Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss stepped up their battle over taxes on Monday as the five contenders to be the next Prime Minister unveiled their vision for London.
Former chancellor Mr Sunak’s team put him forward as the most experienced contender to “steer us through the turbulence” of the worsening cost-of-living crisis, having saved the jobs of thousands of Londoners during the pandemic, and with a “clear economic plan” for the City.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss’s campaign were championing her as the “true grit” candidate to fight “adversity” on the world stage from Russia and China as well as at home with her tax-cutting agenda, and with the “intelligence to see difficult decisions through”.
Ex-international development secretary Penny Mordaunt’s allies were stressing that she stands for “morality” and would be able to “reclaim” London from Labour as the Tories return to their “core beliefs of aspiration and hard work”.
Former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch was being hailed as the contender who would ensure the “heavy hand of the state” does not slow down the capital, would “take on the land banking house builders”, and “harness the City” to boost economic growth.
While soldier-turned-MP Tom Tugendhat was being trumpeted for his “proven leadership and cross-cutting appeal” to unite the Tories and the country, the “only candidate able to reach out to London’s diverse electorate” and who would not “level-down” the capital.
Read more below:
‘Rishi Sunak the right person for the job’ - Chelsea and Fulham MP Greg Hands
In recent weeks, the eyes of the world were on London as we celebrated the Platinum Jubilee. It brought us together as a nation, and drew people in from all over the globe. It showed our city at its glorious best and gave us a much-needed boost after a difficult two years.
Of course, we are still living through challenging times, and I know many Londoners are struggling with the rising cost of living. That is why we need an experienced hand to steer us through the turbulence that lies ahead and seize the opportunities that will undoubtedly come our way.
Rishi Sunak has demonstrated that he is the right person for the job. He will restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite the country. There is no one with more experience than him when it comes to dealing with the economy, particularly in tricky times.
Within just days of a global pandemic hitting, he designed and implemented the furlough scheme. 1.64 million Londoners were on furlough at any time in the capital during the lifetime of the scheme. Thousands of Londoners have jobs today because of the work he led in the Treasury in those early days of the pandemic.
It is also thanks to Rishi that the things that make our city special have been able to bounce back so strongly, be it pubs, restaurants, tourist attractions or businesses across London. He put in place a record two billion pound rescue package for the arts.
Rishi has also funded 20,000 extra police officers, including over 2,000 here in London. He is committed to making sure that our streets are safer, and cracking down on crime.
London is also the world’s top global financial centre, and who better than Rishi to make sure that it stays that way? The City and businesses need a leader with a clear economic plan they can trust. Rishi has this. He will tackle inflation, grow the economy and cut taxes.
But as the cost of living bites right now, I know that many Londoners are worried and need help now. As Chancellor, he took decisions which prioritised support for those that are struggling the most. Thanks to his decisions, millions of low-income households across the UK will receive at least £1,200 from the Government over the rest of this year to ease cost of living pressures.
Despite the current challenges, there are brighter times ahead. With Rishi Sunak as our Prime Minister, our city will thrive as the undisputed cultural and economic capital of the world.
‘Liz Truss has shown true grit in the face of adversity’ - Chingford and Woodford Green MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith
There is a huge amount at stake in this leadership contest. MP’s and later, Conservative Party members will pick the next Prime Minister which is very, very different from elections to pick the leader of a party in opposition.
At the end of this contest, they won’t have time to grow or prepare for they will have to become the Prime Minister on day one.
The Prime Minister will arrive with a global cost of living crisis and a full blown war on European soil for the first time since 1945. This will require someone with experience in government, who knows how to get things done and with the intelligence to see difficult decisions through.
Let’s focus on the economy. Independent economists warned that the Bank and Treasury’s ‘Brownian’ orthodoxy would lead them to be wrong on two fronts. First, is that interest rates remained too low too long and that last year the Bank compounded the problem by continuing Quantitative easing – printing money, which the Treasury signed off on.
Even though a significant part of the rise in inflation is down to global factors, both these decisions have fuelled domestic rises in inflation in the UK. Second is the ill thought through plan to increase taxes on business’s and on some of those working hard - the squeezed middle to the highest since the 1940’s.
Oh yes, I hear the siren voices saying cutting key taxes would lead to greater borrowing. Yet what they don’t seem to have grasped is that very high tax rates and high interest rates combined, will end up crushing the economy. Thus no growth and rising prices, leading to falling living standards, which in turn will result in falling tax revenues – and more debt.
For that reason I have decided to support Liz Truss, she knows that reducing taxes isn’t some kind of giveaway but a direct and visible measure of support in difficult times. Just as easing regulations post Brexit and halting the green levies will leave people and business with more of their own money, when they need it most.
It is vital Conservatives recognise that lowering the burden on people, freeing them to make their own choices is part of our DNA.
To do all this whilst leading in the war in Ukraine and handling the growing threat from China will need real experience. Most of all, to do this whilst maintaining peoples hopes and aspirations will need true grit in the face of adversity. I believe Liz Truss has shown she has such qualities.
‘Penny Mordaunt is the only leader who can reclaim London’ - Carshalton and Wallington MP Elliot Colburn
Penny Mordaunt is the only Conservative party leadership candidate who can reclaim London and help us win again in our nation’s capital.
Recent polling by Ipsos points towards Penny being even more popular than Labour’s Keir Starmer in London. 21 per cent of Londoners back Penny to do a ‘very good job’, but only 12 per cent think Keir Starmer would.
