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

Bid rigging probe launched into school repair work

Firms raided this week with focus on roofing contracts
8 hours ago

Government commits to four new prisons in seven years

£2.3bn pledged for new prison build programme
8 hours ago

Credit insurance saves Billington from ISG hit

Steel specialist puts on extra shifts at its plants to cope with demand
13 hours ago

M&E specialist Dodd doubles profit on retrofit surge

Family-owned Telford specialist delivers record revenue of nearly £250m
12 hours ago

Go-ahead for 800-home Croydon dual towers

One Lansdowne Road build to rent scheme to cost £260m to build
13 hours ago

Construction inflation set to return raising tender prices

End of 2024 to mark the bottom of present inflationary trough
13 hours ago

Start date for vast Balfour and Costain carbon capture power job

£4bn Teesside project to start construction next year creating 3,000 jobs
1 day ago

Plans go in to start revamp of North Finchley town centre

Developer Regal unveils first details of Barnet masterplan
13 hours ago

Glencar bags £18m Big Yellow London store

Six-storey stoarage centre to be built at Staples Corner
12 hours ago

Plan unveiled for 31-storey London Fenchurch Street tower

Demolition work to start in 2026 for new office tower
2 days ago

Vinci Building buys tower cranes for first time

Contractor invests in two WOLFFKRAN all-electric cranes at £138m Sheffield site
2 days ago

30 local firms land United Utilities £500m framework

Minor works deal win for North West civils and M&E specialists
2 days ago

Restructure pays off as Higgins returns to profit

Housing contractor recovers from £25.9m loss last year
2 days ago

Former Heathrow boss joins Mace in board rejig

Firm completes string NED appointments to expanded group board
2 days ago

Planning officers to get powers to bypass committee stage for housing

Rayner reform plan to cut out local council planning committees
2 days ago

National Insurance hike to delay construction recovery

Arcadis paints varied picture with full recovery delayed until 2026
3 days ago

Gratte Bros rides out cost rises with profit increase

M&E specialist warns of further upward pressure on wage costs
3 days ago

Sellar’s 36-storey London City office tower approved

Demolition work to start in 2026 at 60 Gracechurch Street site
4 days ago

Roofers caught using phone lights to work at night

Roofing boss handed suspended prison sentence for lack of edge protection
3 days ago

£380m North West housing framework out for bid

St Helens-based Torus aims to build 9,000 homes by 2029
3 days ago

Historic property magazine to close

Estates Gazette has been in business since 1858
5 days ago

M&S Marble Arch rebuild approved after three-year planning fight

Plans were delayed when Michael Gove backed carbon campaigners
6 days ago

£191m revamp funding approved for London Barbican Centre

Construction to start in 2027 on five-year programme
6 days ago

RED Construction tops £100m turnover

Builder maintains profit margin at 1.7% as business nearly doubles in size
6 days ago

Timber designs shortlisted for roads ‘footbridge of the future’

Three of five designs for National Highways propose timber structures over busy highways
6 days ago

PM pledges to fast-track 150 infrastructure schemes

Fresh promise to speed up planning decisions on infrastructure and house building
6 days ago

Amey FM firm fined after legionella kills prisoner

Court fines company £600,000 for prison upkeep failures
6 days ago

Buyers report boom in commercial work

Construction bucks slowdown in general economy
6 days ago

Plans in for £250m Stockport 8 housing-led scheme

Work to start on phase 1 by the end of next year
6 days ago

Galliford Try tops monthly contracts league

Contract awards slow down in November
7 days ago

Contractor services