Conservative Party Successes in 2020
Kieran Burt
2020 has been an eventful year. Of that no one will dispute. With coronavirus sweeping the country, almost everyone’s attention has been diverted to the crisis (for good reason). However, it is important to look back on some of the successes that the Conservative Party in 2020 have had, and not all to do with COVID.
Firstly, is the success of delivering Brexit. At the last general election, Boris promised to ‘Get Brexit Done’ and he has done just that, in less than a year. This also fulfilled his promise on not extending the transition period past 2020. He and his team managed to negotiate a trade deal that will deliver on the ideas of ‘taking back control’. While it is not a perfect deal in every way, it shows that the politics of compromise can work. Delivering this in last than a year is an impressive feat within itself, especially considering both the EU and the UK had to divert attention to deal with the pandemic. The Government also produced a visible information campaign through things like TV adverts in order to get businesses to prepare for the change.
One of the important promises of Brexit was being able to negotiate our own trade deals. To date, the Government has secured 63 so far. Notable countries are Canada and Japan. These deals are a great framework for extension for the future and show good things to come in 2021. Another highlight of Brexit means that the tampon tax will end. In the March budget of 2020, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that from January 1st 2021 the tax will end, and this has been implemented. This is because the UK is no longer bound by an EU VAT directive mandating a 5% tax on all sanitary products.
Moving away from Brexit, another key success this year was when the Commons passed the Domestic Abuse Bill in March. This bill enjoyed strong bi-partisan parliamentary support. This bill creates a legal definition of Domestic Abuse, removes the ‘rough sex defence’ and gives better protection to children should they witness domestic abuse. While this bill was introduced in 2017, Brexit and two general elections threatened to push it back. COVID-19 nearly did so again, however thankfully the Johnson government reintroduced it in March of 2020 and got it passed.
Now, COVID-19. While I will not claim the measures are a rousing success, it is important to remember the successful elements. Firstly, is the furlough scheme. This is a hugely important piece of support as it means that the Government will pay 80% of people’s wages and has been extended to last into April of 2021. This scheme has been rolled out and operated efficiently, and the extensions to it show that the government is responsive to changes in the course of the coronavirus pandemic. While unemployment has inevitably increased, the furlough scheme protected many jobs that would have otherwise been lost. During August, the Eat Out to Help Out scheme helped to drive trade, with bookings up 53% compared to the previous August. The vast majority of the hospitality sector approved of the scheme, with some chains continuing their own version in September. The Chancellor has also been praised for other parts of his economic support like the temporary VAT cut.
There have been two successfully approved vaccines (Pfizer Biontech and the Oxford-AstraZenica) in 2020 too. To prepare for the quick authorisation of the vaccine, in October the UK government changed the Human Medicines Regulations Act of 2012 to allow the vaccine to be approved by our vaccine regulator, the Medicines, Healthcare Regulatory Agency, and without the need for the European Medical Agency. This shows that the government was proactive in preparing for the authorisation of vaccines, as well as a quick rollout once approval has been granted. Both the Pfizer and the Oxford vaccine rollouts will start less than a week after approval. The number of vaccines bought (40 million of the Pfizer vaccine and 100 million of the Oxford vaccine; two doses needed per person) mean the entire population of the UK can be vaccinated when the rollout is complete, which is excellent.
Internationally, the UK is part of the WHO COVAX scheme to help distribute vaccines to poorer countries. Johnson has announced £340 million funding for the WHO, which is a 30% increase on previous years. This shows that the UK is also committed to helping global health.
Climate change was also another area of success in 2020. In November, Boris introduced a ten point plan for how the UK could achieve net zero by 2050. It included measures such as quadrupling offshore wind production, advancing nuclear and hydrogen power production (£525m to develop nuclear and up to £500m to hydrogen) and making cycling a more attractive way to travel (like the £50 bike repair vouchers earlier in the year, and more cycling lanes). Furthermore, the ban on the sale of non-electric cars will be brought forward to 2030, with increased funding of over 2 billion to support this. 250,000 new jobs will be created across the UK. These are just some of the measures, and the reaction to this was positive. These steps prove that Johnson is committed to a green recovery. Climate change something the UK can only build on during 2021, especially due to it holding the 26th Conference of the Parties.
Finally, another success of this year is the increased military funding. A key function of the state is to make sure that it can defend its people. New threats must be countered effectively, and the £16.5 billion in military funding will help ensure that. This spending increase was the biggest since the Cold War and will go towards a National Cyber Centre to help counter cyber threats, the creation of a space command centre, and increased development on AI and robotics, such as the Generation Tempest project being developed at BAE Systems. Our navy is also being looked after as well, with eight type-26 frigates, five type-31 frigates and a new type-32 frigate. 40,000 jobs will be created because of this funding.
These are important successes that must be remembered when looking back at 2020. While there have been some missteps, it is important to take them in context of the successes. Here is to hoping that in 2021 these successes can be built upon, in areas like more trade deals, global health policy and an increased climate focus.