In her speech to the Conservative Party conference yesterday, Liz Truss tried to create a divide between the Tories and their opponents. She said there was an “anti-growth coalition” which comprised Labour, the SNP, the Liberal Democrats, the unions, think tanks, protesters, tweeters, those travelling from North London townhouses to BBC studios in taxis, and podcasters. This was a “perfect” juxtaposition the former party leader, Iain Duncan Smith, said last night on Sky because it gave the Conservatives something to unite against.
However, putting the podcasters and townhouse-dwellers to one side, the problem with this approach is that growth is central to Labour’s strategy. In July, Keir Starmer gave a speech in which he said his three priorities were “growth, growth and growth” – a phrase the Prime Minister appropriated yesterday. The choice, the Labour leader said, was between “Labour growth and Tory stagnation”. In that case, the stated aims of both parties have become broadly aligned and the key question is which party is seen as better placed to grow the economy.
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