'In this election back the party with a clear plan to take the bold action' - Rishi Sunak

Writing for The Yorkshire Post, Conservative leader Rishi Sunak puts forward his vision for the country.

This is God’s own country. A decade ago, I was fortunate enough to be selected as the Conservative candidate for Richmond. I was honoured to follow in William Hague’s footsteps. Representing this wonderful North Yorkshire seat has taught me so much.

From our farmers, I have learnt resilience. Their work ethic, their determination is inspiring. Our military families demonstrate the importance of service and the volunteers who help with everything from the Yorkshire air ambulance to the local cricket team to our village fetes show the true meaning of community.

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Rishi Sunak gestures as he speaks during the final day of the Conservative Party Conference on October 4, 2023. Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images.placeholder image
Rishi Sunak gestures as he speaks during the final day of the Conservative Party Conference on October 4, 2023. Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images.

Yorkshire is home and it is always a good day on the campaign trail when I get back there. I’m proud of what this government has done for Yorkshire – £1.36 billion of levelling up funding, a freeport on the Humber, and an investment zone in South Yorkshire which will support advanced manufacturing and create 8,000 jobs – 
and excited by what we will be able to achieve if you offer us your support at this election.

If you vote Conservative, we will deliver a new £2 billion station for Bradford. We will end the situation where Leeds is the largest city in Europe without a mass transit system, providing £2.5 billion of funding to the West Yorkshire mayor. This has the potential to be truly transformative; it could connect Leeds with Huddersfield, Wakefield, Bradford and Halifax. I believe this is a much better use of your money and will ensure more people in Yorkshire benefit than would have with HS2.

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The money saved from stopping HS2 will also allow us to fund nine major road schemes in the county, ensure Northern Powerhouse Rail includes Bradford and Hull, meaning we will truly create the east west links the North needs. It will also allow us to provide four billion of transport funding for local authorities here in Yorkshire to spend on local priorities.

This is all at risk if Labour wins. Labour is committed to neither HS2 nor the projects that we are funding with the money saved by stopping the scheme. So, if you want these transport improvements that would do so much for Yorkshire, then vote Conservatives.

We will continue to provide great public services but fundamentally, Conservatives believe that you know how to spend your own money better than the state does. That is why with inflation under control, we are now determined to cut your taxes at every stage of your life.

We want a Britain where those who work hard keep more of their money, where people are encouraged to start a business, where a new generation know the pride and security of home ownership, where parents are supported and where our pensioners have dignity and certainty in old age.

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So, we will halve National Insurance contributions paid by workers, abolish the main class of National Insurance for the self-employed, help first time buyers put together a deposit and—up to £425,000—abolish stamp duty entirely for them, we’ll make child benefit fairer and ensure that all families who earn less than £120,000 receive it and ensure with our triple lock plus that not only does the state pension go up every year but that it is never caught by income tax.

Now, we Conservatives have the common sense to know that permanent tax cuts have to be paid for. We will fund them by controlling the unsustainable rise in working age welfare that this country has seen since Covid. We will ensure that we have lower welfare so we can have lower taxes. The fact that Labour oppose this tells you everything you need to know about them: they don’t share your values. They would rather let the welfare bill balloon, than cut your taxes.

If they win, even on their own published plans, Labour will put up your taxes, taking more of your money and raising the 
tax burden to the highest level it has ever been.

But the reality is even worse than that. Because that figure doesn’t even include the extra £2,094 that every working household will have to pay to fill the £38.5 billion black hole of unfunded spending commitments that Labour has.

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I ask you to pause and think whether you can afford that, whether your neighbours can, whether your loved ones can.

Labour won’t be on your side. Just look 
at how they won’t rule out raising your council tax and how Keir Starmer thinks that if you’ve got savings, you’re ripe for tax rises.

The only party that can deliver a government that will always put your family’s financial security first is the Conservatives. And the only party who can stand up to Labour’s agenda is the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrats won’t because they agree with them. And a vote for Reform is just a vote to give Labour a blank cheque. It would mean higher taxes, higher welfare, higher immigration.

So, in this election back the party with a clear plan to take the bold action needed to deliver a secure future for your family, our county and our United Kingdom.

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