The Commons no longer has the time required to educate future premiers, which is one reason why they last such a short time in office.
Only Boris Johnson had the wit to admit there were arguments for both Remain and Leave.
Tory centrism might at some point be due a comeback. It is the obvious gap in the market. But unless it learns from these and its other mistakes, it ain’t happening.
If Starmer does act to curb student loans no one seriously expects Kemi to be crowned campus queen. But it will further emphasise the growing divide in their perceived authority over their parties. And why she’s almost certain to lead hers longer than he will his.
Our political class is paralysed because the wider nation has not yet decided in what direction it wishes to be led.
People want to know what the party will do in the future. Conservative statecraft is about surveying the past to enable current and future prosperity. It’s also about the party’s willingness to change and adapt to the times.
In three consecutive leadership contests, One Nation candidates failed to reach the final two. That is not bad luck or factional bias. It is a rejection of moderation without muscle.
If there are no big ideas or grand challenges, what should inspire citizens to back and build Britain? You only have to look at the number of young and ambitious that are now leaving our shores to know the impact is real and truly damaging.
Reform’s recruitment of old Tory names has handed Kemi Badenoch a chance to draw a clear dividing line – if she is willing to be bold with her newest MPs.
The emphasis on the economy that has been pursued since Conference is beginning to bear results , with the Tories overtaking Labour and closing the gap with Reform. With the salience of immigration falling, that shift in approach has been vindicated.
Starmer can try to bring the focus back to the cost of living in Britain, but with dubious solutions and the volatility of world affairs, having been criticised for being too focused on the international stage, he may find he’s going to be dragged back on it.
We have had mea culpas from Cameron, Johnson and Sunak for straying from the free enterprise path. The voters need to hear that message.
Governments have been publishing ‘growth plans’ for decades, many of which gather dust on the shelves of the Treasury, and are quickly forgotten. The real challenge is not simply what to do – but how to get it done.
The country is fed up. Fed up with politicians promising but not delivering. Fed up with seeing their taxes spent on things they don’t want – from far flung aid projects to hand-outs to migrants. Fed up with working all hours and having nothing left at the end of the month.