09-21-2020, 10:56 AM
At a press conference in West Midlands, former Environment Secretary Harry Saxon spoke to the media and Conservative Party members
Quote:Ladies and Gentlemen, Conservative party members, members of the press.
Welcome,
Today I am here to formally launch my campaign for the leadership of the Conservative Party.
The leadership of the Conservative Party has unfortunately turned its back on our greatest success story in the modern era. We have gone from a winning agenda and a positive narrative to one where Labour looks poised to bring their radical, far-left socialist agenda to 10 Downing Street.
I could sit by no longer when this all-too-real possibility reared its head. I knew that if we were to win the next election and govern under the historic fourth term, we need a leader that is principled, a leader that can deliver and a leader that will see it through to the end. I believe Ladies and gentlemen that I am that person
Under my leadership the Conservative party will take action, ensuring the values that this party believes in and ultimately the values that represent the country would be front-and-center in the upcoming election. Because make no mistake, we are now on the final lap on the road towards Election Day, months out from an election that will either solidify our policy accomplishments over the past thirteen years, or see them erased by the likes of McCrimmon, Dawson, and Murphy.
Now, there is a defining issue that faces us in this leadership election and ultimately is a major issue for the country in the upcoming election. Europe and Maastricht.
There has been much focus around Maastricht over recent weeks and there have been major developments in recent days. Now I did play a role in recent events, as explained in my resignation letter as environment secretary to the First Secretary of State, I didn’t necessarily agree with the way the acting leadership was forcing MPs to back Maastricht, at the risk of expulsion if they failed to comply. I believe Maastricht should have been a free choice, I didn’t think it was right we were forcing MPs to vote a certain way, which was a major factor in why I resigned.
I also had my doubts over Maastricht, although as a member of the cabinet you are tied by collective responsibility, which means that you have to support the government publicly whereas you may disagree with the policy privately, I won’t lie to you, initially I did publicly support Maastricht when the PM signed, but then I very quickly realized that we had all made a massive error in judgement. Maastricht was the treaty that would have signed away powers in this country over to Europe as well as opened the doors to a single currency, I wasn’t prepared to support that, so that is also why I resigned.
Some have suggested that I resigned for other reasons which just is not true. When I was deliberating about my position in the cabinet I took the opportunity to speak to members of the party which was only reinforced by the decision to quit and to take a stand against Maastricht.
The question I have for the Conservative Party is this, do we want to be the party that implements a treaty that takes away our sovereignty and opens the door to a untested single currency? An action that cannot be reversed once it has been implemented?
I believe we need a treaty that protects the UK’s sovereignty, keeps powers in this country rather than Europe so we have control over our own country. This treaty, if implemented with it’s current flaws, will keep the United Kingdom locked in with the handover of certain powers, with no way of reversing a mistake we would have made.
If I become Prime Minister, I will not put the Maastricht treaty before the house in its current form, or even if it was slightly tweaked. As Prime Minister I will ensure that the Maastricht Treaty undergoes major reform if the UK is ever to ratify it.
I will renegotiate the Maastricht Treaty with Europe. I want to protect this country’s interests, from our powers to our pound sterling.
First, I will protect the UK’s sovereignty as the current deal that has been negotiated the objective of a federal Europe was at the forefront of everyone’s minds. That is fundamentally wrong. Any negotiation under my leadership will ensure that the top priority is protecting the United Kingdom’s sovereignty. We will not compromise on that.
Second, the United Kingdom will retain the pound sterling - no ifs, or buts, we will never abandon the pound sterling under my leadership. A government I lead will not allow this country to join a single currency that is untested and carries significant risk. To paraphrase the parable of the wise and the foolish builders from the bible, building your house on rock would be effectively retaining the pound sterling, you know it’s stable and you know it’s affordable as it’s a tried and tested and tested method. On the other hand, adopting a single currency would be building your house on sand, it’s untested, potentially volatile and the cost from the damage it could cause will be dear.
