Mail on Sunday Comment: PM’s timely warning – a vote for Farage will hand power to Labour

The coming months will concentrate the minds of voters as never before. In the long years between major, decisive elections, we may all ponder on wider and deeper aspects of life and politics.

Indeed, there is often not much more we can do because the opinion polls tell us there is little chance of change, and nowadays they are mostly right.

But every so often, most recently in 1964, 1979, 1997 and 2010, the country begins to think seriously about deep change. The existing Government struggles, whatever it does. The Opposition prospers, whatever it says. Much later, voters may regret having taken part in these sometimes illogical swings of opinion.

Conservative patriots concerned about maintaining a healthy economy and a free society must have regretted the advent of the Harold Wilson Labour government in 1964, which plunged the country into economic turmoil, failed to challenge union power and did grave damage to the education system and to policing, from which we still suffer. 

Many may also wonder if they were mis-sold a moderate and responsible government in 1997, when what they got was a high-spending, highly radical Cabinet bent on constitutional revolution at home and war abroad.

MAIL ON SUNDAY COMMENT: Those who might be tempted to think of deserting the Tories, by the populist charm of Nigel Farage, should bear in mind that Mr Farage and his friends in the Reform party have no chance of office, and can achieve nothing except a Labour victory

How sensible it is, then, for Rishi Sunak to warn that those letting off some anti-government steam at the coming election may end up presenting Downing Street to Sir Keir Starmer

Yet on both occasions Labour’s return to power was portrayed as inevitable. Interestingly, when the October 1964 election actually came round, Wilson only just managed to scrape a majority of four. Which goes to show that dedicated and well-aimed campaigning can affect what seems to be the inevitable. 

How sensible it is, then, for Rishi Sunak to warn – in his exclusive interview with Glen Owen in today’s Mail on Sunday – that those who just want to let off some anti-government steam at the coming poll may end up presenting Downing Street to Sir Keir Starmer.

Sir Keir’s political DNA (and that of his party) inclines them to more and higher taxes, weakness on immigration, politically correct bossiness in all aspects of life and, if they feel strong enough, a desire to manoeuvre us back into the orbit of Brussels. 

So in the months remaining to Mr Sunak before the election, he and his colleagues have an opportunity to work, inch by inch, against the widespread but in fact baseless belief that a Starmer government is inevitable.

Last week’s small but significant cut in National Insurance gave the Tories an instant bounce in the polls after a long period of flatlining or worse. Now his readiness to talk of further relaxation of the tax burden – particularly the punitive ‘higher rate’ which was originally aimed at the super-rich and now targets the middle classes – is an encouraging sign of an awakening will to win.

Mr Farage, as he forces down the private parts of various creatures in I’m A Celebrity, can comfort himself as he does so by remembering the enormous fee he will pocket when it is all over

His pledge that, ‘This is the start of a journey. We will do more when we can because I want to cut taxes, reward hard work, grow the economy and do so in a way that is responsible’ is immensely valuable. 

Those who might be tempted to think of deserting the Tories, by the populist charm of Nigel Farage, should bear in mind that Mr Farage and his friends in the Reform party have no chance of office, and can achieve nothing except a Labour victory.

Mr Farage, as he forces down the private parts of various creatures in I’m A Celebrity, can comfort himself as he does so by remembering the enormous fee he will pocket when it is all over. 

There will be no such comfort for the people of this country while they undergo the ordeal of a Starmer government, which – if voters are fool enough to agree to such a thing – will last a great deal longer than the former Ukip leader’s culinary ordeal.

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