Tories “broke hearts and ruined lives”
The Prime Minister launched a no-holds barred attack on Tory spending plans yesterday, accusing Michael Howard’s party of Thatcherite tendencies.
In a keynote speech to the party faithful at Labour’s Scottish Conference in Inverness, Tony Blair said the Tory party remained riddled with Thatcherite values and was willing to make spending cuts to the tune of £65 billion, adding “that is why it must never get its hands back on Britain’s future.”
Leader Michael Howard, Tory chairmen Liam Fox, Lord Saatchi and Oliver Letwin were singled out as the suspects proudly adopting Thatcherite values.
Oliver Letwin pledged to axe £18 billion in the first two years of a Tory government, Mr Blair warned delegates.
The speech made a robust defence of Labour’s handling of the economy and public services in general but made no reference to Iraq or the spat with Clare Short.
He told the conference to prepare for a third term of government, but warned Labour must find new ways to communicate with the public.
‘If you only keep faith and don’t lose heart, we’ll see this through. We’ll win that third term,’ he said.
Mr Blair emphasised his government was responsible for the longest period of peacetime economic growth in 130 years and encouraged activists to convey that message to the wider public.
‘We should be optimistic about Britain’s future. If there is one fact which sums up the scale of our achievement it is this: this Labour government, now today, is responsible for the longest period of peacetime growth since records began in 1870, 130 years ago.
‘As anyone who lived through the recessions of the early 80s and 90s knows, this is not just some dry statistic.”
He said recessions under the Tories “broke hearts and ruined lives.”
Pessimism, he said, was being actively fostered by the Tories to undermine confidence.
‘I know the fight is worth the struggle. I know who the political enemy is: a bankrupt, failed, right-wing Tory ideology that would take this country backwards,’ the Prime Minister added.
He received an ovation of less than a minute.
Dr Liam Fox, Tory Party co-chairman, said Mr Blair was engaging in a “pathetic diversionary tactic.”
