Johnson: Our mission is to promote opportunity

“Our mission as Conservatives, we promote opportunity across the UK” Boris Johnson has told his party conference.

In the leader’s first conference 45-minute upbeat speech peppered with occasional jokes, the PM said fixing the “broken housing market” and boosting infrastructure would help “level Up” the economy. He said reducing regional inequality was the “greatest project that any government can embark on”. Reducing the aching gaps in opportunity between regions, he insisted, would “take-the pressure off” south-eastern England as well as boosting places that felt left behind.

He further vowed to deliver a “long overdue” change in approach by controlling immigration to boost wages.

Mr Johnson insisted that the “present stresses and strains” were the result of an economic rebound in the wake of Covid shutdown.

The new direction on immigration would deliver on the Brexit referendum and represent the “change that people opted for”.

He also promised to end the scandal of declining home ownership among young people by building more homes around the country.

He announced a £3, 000 yearly premium to help schools in struggling areas of England recruit maths and science teachers.

“There is no reason why the inhabitants of one part of the country should be geographically fated to be poorer than others. You will find talent genius, fair, imagination, enthusiasm- all of them evenly distributed around the country. But the opportunity is not. And it is our mission as Conservatives to promote opportunity with every tool we have ”, he said.

Obviously Johnson wants a new economic model with better pay and conditions. He wants to persuade voters his is the party to distribute wealth and opportunity more evenly across the UK. He wants people to feel good about the future. The prime minister wants people to feel proud to be British. He spoke about “spirit” – the things he thinks the public like about the United Kingdom. Many Conservatives love Mr Johnson because he makes them feel good, and is key to understanding his success as a politician.

Mr Johnson’s unflinchingly upbeat , vision of a post-Brexit, post pandemic is as popular with voters as it is with Tory activists.