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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Lizzy Buchan

7 policies desperate Boris Johnson could offer Brits to move on from vote disaster

Boris Johnson clung onto power with his no confidence vote victory but the scale of the Tory revolt has left the partying Prime Minister with a brutal hangover.

Less than three years on from his decisive 2019 election victory, Mr Johnson was forced to beg his mutinous MPs to keep him in Downing Street after months of chaos.

His pleas worked - just about - and he saw off the leadership challenge by 211 votes to 148. But in reality, there is no such thing as success in a Tory confidence vote.

The enormous Tory rebellion means 41% of his MPs don't back him. Theresa May won her confidence vote with opposition from 37% of Tories - and she was gone six months later.

Mr Johnson knows he must try to woo the public and his own MPs with desperate attempts to show he is still a vote winner.

In an address to his Cabinet, he thanked Tory ministers for their "hard work" shoring up his leadership, and added: "It was a very important day because we are able now to draw a line under the issues that our opponents want to talk about and we are able to get on talking about the issues."

Boris Johnson is licking his wounds after fighting for his political survival (REUTERS)

Here are some of the policies the PM may try to use to win over voters.

Right to buy

Boris Johnson is expected to make a major speech this week extending Margaret Thatcher's 'Right to Buy' scheme to people living in housing association properties.

The idea would allow around 2.5 million Brits who rent their homes from housing associations to purchase properties at a discounted rate, in an attempt to help "generation rent".

But the National Housing Federation said the idea had been explored in 2015 and pilots showed it was difficult to to replace every social home sold.

Chief Executive Kate Henderson said: "Every social home sold will make that waiting list longer."

Childcare

Another area the PM has been hinting at taking action on is slashing childcare costs as Brits feel the squeeze.

Education Minister Will Quince recently announced a consultation on increasing the number of kids a childminder can look after in England from four to five, as the rules are in Scotland.

In an interview with Mumsnet last week, Mr Johnson also talked about encouraging more people to become childminders by slashing bureaucracy.

The dad-of-seven also urged more parents to take up taxpayer-funded childcare support.

Boris Johnson wants to shake up childcare provision (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Tax cuts

The PM dangled the prospect of tax cuts to his backbenchers at a meeting of the 1922 Committee on Monday where he begged them to keep him in power.

A senior Conservative source insisted Mr Johnson didn't promise Tory MPs any specific cuts to taxes.

But the source said the Chancellor would be making a "very big speech" on the economy next week.

Mr Johnson and Rishi Sunak claim to be tax-cutting Conservatives - despite hiking National Insurance Contributions for Brits and recently announcing a windfall tax on oil and gas giants.

Imperial measurements

Boris Johnson tried to capitalise on the Jubilee festivities by repeating his pledge to consult on use of imperial measures.

Shops have to sell food using the metric grams and kilos under EU law - making this a prime area for the Government to claim Brexit wins.

But in reality, grocers and butchers can label food in pounds and ounces too, as long as the font isn’t bigger than the metric sign.

The Government is consulting on the use of imperial measures in shops (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The consultation was announced back in September and then re-announced last week for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

There was also new guidance issued to let glassmakers stamp the Crown on pint glasses - which had been replaced by the EU's CE mark in 2006.

The ideas have been branded a "distraction" from real issues - and will only be voluntary anyway.

Grammar schools

In a bit of red meat for Tory MPs, reports have been circulating that the PM is open to lifting the ban on new grammar schools in England.

Theresa May tried to rip up Labour's moratorium on creation of new selective schools but she had to abandon the plans when she lost her Commons majority at the 2017 snap election.

Downing Street repeatedly refused to rule out the idea, which could form part of its levelling up efforts.

But the Department for Education insisted there were no plans to create new grammars.

Immigration

Boris Johnson announced controversial plans in April to sent asylum seekers to Rwanda if they arrive in Britain by illegal means.

The move is the Government's attempt to clamp down on the numbers of desperate people making the perilous Channel crossing in small boats.

The first flight are "expected" to take place on June 14 but it is unclear how many people will be on it and what their nationalities will be.

Ministers are braced for legal challenges to the divisive policy and have already gone on the attack against "lefty lawyers".

Brexit

Top ministers have been stoking tensions with the EU by threatening to rip up Boris Johnson's Brexit deal for months.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said new legislation would be published to iron out trading difficulties in Northern Ireland triggered by the PM's Brexit agreement.

The draft law - which would allow the UK to act without agreement with Brussels - has sparked warnings of a trade war with Europe.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney warned the Government not to allow Tory divisions to impact on Brexit policy.

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