No answers, no change: that’s the story of Theresa May’s Tories

With Tory conference starting in Birmingham today, all eyes are on Theresa May and her Government’s shouting match over Brexit, the economy, public services and our country’s future.

Every morning on this blog, I will give you the all the latest news and views on what happens in Birmingham and a strong Labour answer to the failure and lack of direction the Tories unveil. 

This is Theresa May’s first Tory conference since becoming Prime Minister. When she stood on the steps of Downing Street in July, she spoke of “fighting burning injustice” and her plans to build “a country that works for everyone” and not just for a “privileged few”. 

Her rhetoric and sentiment are something I can agree with. But delivering a government that stands up for working people takes more than just words. It requires a plan which will put them first and the will to make that plan a reality. This is the test the Tories face in Birmingham over the coming days, and the early signs are not looking good. 

Theresa May will use this conference to differentiate herself from David Cameron and from her six years at the heart of a Tory Government which has failed working people. During her time in Government, the Tories cut taxes for millionaires, put up VAT and made ordinary people pay more. As Home Secretary, she personally oversaw huge cuts to the frontline, letting down the very people she now says she wants to deliver for. 

Our new Prime Minister is nothing more than a continuation of the Tories’ failure. If she was to meet the test she set herself – governing in the interests of the majority – you would expect her to be focusing intensely on the big issues facing our country: how to deliver Brexit in the interests of working people; safeguarding our economy; protecting our public services; and ensuring that all our children are given the best chance in life.

The Tories talk about change, but they are failing to deliver it. They have not fixed the mess they have created in the NHS; they have not changed direction on education to deliver opportunity for all children; they have not addressed the housing crisis; and they have not turned their back on austerity so our economy and public services can receive the investment we so urgently need. 

When Theresa May will speak about Brexit today, she will have no answers. She has no idea how to deliver it, no plan for protecting our economy, and no words about broken promises like the £350m a week for the NHS. 

With Britain facing big challenges we need a clear change of direction, not more of the same failed and unfair policies packed up in new rhetoric. Theresa May and her Government provide no answers on Brexit, and no change on the economy. No answers on education, and no change on the NHS. No answers, no change. That’s the story of Theresa May’s Conservatives.

Jon Ashworth is shadow minister without portfolio