‘It wasn't done well, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try again’: Ex-Tory chairman hints Trussonomics could return
7 June 2023, 19:39 | Updated: 7 June 2023, 19:52
Jake Berry on liz Truss
Jake Berry tells Andrew Marr he believes ‘targeted tax cuts’ are still possible despite Liz Truss’ mini budget last year.
Speaking on Tonight with Andrew Marr, the self-professed “low tax Conservative” says he wants to see more bold conservatism from the government in future.
The ex-tory minister from Liverpool addressed levelling-up agendas and the idea of the northern powerhouse in his discussion with Andrew, before moving on to the subject of tax cuts.
Andrew said: “There is this idea around at the moment that there isn’t really any scope for serious tax cuts, it’s almost like there’s a fatalism. Maybe it’s after the Liz Truss experiment.”
Mr Berry quickly jumped in to address the experiment, as he said: “Just because you haven’t done something well doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to do it again.
“Take James Dyson, he tried 5,000 times to create that cyclone vacuum cleaner before he actually hit on that winning formula.
“Just because things weren’t done well, and it shouldn’t be done in the same way obviously, you have to learn, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try them again.”
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Andrew asked: "So targeted tax cuts and possibly also borrowing infrastructure projects to get the north moving again?"
"We'll have to see," Mr Berry replied.
Mr Berry’s remarks follow previous comments about levelling-up the regions in the north and a poll projecting a "ginormous" loss for the Conservatives in the next election.
He said: “I think there is room when you’re looking at stimulating northern economic growth to level-up, to deliver the northern powerhouse, whatever you want to call it, to do some targeted tax cuts, to stimulate new economies.
“In particularly new sectors like the Green Industrial Revolution and the green kind of jobs we hope to see across the north.
“We’ve got to have a bold plan to improve people's lives if we expect them to vote Conservative again in the next election like they did in the 2019 election, we've got to give them a reason to do that.”
