The Conservative Leadership race will have concluded its Parliamentary stage by the time you read this article. However, at the time of writing, there are 3 candidates fighting for a place in the final two. I have said already that I am supporting Rishi Sunak, but my constituents deserve to know why.
Although stating the obvious, it is worth repeating that the winner will walk straight into No. 10 as Prime Minister. From day one, they will be dealing with a war in Europe, an energy crisis, a climate emergency, a resurgent pandemic, huge inflationary pressures and the prospect of a recession. There will be no time to learn on the job. For that reason I think it is imperative that whoever wins has experience of serving at the highest level of Government and a track record of managing a crisis.
When the country went into lockdown on 23 March 2020 Rishi Sunak had been Chancellor for five weeks. Within days he had designed the furlough scheme which protected 11 million jobs and went on to create emergency schemes that protected over a million businesses. The pandemic recession was the sharpest for 300 years and yet unemployment was the lowest during any recession in history. The IMF described it at the time as “One of the best examples of co-ordinated action globally – it has helped to hold down unemployment and insolvencies.” I give him credit not just for the dexterity, imagination and speed with which he implemented this support but also for working collaboratively with organisations like the Trade Union Congress and the Low Pay Commission, showing a willingness to listen to views that may differ from his own and shape policy accordingly.
Some have suggested that as chancellor he is responsible for the soaring inflation we are seeing now. Respectfully, I disagree. Inflation has been driven by pent-up consumer demand following the pandemic and exacerbated by the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, particularly on food and energy prices. Rishi Sunak did not cause it, but as the most skilled economist of the pack, he has by far the most realistic and ambitious plan for tackling it, eschewing headline-grabbing tax cuts for sound fiscal discipline – a core Conservative value.
It is said he is “too close to Boris” but readers should note, he is the only candidate remaining who resigned from Government and when he did, he brought Mr. Johnson down. I accept he received an FPN, but in my view arriving early to a meeting was unfortunate, and materially different from the string of evening parties (none of which he attended) described in Sue Gray’s report. No one has ever told me what they think he should have done differently that day.
Added to this, he has given his unequivocal commitment to achieving net zero by 2050 – the only candidate to do so - and to maintaining our support for Ukraine. I believe he has the character, the values and the intellectual ability to make an excellent Prime Minister.