Rishi Sunak has announced major cuts to social benefits for long-term illness. Photo: REUTERS/TOBY MELVILLE
Rishi Sunak vowed to stop People being 'bullied' into accepting transgender arguments as he used his conference speech to put Labor above gender.
The Prime Minister said that it «should not be controversial» to ensure parents are informed about who their children are. At school they teach about sex and relationships. He insisted that the assertion that «a man is a man and a woman is a woman» is «common sense», in his most pointed speech yet on the highly charged topic.
Mr Sunak made the announcement in an hour-long address to his party's rank and file in Manchester, during which he described himself as a champion of Conservative values. The speech drew a clear dividing line with Sir Keir Starmer, who has struggled to explain his position on transgender rights ahead of Labour's own conference this weekend.
Although announcements about A-levels, smoking and HS2 dominated, much of the 7,617-word address was devoted to fleshing out the prime minister's broader political ideology.
He took the opportunity to present himself to voters as a candidate on the side of law and order, fiscal responsibility and hard-working families.
Here are five key themes of the speech:
Gender and family
At times it seemed as if Prime Minister -The minister is reluctant to delve into the culture war, but he shook off those inhibitions and delivered the most powerful part of his speech.
Mr Sunak exploded. audience when he insisted that voters should not be “forced to believe that people can be whatever gender they want.”
His remarks on gender issues drew the loudest applause of the afternoon and followed the announcement that trans women would be banned from women-only hospital wards.
He said: “We shouldn’t intimidate into believing that people can be whatever gender they want to be. They cannot: a man is a man, and a woman is a woman. It's just common sense.
“It should not be controversial that parents know what their children are taught in school about relationships. Patients should be aware when hospitals talk about men or women.»
Mr Sunak also spoke about the importance of family, saying Conservatives should «never be afraid» to champion its importance to a stable society.
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Mr Sunak also spoke about the importance of family.
p>Tough on crime
One of the key battlegrounds in the next election will be crime, with Labor and the Tories vying to convey the strongest message to voters.
The Prime Minister has confirmed his commitment to extending life sentences for those who commit the most “heinous” murders.
“I can confirm that we will introduce a Sexual and Sadistic Murders Bill, which will include a life sentence with no prospect of release.” , he said.
“We're going to change this country, and that means life means life. This should not be a controversial position. The vast majority of hardworking people agree with this.»
A kiss on the cheek between the Prime Minister and his wife before speaking at the Conservative conference. Photo: Adam Vaughan/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
He also criticized police for being «tolerant» of minor offenses such as anti-social behaviour, warning that «virtue signaling has replaced common sense» in many cases.
< p>“Every crime must be investigated,” he said. “Our streets will be safer, our communities will be safer, and no one should be afraid to walk home alone at night.”
Tax cuts
The Prime Minister and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has had to spend much of the build-up to the conference quashing calls for immediate cuts taxes.
A growing number of Conservative MPs are calling for this burden to be lifted. has now been cancelled, and Mr Sunak has acknowledged their calls for action.
But he also defended his position that controlling inflation must be a priority and letting more money into the system could jeopardize this.
Mr Sunak quoted Margaret Thatcher, who once said: “No A policy that jeopardizes defeating inflation, regardless of its short-term appeal, cannot be right.»
He said her words were «as true now as they were then» and added: » I know you want a tax cut, I want it too, and we will make it happen.”
“But this is the best tax cut we can make. to give to people right now would cut inflation in half and lower the cost of living. We need our economy to grow faster and for people across the country to feel the benefits of it.»
Benefit crackdown
Mr Sunak has positioned himself as a champion of doers and earners and cited a sharp rise in the number of people on benefits sickness, a «national scandal».
He announced deep cuts to social benefits for long-term illnesses, saying it was «unfair» that taxpayers would have to bear rising costs.
The Prime Minister said that 12 years ago, one in five people who applied for such payments were considered unfit for work, but that proportion had risen to almost two thirds.
«It's not conservative, it's not compassionate — it has to change,» he said. “Are people three times sicker today than they were ten years ago? Of course not. It's bad for our economy, it's unfair to the taxpayers who have to foot the bill, and it's a tragedy for the two million people who are being written off.»
Stop the Boats
Mr Sunak promised that he will do it. «do whatever is necessary» to stop illegal migration and criticized Labor's plans for an asylum deal with the EU.
He welcomed recent progress in reducing Channel crossings and is confident that «once regular flights to Rwanda, boats will stop coming.”
But he did not go as far as Suella Braverman, the home secretary, who warned on Tuesday that the UK was facing a “hurricane” of new arrivals.
“What is non-negotiable is what you British people decide who come here… not criminal gangs,» Mr Sunak said.
In contrast, Labour's plan is to reach some kind of deal with the EU under which we could accept about 100,000 European asylum seekers.»
«If your answer to illegal migration is to increase it, you clearly don't understand it. That's why we have to stop them.»
Nicola Sturgeon
Mr Sunak joked that Nicola Sturgeon was facing jail as he said «the forces of separatism are in retreat across our country» He said the Union was «the strongest in a quarter of a century».
He then joked on the police investigation into the SNP's finances «Nicola Sturgeon wanted to go down in the history books as the woman who destroyed our country, but now it looks like she may go down in history for very different reasons,» Mr Sunak said.
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