Top Tories pile pressure on Theresa May over 'burning injustices' agenda
3 min read
A string of top Conservative MPs have piled pressure on Theresa May to deliver on her promise to tackle the “burning injustices” holding Britain back.
Some 13 former frontbenchers, committee chairs and policy bigwigs from across the political divide have joined forces to pen powerful pleas not to neglect key areas where discrimination and inequality are rife.
Tory ex-Cabinet ministers Nicky Morgan and Justine Greening are among them, as are Labour former frontbenchers Lucy Powell and Rachel Reeves.
They urge the Prime Minister to revisit the striking speech she made on the steps of Downing Street when she first got the job - pledging to tackle unfairness in justice, education and health.
Former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan told PoliticsHome: “In 2016 Theresa May was right to identify some burning injustices facing our fellow citizens.”
She added: “Those injustices remain in 2018.
“Whilst the Government has plenty on its ‘to do’ list it would gain a huge amount of support across the political spectrum by prioritising the tackling of these continuing challenges.”
Ms Morgan has written an essay on gender inequality for the collection - pulled together by charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Bright Blue think tank.
Ms Greening - who also served in the education brief - wrote about white working-class attainment, while former Downing Street policy guru George Freeman wrote about housing.
Mr Freeman - who stood down as chair of the Number 10 policy board last year - said the Prime Minister should “recast Brexit” in the spirit of her first Downing Street speech.
He said doing so would be a “core theme” of his second Big Tent festival - pulling Tory policy ideas together - in September.
Elsewhere, ex-Labour frontbenchers David Lammy, Lucy Powell and Rachel Reeves wrote about racial discrimination, regional inequality and loneliness respectively.
And Lib Dem former minister Norman Lamb wrote about mental health, while Green party co-leader Caroline Lucas wrote about the dangers of drugs.
In her 2016 speech, Mrs May said: “We believe in a union not just between the nations of the United Kingdom but between all of our citizens, every one of us, whoever we are and wherever we’re from.
“That means fighting against the burning injustice that, if you’re born poor, you will die on average nine years earlier than others. If you’re black, you’re treated more harshly by the criminal justice system than if you’re white.
“If you’re a white, working-class boy, you’re less likely than anybody else in Britain to go to university. If you’re at a state school, you’re less likely to reach the top professions than if you’re educated privately.
“If you’re a woman, you will earn less than a man. If you suffer from mental health problems, there’s not enough help to hand. If you’re young, you’ll find it harder than ever before to own your own home.”
In a joint statement, JRF chief executive Campbell Robb and Bright Blue director Ryan Shorthouse said those “locked out of the prosperity most of us enjoy” should be the priority of any government.
They added: “Despite the caricature, most politicians from most political parties are principled and passionate people, desperate to use their influence to do good.
“The Prime Minister has an impressive resource from which she can nurture ideas and allies for her ‘burning injustices’ agenda.”
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