Sunday Telegraph: Vote in the national interest. Vote Conservative

Telegraph View: Labour offers socialism and chaotic government. David Cameron wants to build a strong future with common sense policies. We would urge our readers to back the Tories in this election

David Cameron delivers a speech to party activists whilst campaigning in Norton Sub Hamdon near Yeovil Photo: Reuters

On Thursday, Britain faces an unambiguous choice. Not since the Eighties has the distinction between Labour and the Conservatives been so clear; not since that turbulent decade has the ideological divide between Left and Right been wider. The polls for 2015, however, suggest that the election result will be close – and that it could end in deadlock and confusion. That would be calamitous. The Sunday Telegraph believes that Britain needs a strong government with a clear mandate and a large dose of common sense. That is why we would like to see a Conservative majority.

We understand that the past five years have been difficult for many people. The Coalition inherited a country in economic trouble and deep in the red – and it had to hammer out a compromise to deal with these problems. Some of the decisions that it made along the way may well have disappointed some of our readers. Change has often been slow; there have been too many U-turns. Therefore, we understand why many have felt drawn to the Ukip rebellion. Nigel Farage’s party has its faults, but it has helped put matters such as immigration and EU over-centralisation back on the national agenda. It has been a beacon to those tired of political correctness and the politics-as-usual approach.

But in an election this tightly contested, those who want to see Britain embrace conservatism cannot afford to waste a vote on Ukip. In seat after seat, the arithmetic shows that even just a few percentage points going to Mr Farage will result in a gain for Ed Miliband. Those tempted to vote for Ukip would doubtless like to see Britain move to the Right, but they will also be aware that this could help the Left to win. We would urge them not to take that risk.

After all, Mr Miliband may well be the most Left-wing Labour leader since Michael Foot. In the years following Mr Foot’s leadership, Labour reconciled itself to capitalism and slowly edged towards the centre ground – culminating in Tony Blair’s New Labour experiment. Now, for the first time in a generation, Mr Miliband has sought to shift his party back towards the Left. His manifesto does not contain a sound economic approach. Last week he even asserted on national television that he does not believe that the last Labour government over spent. Mr Miliband is rightly concerned with building a fairer society. But he wrongly believes that this means taxing success and aspiration and regulating the free market to the point that it is hardly free at all. If he becomes prime minister, there would be a tax on large houses, an increase in the highest rate of income tax, a hike in the corporation tax rate and so on. Energy prices and rents would be subject to counterproductive price controls. In addition – and this is something else for those attracted to Ukip to consider carefully – he offers no referendum on the EU.

Labour’s agenda is not a One Nation agenda, and nor was it ever really intended to be. Mr Miliband’s goal was to focus on his party’s core vote and attract disaffected Lib Dems to bolster the numbers. Unfortunately for him, large numbers of Scots found his leadership so woeful that they defected to the SNP. Unfortunately for the entire country, this now means that Mr Miliband probably would – if he could – seek to form a government with the assistance of the Nationalists. Disingenuously, he has ruled out a deal or a coalition – but he has not denied that there would be “discussion” about legislation. Such discussion would lead to compromise with an SNP that wishes to end austerity, increase spending and abolish Trident. And never forget this: their long-term goal is to destroy the Union.

Britain cannot afford such a chaotic future. Fortunately, it has an alternative. The past five years have tested the Conservative Party mightily, and although it has made mistakes, it has got the fundamentals right. A record 31 million people are now in work and the jobless rate has fallen to just 5.6 per cent. Britain generated more jobs in the last four years than were created in the whole of Europe. Its economy is bigger than France’s. Wages are finally rising. What David Cameron calls “the good life” is now closer to reality for millions of Britons than it was five years ago.

Problems remain that require sensible conservative solutions. Signs that growth has sloweds lightly emphasise the need for higher productivity and wealth generation. The deficit is far too large. But while Labour lacks a credible plan to deal with spending, the Tories have wisely identified the need for further reforms to welfare. Making careful savings to the national budget means that the road to tax cuts is open – and Mr Cameron’s manifesto makes an excellent start by pledging to take many out of inheritance tax and income tax, while ruling out future rises in income tax, national insurance and VAT. The areas where he will make investments are those that encourage personal aspiration and let people stand on their own two feet: help to get on the housing ladder, more apprenticeships, less red tape and greater assistance for start-ups.

In many senses, this is a classic Thatcherite package that seeks to tap into the ambitions of the individual. But the offer is made all the more attractive in being pitched by Mr Cameron – a reasonable and compassionate man who has served as Prime Minister with confidence and skill. What he seeks to offer the country is not another coalition, a fudge or a desperate alliance between various special interest groups. He wants a majority government that has the authority to do the things that need to be done.

Therefore, we would encourage our readers to vote Conservative and let Mr Cameron get on with the job. We believe that a Tory majority would not only be advantageous to individuals and families, but would also be in the wider national interest. The next five years could pose many challenges for Britain. We would face them better as one people, united in a common endeavour. 

The Telegraph, May 2, 2015