My main advice to the Prime Minister is to revisit the 2019 Manifesto and complete our delivery of it. We all signed up to it and pledged to do what it offered. There are still things to do to keep our word. Actual Manifesto pledges are in bold type.
There are 3 main headings:
- Take back control of our borders . Fewer low skilled migrants. Overall numbers will come down.
The government needs as a matter of urgency to pass legislation preventing long delays and too many appeals against decisions fairly made. It needs to expedite processing of asylum claims. It needs to end the use of hotels and reduce the pull factors encouraging illegal economic migrants.
It needs to have a less generous system of visas for legal migrants, reducing low paid migration. It should intensify improvements to welfare and work policies so many more people currently not working are in jobs and better off as a result.
We will not allow serious criminals into the country. Cut foreign nationals in prison.
Just get on with that.
2. Will not raise rates of National Insurance, Income tax, VAT. Raise National Insurance threshold. Lower energy bills.
The Manifesto pointed to great growth and prosperity from lower or restrained taxes. The government needs to re work a growth package, to include lower VAT on fuel and energy, with a better tax regime for the self employed and small business.
3. Get Brexit done. Take back control of our laws, our money, trade policy. Full control of our fishing waters. Take the whole country out as one United Kingdom. Northern Ireland to enjoy the full economic benefits of Brexit.
The government did get Brexit done but there remains issues concerning Northern Ireland and fishing.
The government needs to complete the Northern Ireland legislation to remove ECJ interference from Northern Ireland and to enforce the parts of the Northern Ireland protocol which clearly state NI is part of the UK internal market so should be free of checks on goods moving from GB to NI. There should be no enforced regulatory alignment for domestic activities in NI/GB.
The government needs to set out expansion plans for our fishing industry along with proper protections against large scale foreign industrial trawlers and undue quota for overseas vessels.
What the Manifesto did not say
It did not promise a full scale reform of social care. It said “We will seek a cross party consensus for social care reform” which still does not exist.
It did promise net zero by 2050 but did not commit to any particular milestones this Parliament.
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