Britain’s Sunak to promise ‘fundamental change’ to party faithful

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will set out his mission to fundamentally change the country at his Conservative party conference on Wednesday and finally end uncertainty over the future of a train project. high-speed train to the north of England. .

With delay of the northern section of the rail project known as HS2 a near certainty, Sunak will try to rally a divided party with a call to action, saying he wants to overthrow a political system that prefers the “easy decision, not the right one.” “. one”.

Trailing the opposition Labor Party in opinion polls ahead of a general election due next year, Sunak hopes to revive his premiership, saying he is one of the few politicians willing to make tough long-term decisions.

Grant Shapps, his defense minister, told Times Radio: “Today we will hear a speech from the Prime Minister in which he sets out the long-term decisions, sometimes very difficult ones, we have talked about HS2, for example, and where that money goes. could spend.”

“He’s not always immediately popular in the short term, but he still makes difficult long-term decisions for a better future.”

As the party conference in the northern English city of Manchester draws to a close, his attempt to revitalize his party’s fortunes after a year in power has been largely overshadowed by a dispute over the future of HS2.

A source close to the project said the announcement would likely say the train line would run to London’s Euston station, but that construction of the northern section, on which the government has already spent £2.3bn, would be put on hold.

Sunak will say the decision – which took weeks to announce – shows he is focusing on the long term rather than what he described as a political obsession with short-term opportunism.

“Politics does not work as it should. We have had 30 years of a political system that encourages the easy decision, not the correct one. Thirty years of vested interests hinder change,” he will say, according to excerpts from his speech.

“Our political system is too focused on short-term advantages, not long-term success… Our mission is to fundamentally change our country.”

CHANGE THE NARRATIVE?

His message risks being undermined by business anger over HS2, which Sunak and his finance minister, Jeremy Hunt, have attacked for its exorbitant costs, which estimates could reach £100bn.

If scrapped or delayed, business leaders say Sunak should be accused of doing the exact opposite of his speech: being driven by short-term political gains rather than considering the value a new high-speed rail line could offer. to future generations.

Hoping to change the narrative, Sunak will also target Labor leader Keir Starmer, a sign of what is preparing to be an ugly election campaign.

“The Labor Party has stated its position: do and say as little as possible and hope that no one notices. They want to take people’s votes for granted and continue doing politics in the same way,” he will say.

“It’s about power for power’s sake. In short, it’s everything that’s wrong with our politics.”

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