Director Will Tanner wrote for the ipaper on the implications of the local election results for the Conservatives, and what policies they should focus on to secure a general election majority in 2024. He writes:
“I don’t expect this to be the decisive blow. The message on the doorstep in the last few weeks was not about the sorry state of national politics but about the absence of local delivery. People want action on crime and anti-social behaviour, litter-strewn streets, bin collections, GP waiting lists and local jobs.
This should be instructive for Boris Johnson if he wants to survive, and the Conservatives if they want to recover. It is only by delivering on the fundamentals – jobs, crime, immigration, the NHS, and the totemic promise to “level up” opportunity – that a fifth successive Tory majority will be secured. At the moment, it is possible – even likely – that the Tories will go into the next election with real wages falling, crime rising, and NHS waiting lists and net migration at unprecedented levels. That is a toxic cocktail for any party, let alone one that has been in power for over a decade.”
Read the full article here.
Adam Hawksbee, Deputy Director, discusses the consequences for levelling up if HS2 is scrapped.
Jenevieve Treadwell, Senior Researcher, writes for the New Statesman on the national importance of coastal revival and the political gains supporting this may yield.
Jenevieve Treadwell, Senior Researcher, writes for PoliticsHome on the importance of reviving coastal economies, discussing our recent report Troubled Waters.
Deputy Director Adam Hawksbee writes for the Times on opportunities to address the housing crisis and regenerate coastal communities.
