Thursday 7 July 2022 10:45 PM Which policies will survive the bonfire of the vanities? A raft of planned ... trends now
A raft of government policies were hanging in the balance last night as a result of the tumultuous changes in Downing Street and Whitehall.
Measures which are highly popular with Conservative voters – including legislation that has begun its passage through Parliament – are at risk of stalling under a new administration.
Other policies are closely associated with ministers who have resigned or whose long-term fate under a new Prime Minister remains in doubt. In a further complication, the ‘brain drain’ of mass ministerial resignations is likely to lead to delays to complex proposals while their successors get up to speed.
Nadhim Zahawi, the new Chancellor, has already set out his stall – telling Times Radio he could bin the planned hike in corporation tax next year
Promises to slash taxes and help families through the cost of living crunch are set to dominate the Tory leadership race, and candidates will be under pressure from MPs to rebuild the Conservative Party’s low-tax reputation.
Likely leadership hopeful Nadhim Zahawi, the new Chancellor, has already set out his stall – telling Times Radio he could bin the planned hike in corporation tax next year.
Former chancellor Rishi Sunak, another probable candidate, said in his resignation letter that he and Boris Johnson’s stances on the economy were ‘fundamentally too different’. But he will have a battle to convince Tory MPs of his low-tax credentials after presiding over tax hikes.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, expected to be a frontrunner in the race, has frequently brandished her low-tax credentials. She has told friends she briefly considered resigning over the national insurance tax hike to pay for social care – believing the Chancellor should have borrowed the money instead.
One flagship policy which is thought to be at risk is Priti Patel’s radical plan to send illegal migrants to Rwanda. The number of migrants who have crossed from northern France on small boats since the start of the year passed 13,000 yesterday, underlining the need for a solution to the Channel crisis.
But the Rwanda deal was very much the creation of Miss Patel and Mr Johnson, who have insisted it is necessary to deter migrants from risking their lives in the Channel, and to break the people-trafficking gangs.
Yesterday Miss Patel said she would continue to uphold her ‘important responsibilities’ amid the turmoil, adding: ‘At this critical time my duty is to continue to lead this great office of state, to protect our national security, and
