Sunak says Conservatives are “ready to be radical” for party and country | UK

Harassed by Labor at the polls, weakened by factional warfare within the Conservative Party, pressured by front-runners (Liz Truss and Boris Johnson) or aspirants (Suella Braverman), Rishi Sunak used his closing congress speech. The ToriesIn Manchester, he threw caution to the wind and told activists he would focus on a “bold” and “radical” approach in the run up to next year’s scheduled assembly elections.

Following recent announcements in the UK to withdraw greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets or tighten immigration policy, the Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader promised to take “tough decisions” and aim for the “long term”. He called it a “bright future.”

“In the next election, the choice facing people is bigger than party politics: do we want a government that is committed to making long-term decisions, aggressive in the face of challenges, and willing to stand up to vested interests? Or do we prefer to remain silent?” asked Sunak, who, as critics pointed out, has ruled the United Kingdom since 2010 and leads a party that has had five different prime ministers in the past 13 years. .

His response at the end of his speech: “We will be bold and radical. Let’s face opposition and challenge. We will give the country what it desperately needs, but has been denied so many times: a government ready to make long-term decisions to create a better future for all. Make no doubt: the time has come for a change. And we are.”

One of these “difficult” and “serious” decisions, already expected, confirmed the cancellation of a section planned for the new high-speed rail line (HS2), which, precisely, will lead to Manchester. North of England.

This option is cognizant of the discomfort it causes among Conservative Party representatives and representatives.Red wall” (“Red Wall”), a former Labor stronghold, especially in central and northern England, which voted for “Brexit” in 2016 and 2016. The Tories Buoyed by the gains the sector could make in 2019, Sunak was quick to say the money saved by this withdrawal from HS2 would be properly invested in the region.

“We will reinvest every penny – £36bn (€41.6bn) – into hundreds of new transport projects in the North, Midlands and across the country,” he pledged, describing the HS2 project as “the ultimate example of the old consensus”. “This, he argued,”Current status British politician.

Because the Conservative Party is so far from the Labor Party – at last poll From YouGov TeamsPublished on Thursday last week, 24% say they intend to vote The Tories and 45% to Labor – the Prime Minister decided to devote the bulk of his speech to criticizing Keir Starmer and Labour, accusing the opposition of having no idea.

“The Labor Party has already defined its position: do and say as little as possible and hope no one notices. They [os trabalhistas] They want to take people’s votes for granted and continue politics as usual,” he said.

“It’s a race to people’s apathy,” he continued. “It is about coming to power for power. This, in short, is what is wrong with our politics.

The Conservative Party’s annual conference spanned four days – and featured a number of initiatives on the sidelines of the main event, with contributions from prominent MPs and ministers. , Liz Truss on economic policy – was seen as the last chance for the leader of the party and government to show activists that he is the right man to face Starmer in a general election scheduled for 2024.