At his party conference in Birmingham, the new shadow chancellor, Andrew Griffith, made the case in his first major speech that the Conservatives can be trusted with running the economy again. The argument goes that his party is now home to common-sense realists, in contrast to the pure idealism of Andy Burnham’s Labour; that, after a period of self-reflection following their general election drubbing, the Tories are back, guns again blazing.
Certainly, Mr Griffith brings a track record as a successful businessman, someone who connects with boardrooms. For the organisation that sold itself for so long as “the party of business”, that link is crucial, not least because it still remains a major Labour weakness. This government isn’t trusted by the private sector of wealth creators, employers and the highest taxpayers.
