What Boris Johnson Didn’t Say in His U.K. Tory Conference Speech

(Bloomberg) --

Boris Johnson’s speech to the Conservative Party conference on Wednesday promised to deliver Brexit by Oct. 31 and made a broad brush pitch to voters for a looming U.K. election.

While he touched on issues such as climate change, hospitals and policing, there was a lot he didn’t talk about. There’s no obligation for a party leader to make policy announcements, but he noticeably avoided key issues facing the country, including some that he championed during his leadership campaign.

• When Johnson took office in July, he said he had a plan to fix Britain’s social care problem. An aging population is one of the biggest economic challenges and analysts say tax rises will be needed to cover the increasing need. But Johnson only gave it a passing nod, saying he would “solve” it -- without giving details.
• Cutting taxes was central to Johnson’s leadership bid -- and a lodestar for the Conservative Party -- but he barely mentioned it.
• Neither did Johnson refer to High Speed Two, the north-south rail project that was commissioned by his predecessors but is hated by many grassroots Tories. The cost of the project has escalated and the government is currently reviewing it.
• Despite being foreign secretary for two years, Johnson also had little to say about the world beyond the U.K. and the EU. There was nothing on the current crises in the Middle East or Hong Kong, and no mention of the relationship with the U.S., even though it’s the centerpiece for his post-Brexit trade policy.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jessica Shankleman in London at jshankleman@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Thomas Penny, Stuart Biggs

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