Robert Jenrick has insisted the Conservative Party must “restore its economic credibility” if it is to win back the trust of the British public. The leadership hopeful acknowledged the party had “lost some of that economic credibility in recent years, particularly around the mini-Budget”.
Jenrick told the audience at the Tory conference that the next leader must “seem sober, competent and professional” in order to be seen as the “guardians of your savings, your pensions, your small businesses”. He said this was what the public expected from the party.
The former housing secretary said the Conservatives had been in power for 14 years but had left “the tax burden the highest we’ve ever been”. Jenrick said he believed in the “dynamic effect of taxes” and would seek to reform the tax system if elected leader.
Addressing the party’s election defeat, Jenrick acknowledged the Conservatives had “failed to take advantage of all the opportunities” presented by Brexit. He said the party had created “an even more liberal” immigration system than the one under EU freedom of movement, which he described as “sticking two fingers up to the British public”.
Jenrick pledged to return to the party’s “historic numbers” on net migration, with a cap set by Parliament to rebuild trust on the issue. He said mass migration had “put immense pressure on housing, it’s undercut the wages of British workers and it has made our country less united”.
The leadership contender said the Conservatives “can’t ever let the British public down again” if given a second chance in government. He insisted he would not “mortgage” the party’s long-term success for “short-term popularity” through a deal with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
