There is no recovery for the Conservative party until it purges itself of Reform-lite ideas

This cheap politics of envy distracts from the country’s most pressing issue: inequality. To survive, Tories must face realityishi Sunak looked relieved as he took the final press question from a local reporter after the launch of his Conservative manifesto yesterday. It came after a torrid previous week, which saw the prime minister accused of lying about Labour tax plans and having to apologise for unforgivably missing crucial D-day commemoration services.

sells the electorate a new version of the politics of envy; a politics that can only succeed by feeding off disillusionment. It is one that thrives on creating rather than resolving problems – that finger-points and divides. It is a politics that can only take us in the wrong direction. Yet, by aping Farage’s rhetoric, the Conservative party leadership has elevated Reform in voters’ minds instead of marginalising it as a force.

Winning elections is about winning the future, and being able to articulate and embody the change and values that people – especially younger people – want to see for their country. The party thus faces an existential challenge. Sunak launched a traditional Conservative manifesto in a country that doesn’t want to “conserve” the status quo but wants fundamental change.

It’s hard to see how such a crucial area did not merit more focus: Britain faces a skills crisis, which requires a long-term, cross-party effort to start working with businesses and civil society for long-term solutions.

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