Andrew Marr: 'What's the point of this new government at all?'

3 October 2022, 18:19

The threat of a Tory rebellion means the second part of the growth revolution is "stillborn", Andrew Marr has said.

Opening LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr, the presenter said several plans from the new government would not be able to go ahead amid friction within the Tory party.

"Will this gathering of the Tories here in Birmingham be remembered as the time of the great unravelling?" Andrew asked.

"After the extremely embarrassing u-turn by Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng of their plan to scrap the 45p tax rate, what next?

"They ate their words over that only after it became clear that Tory MPs simply weren't having it.

"But, as I do the rounds here, in the conference fug and hubbub at your service, it's clear that there's much else about the radical, so-called supply-side agenda of the new government they don't like either. 

"Fracking? That's not going to happen. Cuts to welfare budgets? Right now, don’t see it. A big new planning bill to make it easier to build houses in Tory constituencies? Nope. A bonfire of employment rights? There are plenty of Conservative MP's here shaking their heads.

"Enterprise zones and free ports I think will go ahead but much of the second part of the growth revolution now looks stillborn.

"In which case, sorry to be blunt, what's the point of this new government at all?"

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Fracking. Thats not going to happen, says Andrew Marr

Andrew continued: "I want to emphasise that the real Tory opponents of Liz Truss aren’t even here.

"They are on charabanc tours of the Yorkshire Wolds, or twerking in Ibiza, or something… so things might get tougher for the prime minister not easier when everyone’s back in Westminster.

"This is in the end about authority. on their private WhatsApp groups very senior Conservatives are complaining about the prime minister's competence, pointing out that her changes in policy have not been voted on by any members of the public, and asking whether there's any way back for her.

"Some people are discussing a parliamentary coup and a lurch to yet another leader -though no one seems to be able to agree who that might be.

"And it isn't just lettuce nibbling bed-wetting lefties who are cross.

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"This afternoon Nadine Dorries, Boris Johnson's culture secretary Who has probably never knowingly eaten a lettuce in her life, tweeted this: 'Widespread dismay at the fact that 3 years of work has effectively been put on hold.

"'No one asked for this. Channel 4 sale, online safety, BBC licence fee review – all signed off by cabinet ,all ready to go, all stopped.

"'If Liz wants a whole new mandate she must take to the Country.'

 "Wowser. I wonder what Liz Truss’s new culture secretary Michelle Donelan would say to that."