Manchester: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson rallies his Conservative party faithful on Wednesday, vowing a far-reaching overhaul to wean the UK economy off cheap foreign labour after Brexit.
Shrugging off panic-buying at petrol stations, bare supermarket shelves and retailers warnings of a bleak Christmas to come, the Tory leader says the short-term pain is worth it.
“We are dealing with the biggest underlying issues of our economy and society,” he is expected to say in his conference-closing speech, according to excerpts released by the party.
“The problems that no government has had the guts to tackle before.
“Because we are embarking now on the change of direction that has been long overdue in the UK economy,” Johnson will say, vowing no return to the pre-Brexit model of “uncontrolled immigration”.
Instead, British businesses will have to invest in their workers and in technology to push the country “towards a high-wage, high-skill, high-productivity economy”.
But it will take time to transition. In the meantime, the government has grudgingly agreed to a limited number of short-term visas to lure truckers and poultry workers from Eastern Europe.
For opposition parties and poverty campaigners, Johnson s commitment to “levelling up” unequal growth also jars with the ending on Wednesday of a weekly boost to benefits for the lowest-paid workers.
As the prime minister put the finishing touches to his speech, protesters nearby condemned “Tory lies” and loudly played the Soviet/Russian national anthem.
Johnson s attempt to draw a line between his administration and previous governments which lacked “guts” overlooks the fact that the Conservative party has been in power since 2010.
In contrast, finance minister Rishi Sunak — seen by many observers as the heir apparent to 10 Downing Street — is stressing continuity with the Tory tradition of fiscal rectitude. AFP
