This week marks one year since the Conservative Party won their biggest election victory in 32 years, securing a Commons majority of 80. It was an election win which changed Britain’s political landscape as we secured seats in the north which had only ever been held by Labour.
Labour on the other hand suffered their worst election result since the 1930s. It was the first time many had voted for us and we could see that Labour had lost touch with its traditional supporters, particularly those from the British Indian community.
Our victory represented a major breakthrough for the Party after a turbulent few years. However, when the election result was announced, no one would have expected 2020 to be the year it has been.
Covid-19 has subsequently dominated our political agenda. The fight against coronavirus has demanded big sacrifices from all of us, generating unprecedented challenges and an unprecedented response from everyone. But one year on, this is a time for us to reflect and take stock on how we have done in delivering the election pledges we were elected on.
No government was ready prepared to face this pandemic, but this government stepped up to the challenge – doing whatever it takes to protect lives and livelihoods. This unpredictable pandemic has taught us to be prepared for the unknown, which has resulted in us heading into winter ensuring the NHS has over 30,000 ventilators and billions of items of Personal Protective Equipment - most of it now manufactured here in the UK.
But perhaps one of the greatest achievements of this government so far, has been its ability to deliver one of the world’s most comprehensive economic support packages over of £200 billion – led by our outstanding Chancellor Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP. The unprecedented packages consisting of furlough schemes, government loans and grants and payment holidays, reflected our commitment to ensure that no holds are barred in ensuring that wages and jobs of millions of people are protected and making sure the vulnerable have the help they need during this global crisis.
Even in the midst of fighting this virus, we have been getting on and delivering on those promises. We said we'd get Brexit done. We did, leaving the EU on 31st January this year.
We said we’d take back control of UK borders. We’ve passed our new Immigration Act which ends free movement at the end of the year and replaces it with a fairer Australian style points-based immigration system.
We said we would recruit an extra 20,000 police officers to keep our streets and communities safe, and one year in we have already recruited nearly 6,000.
We said we would recruit an additional 50,000 nurses to ensure our NHS can continue to provide first rate care for all who need it. One year in, there are 14,800 more nurse then last year and over 6,250 more doctors.
Whilst Covid-19 will still dominate 2021, it is vital that we build back better and stronger from it. With vaccines on the way and the need for lockdowns becoming less necessary, this Conservative government must carry on delivering the pledges we made to the people a year ago to build a better country for everyone.
