Rishi Sunak’s over 7,500-word Tory Conference speech was full of multiple controversial and bold statements, making quite the splash on the heels of an already highly talked-about event.  

Tory Conference speech was full of multiple controversial and bold statements

Leading Change 

Sunak decided to make a move that some may deem bold in the light of 13 years under Tory rule. He chose to insist that his tenure would be the one to tackle historical short-thinking, and that the party was ‘prepared to be radical in the face of challenges’. Considering that the Tories have dominated over the past decade, it is unclear whether voters will believe this bold claim. 

A Gradual Smoking Ban 

Sunak’s government has proposed to incrementally raise the minimum age that tobacco can be purchased, leading to the possibility that modern children will never reach an age where they can legally do so. The move would significantly benefit the National Health Service; however, its effects may not be seen for 40 years or more. Although this claim is the most apparent part of Sunak’s speech to mirror his claim of long-term benefits for the nation, he will not push it through Parliament. Instead, MPs will be given a free vote on the matter. 

the most apparent part of Sunak’s speech to mirror his claim of long-term benefits for the nation, he will not push it through Parliament

 Post-16 Qualification Revamp 

The Prime Minister proposed to combine A-levels and T-levels into a new advanced British standard qualification, in which Maths and English would be compulsory up to the age of 18. Students would take a total of five subjects, a suggestion which would entirely remodel the current post-16 educational structure. The proposal, if it were to go ahead, would not be able to come to fruition for a long time due to the vast technicalities of the matter. 

 HS2 to Manchester Scrapped 

Unsurprisingly, after the swirling rumours of the past few weeks, Sunak confirmed that the Manchester leg of HS2 had been officially scrapped. Sunak somewhat attempted to persevere through the controversy of the move, suggesting that it was the product of tough decisions that had to be made in the face of national change. Still, it is to be expected that this cancellation will not come without its critics. The decision also contrasts the current trend of transport policies focussing on public transport over financing road schemes. 

Invalidating Transgender Identities 

Sunak made his stance on transgender identities clear as he argued that, ‘we shouldn’t get bullied into believing that people can be any sex they want to be. They can’t.’ Sunak’s choice of language appears to have been heavily thought out, tackling only the term ‘sex’ as opposed to gender identities. He went on to argue that ‘a man is a man and a woman is a woman. That’s just common sense.’ Rishi Sunak’s outburst has seen heavy criticism already, controversially confirming that transgender identities are not deemed valid under his government. 

Although there were sentiments of a systematic evolution, none of the speech’s radical new ideas were set in stone

 Concluding the Speech 

Sunak closed his speech in a rather triumphant-seeming manner, finishing, ‘We will be bold…we will be radical…it is time for a change.’ Change certainly seemed to be a key theme of the address. However, change became a synonym for cancellation in the over 7500-word epic. Although there were sentiments of a systematic evolution, none of the speech’s radical new ideas were set in stone and were simply a free vote and a hypothetical new qualification. It is currently unclear how voters will take to this pre-election address.

However, Mr Sunak has undoubtedly given the voting public a lot of hypotheticals to chew on. 

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