Opinion: Now time for Boris to prove his worth

Grant Prior 5 years ago
Share

Boris Johnson has won the battle of the ‘least worst’ parties to secure a surprisingly large majority Conservative government.

But the country is hardly getting out the bunting after an underwhelming election campaign from all sides.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s brand of socialism has now lost twice at the ballot box and surely it is time for the party to take another tack if they actually want to win power.

Being battered by the Tories in their current state takes some doing.

Obviously Brexit played a huge role in the voting.

But Corbyn and his team managed to scare off business in their zeal to fund spending promises by “bashing the billionaires”.

Not every business person is a superyacht owner.

Small and medium sized enterprises are the backbone of this country so threatening them with rampant corporation and dividend tax rises was electoral suicide.

Corbyn’s most positive legacy may well be to end austerity by proxy.

Labour’s mega-spending manifesto prompted the Tories to promise an end to years of cuts.

Now they must follow through with that to end the national scandal of rough sleeping, food banks and under-funded public services.

The Prime Minister has also made a great play of investing in infrastructure.

For those words not to ring hollow HS2 and the expansion of Heathrow must be green-lighted within days.

Construction will hope for a period of stability and increased public spending as the economy braces itself for the full impact of Brexit.

Hopefully our exit from the EU will be with a less-damaging deal rather than the nuclear no-deal option.

The country voted against Jeremy Corbyn because he was too left wing.

The fear is Boris Johnson may be too right wing if he continues to pander to the rabid flank of his party.

Let’s hope both sides move to the middle in the coming years for the sake of construction and the country.

Latest news

Willmott Dixon wins Great Yarmouth waterfront deal

North Quay 10.5 acres mixed-use scheme to advance
15 hours ago

Care home fire trial collapses

Prosecution withdrawn against four firms including Morgan Sindall Property Services
15 hours ago

Eight take key spots on £250m Prosper framework

Housing and public building upkeep deal for North East awarded
15 hours ago

McLaren storms April contracts league with flurry of wins

Cardiff Bay Arena job headlines a series of big contract wins
19 hours ago

Balfour Beatty lifts cash forecast after strong first quarter

Contractor set to hit £1bn average monthly net cash in 2025
19 hours ago

Goldman Sachs-owned Adler & Allan buys 180-strong civils outfit

West Country's Glanville Environmental gets new owner
19 hours ago

Caddick lands first contract for £200m Skelmersdale revamp

Developer gets green light for masterplan
20 hours ago

Van Elle sells HGV fleet to haulage firm

WS Specialist Logistics pays £2.9m to take on fleet and drivers
19 hours ago

Buyers more bullish about prospects for year ahead

Residential "resilient" but commercial work a weak spot
2 days ago

Council backs first Brutalist car park-to-flats scheme

Newcastle-under-Lyme multi-storey car park to be reborn as pioneering homes scheme
2 days ago

Hinkley Point C hits peak build with 26,000 jobs

3,000 more workers to join as fit-out work ramps up
2 days ago

Over 40 firms win Wessex Water M&E minor works deal

Broad sweep of specialists picked for AMP8 programme
2 days ago

Spencer lands Scottish bridge hat-trick

Steelwork, gantries and bearing upgrades on Kessock, Forth and Tay crossings
2 days ago

Winners revealed for £1.5bn decarbonisation deal

Fusion21 confirms places for 40 firms: Full list
2 days ago

Cladding firm fined £225,000 after fatal fall

Court hears how cherry picker didn't reach all parts of repair job
2 days ago

Early call-out for Ebbsfleet Garden City infrastructure

Bidders day to set out plan for Ebbsfleet Central commercial scheme
2 days ago

Completed buildings caught-up in Gateway 2 chaos

Developer distraught after dealing with Building Safety Regulator
3 days ago

Aviva submits plans for 34-storey City office tower

Subject to planning work to start in autumn 2027
3 days ago

Murphy takes 40% stake in Aussie civils contractor

Firm enters Australasian market with stake in Sydney-based contractor Abergeldie
3 days ago

Moat seeks firm for £420m repairs and maintenance deal

15-year deal to upkeep 20,000 south east homes
3 days ago

Lynch takes over hotel for Sizewell plant operators

Hire giant now in the hotel business to guarantee accommodation for workers
3 days ago

Subcontractors wanted across Scotland

Latest Constructionline event in Glasgow: Register now
3 days ago

Six guilty of £2m bribery over Devon housing site deals

Corrupt building bosses and E.ON project chief and QS sentenced
1 week ago

1,650 former ISG staff launch legal claims

Redundancy Payment Service facing payout of more than £9m
1 week ago

Plans lodged for £1bn cancer research centre in Sutton

London Cancer Hub will deliver around 1m sq ft of lab and research space
7 days ago

London Met Uni seeks firm for £284m estate revamp

Contractor wanted to deliver capital works and FM
7 days ago

Delayed £2bn estate rebuild back on as Berkeley signs deal

Birmingham council development agreement paves way for 2028 Ladywood start
1 week ago

Tilbury Douglas boosts margin to 2.1% as profits double

Firm targets 3.5% margin by 2029 under new business plan
1 week ago

Subbies battle for fastest bricklayer title

Winchmore management team go back on the tools
1 week ago

Green light for revised McLaren Reading revamp

Mixed-use plans to transform Broad Street Mall site
7 days ago

Contractor services