It is that time of year again when politicians reflect on the ‘vision thing’ – what has been achieved; what needs still to be done; and how do we get on with it. This Government’s programme for recovery is simple - a ‘New Age of Enterprise’ for aspiring Britain: sweeping radical reforms; a country open for business; and action over rhetoric.
Firstly, the Prime Minister has taken the brave, courageous decisions in backing the radical reforms essential to returning our country to a safe financial footing and has refused to take no for an answer.
We spend £90 billion each year on welfare support (excluding pensions) for working age people. With two million workless households under the previous Government there were more children growing up in households where nobody works than almost any other nation in Europe. Half of newly created jobs under Labour went to foreign nationals and so the Government’s welfare reforms have supported 700,000 of Britain’s unemployed onto the Work Programme and reduced youth unemployment to lower than under the end of the last Government. In addition, the benefits cap introduced by this Government means that now no family will be getting more in benefits than the average family earns – the result is that a third of those affected by the cap have said that they will now seek work. These reforms herald an end to the ‘something for nothing culture’ that proactively perpetuated under Labour.
We also need schools where discipline is strict, expectations are high and no excuses are accepted for failure. Reforms delivered under this Government are delivering this, ensuring that we push ahead of countries like Estonia and Australia whom we’ve fallen behind in maths, science and reading standards. Reforms are delivering state schools with all the freedoms and high expectations expected from of private schools, with thousands of new academies and almost a hundred new free schools.
On health, we see waiting lists, mixed wards, managers, bureaucrats and hospital infections all down. In contrast, the numbers of doctors, midwives, dentists and operations are all up. Government reforms are delivering a health service that is fit for the future, taking account of an ageing population and more expensive health service costs, whilst increasing the health budget in real terms each year. Thanks to this Government, no one will be forced to sell their home to pay for home care.
Secondly, the Prime Minister has re-branded the country’s image as one open to business – barriers to private sector investment are being knocked down and a more sustainable economy is being developed through R&D tax credits.
Each government department has been geared up towards one function – creating jobs; boosting the economy; and providing a platform to foster our next generation of entrepreneurs.
As a result, since coming to power, the Government has seen one million new private sector jobs created across the UK and has seen a £50 billion increase in exports. The expansion of trade is an essential national priority – UK exports have been boosted over the past two years to Brazil by 25 percent; China by 40 percent; Russia by 80 percent; and India by 34 percent. This summer, for the first time in decades, Great Britain exported more outside Europe than inside Europe.
The strengthening economies are those that are lean, fit, obsessed with enterprise and invest in the future - on education, infrastructure and technology. The weakening economies that are sliding towards financial obscurity are fat, inefficient, over-regulated and spend money on unsustainable welfare systems, huge pension bills and unreformed public services.
Thirdly, the Prime Minister has ensured that this Government acts for the hard working backbone of British society: two million of the lowest paid workers taken out of paying income tax altogether; over eighteen million households supported by a three year council-tax freeze; and low interest rates that ensure that those paying mortgages are not saddled with colossal monthly payment increases for every one percent interest rate rise – which is what would happen if we stopped tackling the historic deficit and started spending money that we do not have again.
The Government’s approach to cutting our historic deficit by a quarter has been fair – the poorest working members of society have been taken out of paying tax and the wealthiest in society now pay £26 billion more each year.
So the Government’s solution to our sliding global status is a simple one – we need: a strong private sector; welfare that works; and schools that deliver our future prosperity.