RISHI Sunak has been urged to deliver “more hope and boosterism” and set out a “visionary” future for Britain, ex-ministers say.
Former colleagues have warned the PM was wrong to junk all of Liz Truss’s radical plans for growth like investment zones and childcare reform, saying they should still be on the cards to fight off an “artificial Labour bump” in polls.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
This week, Rishi set out his five pledges to fix the storm engulfing the nation, saying he will halve inflation, boost growth, cut the national debt, halve NHS waiting times, and make more laws to stop the small boats.
But ex-ministers and MPs, many close to ex-PMs Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, want to see Mr Sunak paint a more positive outlook for the nation.
One said: “We get that he is the sensible one who is in charge now, but he needs to spell out a long term approach, the visionary stuff that gets people excited.
“Dealing with the problems facing the nation does not mean you can abandon or ignore the plenty of forward thinking ideas being generated in the party.”
Despite Labour still showing strong results in the polls another ex-minister said all was not lost for the party.
They said: “There is an artificial polling lead for Labour. It’s because we have been useless and not because they have been good.”
However there is still plenty of anger within the party rank and file towards the PM.
Before the Christmas break one senior Tory MP was seen angrily confronting a colleague over the PM, saying: “Don’t ask me to be loyal to that f***ing backstabber.”
And writing in the Mail on Sunday, Nadine Dorries, ex-Culture Secretary said Tory party will “die” unless it brings back BoJo.
Meanwhile Labour boss Sir Keir Starmer has had an awkward week, with some Shadow Cabinet ministers admitting it has been hard to see the ex-Remainer parroting Brexit slogans.
One said that the new Take Back Control Bill – which the Labour leader said he would introduce if handed the keys to No10 – was “difficult for some parts of Labour to hear.”
But they said: “At least now we are scoring these open goals – under Corbyn we kept on putting them over the bar. It’s leadership.”
Yesterday ex-Treasury chief George Osbourne backed Labour’s Rachel Reeves saying she had the qualities to become Britain’s first female Chancellor.
He told The Times: “I’m still a Conservative so I would rather have Rishi and Jeremy, but it wouldn’t be terrible for the country if it were Keir and Rachel.”
