The writing has been on the wall for a while. The parties and lies may have sunk Boris, but as I wrote a few weeks ago, our “15-year (economic) rut” left Conservative MPs with few reasons to stick with him.
Of course, Boris has only been in the hot seat since 2019 and some of the economic challenges haven’t been of his making – the pandemic, Putin, Brexit (actually, that one's on him). But it’s undeniable that this government hasn’t delivered. Boris said as much in his resignation speech, but unlike him, I’m not sure he was ever going to. His government always felt bereft of new ideas.
We, on the other hand, like most think tanks, are full of ideas for what the next Government could do. So what’s next for us? We know lots of politicians, special advisers and people who will be involved in campaigning for the various leadership contenders. And while we might have our personally preferred contenders, it’s our job to make the case for why all of them should adopt our ideas.
We’re under no illusions about the nature of politics versus policy though. The leadership platforms will inevitably only give a rhetorical nod to entrepreneurship, and as Boris proves, that’s not enough to be a successful Prime Minister. To be successful our country needs policies that will grow the economy in a way where the majority feel better off.
As John Myers notes, there are three big things the next Prime Minister should be aware of. First, the UK is capable of delivering much higher incomes per person – with the right policies people could be earning 50% more than they do today. Second, our low incomes are largely a result of decades of bad governance. And third, few realise how easily many of these issues can be fixed. “Understanding these points will let you reach beyond your core supporters – whether they be (say) One Nation, free marketeers, traditionalists or fiscal conservatives – and give a vision that can appeal across a party, and then across a country.”
For his part, Myers suggests solutions on housing, energy and transport. We’re particularly supportive of his housing agenda, incorporating some of his ideas in our Strong Foundations paper, which focused on how expensive housing harms entrepreneurship.
We have a whole heap of policies to add to his agenda – everything from reforming the High Potential Individual (HPI) visa and establishing a new order of chivalry specifically designed to encourage invention, to cutting bureaucracy and boosting innovation in government procurement (watch out next week for another report on this), to making the UK the best place in the world for AI innovation. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what we’ve already done, with plenty more in the works.
None of these policies will win an election on their own. But together they form a pro-growth platform that will appeal to those who share our impatience to actually realise an optimistic vision for the country. Many of these people are entrepreneurs, of course, but they’re also overrepresented among political influencers (for desperate want of a better description). Getting their support is critical.
What’s true of the Conservative Party is true of the opposition parties too. We’re inputting into Labour’s review to ensure “Britain is the best place in the world to start and grow a business” and the Liberal Democrats have always been very open to our ideas.
We’re busy planning dinners with senior politicians across all the parties. Let Katrina know if there is anyone you think we should host. And if you think what we’re doing matters as much as we do, now is as good a time as any to become a Supporter or Adviser: Join Us!
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