James Cleverly: Tories can win back power by regaining trust of Yorkshire voters with unity and discipline

After attending the Northern Conservatives leadership hustings and meeting members there, I went to Whitby, Bridlington and Leeds to listen to their thoughts and priorities.

The Conservative Party has been the most effective political organisation in the world; we have formed the government more than any other party in the UK and consistently delivered for our country thanks to a reputation for good governance, pragmatism and competence.

The last election showed us that we had lost the trust of voters, including across the North. The public had a perception of a divided party, preoccupied by in-fighting and self-interest. That has to change, and we need to demonstrate our ability and commitment to delivery.

In opposition, we need to be unified and disciplined. It is our job to hold the Labour Party to account. The simple truth is that after just over a month in power, they are letting people down. It is down to us to take a lead and fight for a strong economy; lower unemployment; increased defence spending and a resolute focus on national security.

Meanwhile, Labour intend to strip millions of pensioners of their winter fuel payment. Any change like that should have been in their manifesto and subject to a democratic mandate. It’s wrong, and the evidence on which they are making their decision is fabricated.

Then there are the strikes. Labour have offered a no-strings pay deal to their union paymasters that will cost the taxpayer millions of pounds. Worse still, after offering them a 15 per cent pay rise, we will now see strikes by staff on LNER every weekend until November. Not only is that a complete disgrace, but it will be devastating for families on the east coast and here in Yorkshire who rely on that connection to see their loved ones.

They promised not to raise taxes; that’s not true, they’re going to. They’re putting a stop to vital infrastructure projects; we need to fight to make sure that projects like the new state-of-the-art Airedale General Hospital go ahead.

We also need to protect the industries that are vital to Yorkshire’s success. Look at food and farming. Absolutely essential, and yet Labour declined to commit to a single penny for farming in their manifesto. In a move that could be devastating for hundreds of farm businesses across Yorkshire, they haven’t ruled out scrapping inheritance tax relief for farmland either.

The truth is that we had a proud record here in Yorkshire; we delivered more police officers, more doctors and nurses, we invested historic sums of money to defend the region against flooding; and we boosted investment in transport projects across the region.

All of that was overshadowed by things like Partygate. As Leader of the Conservative Party I will ensure that we rebuild our reputation for competence and good governance. Our Conservative values of security, prosperity and patriotism need to guide us in the years ahead.

We have an opportunity to rebuild our Party and get into the best possible position to win. I was Chairman of the Conservative Party in 2019 when we won an 80 seat majority that allowed us to get Brexit done and stop Jeremy Corbyn entering Number 10.

I am an optimist and believe that, if we take the right decisions now, we can be back in government at the next opportunity. By uniting now, we will deliver for the people of Yorkshire and get ourselves election-ready once again.