Boris Johnson promises high wages and low taxes in Conference speech

In his speech to the Conservative Party Conference the Prime Minister said as the UK comes out of the coronavirus pandemic the country under the Conservatives was moving in a "new direction towards a high wage, high skill, high productivity and yes, low tax economy".

Despite protests outside the conference Johnson didn’t refer in his 45 minute speech, to the removal of the Universal Credit uplift which came into force on the same day he was speaking, taking £20 a week from the poorest household budgets in the country.

READ MORE:Analysis-Boris Johnson talks 'levelling up' while pushing people down

Instead, he promised better times ahead claiming ending free movement, with Brexit, would push up wages as employers could not rely on importing cheap foreign labour.

He said the Tories were “levelling up” while Labour wanted to “level down”.

He said: "They like decapitating the tall poppies and taxing the rich till the pip squeaks.

"They like kids to run races where nobody actually wins. I don't think that is a good preparation for life."

His cabinet colleagues praised the speech with one, Nadine Dorries, Culture Secretary, stating it was "visionary".

The speech was criticised by opponents however, as “deflection” from the fuel shortage and rising cost of living affecting people across the UK.

Ian Blackford SNP Westminster leader said the speech was “waffle”.

He said: "Boris Johnson's shameless attempt to shift the blame onto anyone but himself will do nothing to fix the crisis he has caused with his disastrous hard Brexit and cruel Tory cuts.

"For all the waffle and deflection, the Prime Minister cannot escape the fact that millions of families are poorer and worse off as a direct result of his government's damaging policies.

"The Tory rank and file might have had a good laugh - but it is at everyone else’s expense. Outside in the real world, no one whose universal credit is being cut today by this cruel Tory government is laughing.”

While the leader of the shopworkers union, USDAW, with many members on the Minimum Wage, said it offered no plan as to how his objectives would be achieved.

Paddy Lyllis, USDAW General Secretary said: “We all know that the PM likes to think of himself as an eternal optimist, but his ‘jam tomorrow’ promises do not put bread on the table today. We note that he talks about a ‘high wage and high skills economy’, but how will that be achieved? Today’s speech was long on soundbites and short on substance.

“The truth is that the UK economy is too reliant on low pay and insecure work. The pandemic clearly demonstrated just how reliant we are on workers who are struggling to make ends meet and face a looming cost of living crisis, with rising utility bills and National Insurance increases, along with fuel and food shortages.”