Labour has taken London for granted - and its track record is one of failure. A second rate Mayor, a City Hall beholden to strikes and unions as well as MPs who simply assume voters will always back them.
At the same time Labour has failed to ever select a woman leader, and no-one from an ethnic minority has ever been close to being selected.
In contrast, the Conservative Party leadership contest is diverse and looks set to be won either by a woman or BAME candidate. It’s clear for all to see that the Conservatives remain streets ahead of Labour on diversity, a ground they have wrongfully claimed as their own for too long.
Under Penny’s leadership the Party can return to its core beliefs of aspiration and hard work, which I know appeal to Londoners.
Penny has also shown she understands the struggles facing Londoners, and has a credible plan to tackle them. She’s committed to cutting VAT on fuel by 50 per cent, saving families filling up their car about £10 a time. And her proposal to give parents their own budgets to spend on free childcare when they need it most is a Conservative classic: supporting and trusting people to do the right thing for their families.
Morality in politics shouldn’t be understated either. Regardless of your occupation, the propriety and deference to the office you hold matters - be that working in retail, as a lawyer, or as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Penny is a serving member of the Royal Navy, holding the rank of Honorary Captain.
Experience is also important. Penny has lived experience of duty, having been in frontline government for nearly eight years. She’s worked in seven departments, done eight roles, two secretary of state positions, including Defence Secretary.
That experience matters, and is one of many reasons why she’s the right person to lead the country and take the fight to Labour who continue to let down Londoners.
‘Kemi Badenoch understands the value of London to the UK’ - Orpington MP Gareth Bacon
Kemi Badenoch is the clear choice in this Conservative Leadership race for Londoners. Born in Wimbledon, the MP for Saffron Walden knows what makes London and its people tick. She is a staunch Conservative who believes that the government needs to get out of the way of ordinary people and businesses. And if any city does not need the heavy hand of the state slowing it down and holding it back, it’s London.
Kemi understands the value of London to the UK. The tourism it attracts, the cultural soft-power it exerts, its history, heritage and ever-growing economy are absolutely vital to our whole country. She knows that without London, our efforts to boost growth and level up would ultimately be in vain.
Levelling up is important to the former minister, but her definition of it is crucial. For Kemi it is not just about government handouts, especially not taken from one place to give to another. Instead, she argues that we must address the root causes of economic imbalances and work with the grain of the private sector to unlock growth around the UK.
London has a vital role to play in this, not least as the home of our world-beating financial services sector which resides in the heart of our great City. If we are to have any hope of levelling up, decarbonising the economy or improving our growth rates, harnessing our financial services sector will be of paramount importance. Kemi can see the role financial services play in the economy and understands that the sector provides the key to many of our aims.
Kemi’s vision for the country is one that Londoners should be able to get behind. She will cut taxes on business and individuals, and uplift benefits to protect people from the cost of living crisis this winter. She will restrain government spending so that Whitehall stops wasting your money. She is clear that we need the right homes in the right places and she will address the problem of housing without infrastructure - plus she will take on the land banking house builders who have much to answer for our housing crisis. All of these issues match my priorities in Orpington, and I know the same applies across London and the south east.
Kemi understands what it means to be a Londoner. She was born in Wimbledon but her roots, experience, and influences are as broad and varied as the city itself. Kemi’s conservatism puts family and individual before the state, puts private sector money before public, and puts the priorities of the voter ahead of everything. She is an engineer, a Londoner, and hopefully our next Prime Minister.
‘Tom Tugendhat can unite both the Party and the country’ - Cities of London and Westminster MP Nickie Aiken
I am backing Tom Tugendhat for the Conservative Party’s leadership because he is the only candidate in this contest with the proven leadership and cross-cutting appeal to unite both the Party and the country. He is the only candidate capable of reaching out to London’s diverse electorate, from our leafy suburbs to inner city Council estates alike. It is time for us to unite the country.
Tom’s policy agenda will deliver economic security for Londoners and those in the South East. At a time when many are struggling to pay their bills, he recognises that the next government must lay out a comprehensive plan to immediately combat the cost-of-living crisis and, over the next ten years, deliver economic growth across the whole of the country. Returning to Conservative first principles – low taxes, smart regulation and incentives, sound money, and free trade – underpin both his near- and long-term growth strategies.
Tom has embraced the regulatory reforms which will serve to unleash the City of London as a global centre of capital, and has pledged to continue signing trade agreements which open new markets for British firms. London is the only truly global city in Europe, and as an internationalist, Tom understands the importance of London and the City for our economic security and diplomacy.
Like many of my constituents, Tom speaks Urdu and Arabic; and I truly believe that he would be a Prime Minister capable of connecting from Mayfair, to Tower Hamlets, to Enfield to Croydon.
Tom’s determination to level up the rest of the country does not mean that he intends to level down London. Maintaining London’s role as a global centre of research and development is essential for As MP for Tonbridge & Malling, he understands the acute housing pressures we face in the South East, and has backed ‘street votes’, hyper-local decision-making on the construction of new homes.
Tom has also pledged to reform the Met, a key concern for many of my constituents. He plans to make the Met a London-based police force, refocussing its core mission on delivering safety and security for Londoners. He has promised to empower Chief Constables by giving them new powers so that they can more easily remove bad officers from the line of duty. These measures will keep us all safer and more secure in our communities.
