so that they can raise deposits for their own home and scrap stamp-duty for first-time buyers so they can get on the ladder. How we’ll ensure that all public sector staff in Wales under the age of 25 are paid the living wage and make Wales a country that works for young and old.”
Adamant that Mr Corbyn is a threat to the “future of our nation”, he said: “[As] we’ve seen with Labour’s social media activity: a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on... Jeremy Corbyn is a real threat not just to this government, but to public services, the economy and the very future of our nation.
“And we need to take that threat seriously, because in Wales we’ve seen first-hand what a Labour Government can do to our people and communities.”
The South Wales Central AM also used his conference appearance to press for action on the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon.
The long-awaited and independent Hendry Review gave the project the thumbs-up in January but no announcement about UK Government backing has been made.
He said: “[Swansea] awaits an important decision on the muchdiscussed tidal lagoon. We have taken brave decisions in the past, and we need to make another decision now.
“Because, let’s be clear, people across the country depend on our party to govern and to govern in the national interest.”
Mr Davies claimed to have the “odd scar” on his back for backing Brexit, saying: “I know that this hall, like the country at large, contains a broad range of views on the European Union. But as Conservatives we define ourselves by the pragmatic way in which we approach a changing landscape...
“And I know that we are all dedicated to making Brexit work for the whole of the UK, even if it’s not always easy to put our feelings to one side. As someone who backed leaving the European Union, I carry the odd scar on my back for that decision, but I can also empathise with colleagues who found themselves on the other side of the result.”
Looking back to the 1997 referendum which led to the founding of the Assembly, he said: “In 1997 when the public voted by a narrow margin to establish the National Assembly for Wales, we found ourselves on the wrong side of history. However, while Conservatives initially opposed devolution, the decision of the Welsh public was final.
“We didn’t try to overturn the result, we got on with the job of shaping the institution, for the better of Wales and for the better of the United Kingdom. And in Wales, it’s fair to say it has been frustrating that the Labour party has not adopted a similar approach to Brexit.”
Mr Davies sought to shut down the narrative that Wales suffers from under-funding, saying: “We are in Government at Westminster making decisions... Decisions like we saw in December with the introduction of an historic funding floor for Wales.
“Thanks to the Conservatives and the leadership of Theresa May, the decades-old complaint about underfunding in Wales is now over.”
A Welsh Labour spokesman said: “It takes some brass neck for Andrew RT Davies to bandy about accusations of ‘falsehoods” and “false promises” on the same day that his Prime Minister is slinging hundreds of millions of pounds around to try and save her irreversibly devalued Premiership. For the Tories, there is no bung too big, no deal too grubby – their only aim is to cling on to what power they have in Westminster at all costs.
“The reason that Welsh Labour did well in the recent General Election in Wales was simple – we campaigned on our record of government in Wales, and on our promises of what we would do nationally under a UK Labour Government.
“People responded well to both, while rejecting the cruel cuts being proposed by the Tories.
“We all know how divided the Tories are... In comparison, Welsh Labour is united, working across Wales in the issues that matter most to people – including support for rail electrification and the tidal lagoon project, both of which the Tories have let Wales down on.”