Third, there is no current legal mechanism to reverse any changes that have been negotiated with Europe or indeed exit the organisation formed under Maastricht - if it passes. If this country decides in 10 years time that actually, we aren’t as happy with our relationship with Europe as we were when we joined, then we can’t do anything about it. It makes logical sense for a legal mechanism to be in place which would allow the United Kingdom or any member state to renegotiate it’s position in Europe, or even leave the organisation. As Prime Minister I will negotiate this with Europe.
However, once we achieve the amendments required, I will not just put Maastricht to a vote to back it. I will put Maastricht to a referendum, for you, the British public to decide if the terms of the treaty that we have renegotiated are what you want for this country,
I will however not just stop there. If I am elected Conservative Leader and become this country’s Prime Minister, I will ensure that for every treaty change by Europe we put that change to the British people to decide. I will bring forward legislation for a referendum lock to ensure that the people of this country always have their say, regardless of who is in Government. I believe this is key to the future signing of any treaty and I am glad that colleagues in the Conservative Party agree on this.
The question we all need to ask ourselves is whether or not we should sleepwalk towards a unified European state under the current terms of the Maastricht Treaty, as negotiated by Mr. Macmillan and supported by Mr. Croft. Or should we, as I strongly believe, put the United Kingdom first, by seeking to preserve our nation’s independence and sovereignty under Her Majesty the Queen.
This choice should be apparent, it should be obvious, especially for members of our Conservative Party. Unfortunately, we have failed to heed a famous warning from Bruges: “We have not successfully rolled back the frontiers of the state in Britain, only to see them re-imposed at a European level with a European super-state exercising a new dominance from Brussels.”
This leadership contest and ultimately the future of this party is not just about Europe. If we are to have strong public services, we need a strong economy.
We need a sound fiscal future so we do not pass an insurmountable burden of debt to our children and our grandchildren.
I want to see the United Kingdom as a low tax economy and I strongly believe that the most responsible way to grow our economy is through the twin pillars of tax cuts as well as budget cuts. The government I led will maintain the Income Tax introductory rate at 15% which was introduced by this government in the Finance. We must however continue to build on our success.
Under my leadership we will also create a brand new introductory rate for Capital Gains tax and I will personally commit to reducing inheritance and corporation tax over the term of the next parliament after the general election.
Now over recent years we have seen automatic budget increases in certain areas year and year and whilst I believe we do need to provide further support to certain areas this approach should change moving forward, such as considering smart spending, targeting areas that need investment rather than a blanket approach. We need a sustainable low tax economy which will greatly benefit all in this country and that is what the Conservative Party will deliver under my leadership.
When it comes to security at home, we must be prepared for every eventuality. Which is why as your Prime Minister, I will put a focus towards more front line policing to deter crime. A Conservative Government under my leadership will put 4,000 frontline police on our streets over the next five years. Each police force in the country will also be responsible for producing a charter to inform local citizens how quickly they will respond to emergency calls. A Conservative Government I lead will give our police the resources they need to tackle crime on our streets and protect the public.
In conclusion and before I take questions I want to just highlight this
The Conservatives today face a choice, when it comes to Europe do they want to be the party that sacrifices our sovereignty and potentially even our currency to join a federal Europe that we will not be able to get out of, or do we want to take the sensible, pragmatic approach that I can offer which ensures there is a focus on putting this country first in any negotiation, protecting our sovereignty, preventing Europe from forcing the United Kingdom into new treaties via a referendum lock, a legal mechanism that allows us to review our membership in years to come and to we keep our pound sterling.
When it comes to the economy do we want to follow an approach where we have automatic budget increases and we aren’t targeting spending effectively, or do we want a program of smart-spending, backed by a sustainable low tax economy?
When it comes to protecting our country do we want to follow an approach where we are focusing more on what the threat is that is facing our country or do we want to provide reassurance and security by introducing more front line policing? I of course recognise that police isn’t just going to solve the problem, but providing the police with the resources they are calling out for will go a long way to keeping people safe.
As Conservative Leader and Prime Minister, I can offer all this, a long term vision for our country. It is not just about Maastricht or about how much we can get done in 100 days with no thought of what happens after, it is about the bigger picture - that I can offer. We need to focus on how we address the problems in our society, and together we can tackle that.
Thank you, I will now take questions.