The current cost of living crisis has dominated every pitch to become prime minister thus far, with candidate after candidate lining up to promise tax cuts. Most pledge to take action on day one to ease the burden imposed on Britain.
Rishi Sunak has been more cautious, pledging to cut taxes only once inflation is under control.
With every MP hoping to be the next prime minister turning to the economy, there’s a really big white elephant hanging around the entire game.
Leaving the EU was the biggest Democratic vote in the UK’s recent political history in 2016, the wrangling to approve a deal in parliament threatened to leave the UK’s constitution in tatters in subsequent years, and Boris Johnson’s pledge to “get Brexit done” secured the Conservatives’ historic 2019 election victory.
And yet Brexit has barely been discussed in the leadership contest so far.
Every candidate has made vague promises that they can be trusted in this area, but very few policies have been announced.
While concrete pledges have been made on economic measures such as cutting income taxes or increasing infrastructure spending, few details have been revealed about how each candidate would tackle Brexit.
Only Suella Braverman, seen by many as an outsider in the match, has been clear in what exactly she would deliver.
With the Northern Ireland Protocol giving the EU a say in how parts of the UK are run, many Brexiteers and Unionists believe the freedom of Brussels has yet to be truly realized.
The inability to unleash Britain’s potential by scrapping unnecessary EU regulations has left many others concerned that Brexit is a missed opportunity.
The flimsy nature of the Brexit pledges so far by most candidates and a lack of details on how to overcome these sticking points should be a problem for Tory MPs.
Many loyal Labor voters only switched to the Conservatives in 2019 because of Mr Johnson’s vow to deliver on the freedom of the EU.
Proving that the government has made Brexit a success will still be an essential part of the next election.
Bill Clinton famously said in his successful 1992 presidential campaign: “It’s the economy, stupid”.
And while Tory leadership candidates are all eager to prove they can be trusted in the economy, it would be foolish for them to forget that it is the mission to make Brexit a reality that has given them the chance to run for the top job to join. to start.