Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday that the country’s Conservative government must do more to champion the cause of working-class people.
ADVERTISEMENTPrime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday that the country’s Conservative government must do more to champion the cause of working-class people.
After just three months in the job, May used a speech at the party’s annual conference to sketch out her view of a post-Brexit Britain.
She said that the Tory party should now be the party of those ‘blue-collar’ voters, who had voted to quit the European Union and who might have traditionally voted Labour.
“So if you’re a boss who earns a fortune but doesn’t look after your staff, an international company that treats tax laws as an optional extra …, a director who takes out massive dividends while knowing that the company pension is about to go bust, I’m putting you on warning,” May told delegates, referring to a recent scandal in which major retailer BHS went bust.
The former home secretary said that the government must respond to the desire for change, otherwise voters would continue to desert mainstream parties.
“(We have) a bold plan to bring Britain together, to build a new, united Britain rooted in the centre ground, an agenda for a new, modern Conservatism that understands the good government can do, that will never hesitate to face down the powerful when they abuse their position of privileged, that will always act in the interest of ordinary, working-class people,” she said.
The ruling Conservative party is trying to take advantage of the disarray amongst other political parties. Labour is deeply divided after another leadership contest, while the Liberal Democrats lost several seats at last year’s general election.
UKIP, the eurosceptic party that pushed for the EU referendum, is in turmoil after its newly-elected leader Diane James MEP quit after just 18 days.