We conservatives need to go back to first principles. You can’t spend what you haven’t earned. Government should do less, better. Property ownership should be spread as widely as possible. Nations need borders. Family is the first and best source of well-being.
I will be a leader to ensure that we are guided by these basic truths. And as Prime Minister, I will ensure that the machinery of government is focused on the right foundations. I’m an engineer, a systems thinker, trained to boil things down to the bare essentials and make a machine work.
That’s why I’ve laid out a plan to cut big government so we can drive real change and cut taxes in time. But a coherent conservative vision of governance also requires us to explain why some big problems are interconnected, and you need to have a clear plan for solving them together. This is the case with the interrelated issues of housing, migration and the family.
We need new homes in the right places. We need them to spread prosperity, give the next generation a stake in the future, and allow families to grow. We must also recognize that the pressure on housing comes from increased migration and the breakdown of families. Addressing these interrelated issues requires honesty and rigor.
Running up the escalator down
On housing, we will never get the homes we need where we need them if we insist on ever higher, inflexible housing targets from the top down. We need to bring people with us by first providing infrastructure and insisting that new homes are built to a higher standard and look nicer. We must break the grip of the land bank builders’ cartel.
But we need to consider housing demand, not just supply. People – rightly – recognize that building more homes without doing anything to reduce immigration is like running up and down an escalator.
We will never get where we need to go with this approach and we will not convince people to take in more homes if it is done because of immigration failures. If we can reduce immigration to a sustainable level, then we can protect green spaces for our children and valuable agricultural land.
And so controlling immigration is important to managing the pressure it puts on housing and public services. Building trust in the government’s ability to control immigration is an important foundation for ensuring a cohesive society.
We must control the borders and the laws
I’m proud to call myself British. My belief in Britain as a sovereign country led me to vote Leave in the Brexit referendum. A nation is not really a nation unless it has the right to determine who comes to it, when it comes, and how and when it may enter and exit.
I firmly believe that we must control our own borders and laws. I will do whatever it takes to address the small boat issue. I’m not one to start fights to get headlines – and I want to focus on people’s main priority, which is the economy. But the economic issues surrounding housing and immigration are inextricably linked.
As well as the relationship with the family. The breakdown of families increases the demand for housing, and the unaffordability of housing in many areas prevents people from establishing the family life they desire. The family is the first line of prosperity, and strong families reduce the need for a larger state.
Families come in all shapes and sizes and, as a strong supporter of same-sex marriage, I reject any idea that being pro-family means prescribing how others should live. It’s about supporting love.
So I will look at how our tax and benefits system can support family life and the joys it brings. Coherent leadership with a conservative conviction is what I will bring if you elect me as Prime Minister.
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