What was the point of Boris’s speech?

Coffee House Shots

The Spectator

News, Politics, Government, Daily News

4.4 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 6 October 2021

⏱️ 17 minutes

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Summary

Marking the end of the conference, Boris Johnson gave what James Forsyth describes as ‘the most Boris speech possible’. The Prime Minister set out his ambition for ‘radical and optimistic conservativism' and won over the crowd with his characteristic jokes. The Conservatives are in a strong position, but was the speech enough to retain support across the country amid a fuel crisis and labour shortages? And was the lack of concrete policies a problem?

Isabel Hardman speaks to Katy Balls and James Forsyth.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This podcast is sponsored by Canacord Genuity Wealth Management, award-winning wealth managers who go above and beyond to support and guide you.
0:09.2	Visit can-dowealth.com to start building your wealth with confidence.
0:16.8	Hello and welcome to Coffee House Shots, a spectator's daily politics podcast.
0:21.8	I'm Isabel Harbin and I'm joined by James Forsyth and Katie Balls,
0:25.1	and we have just come out of Boris Johnson's speech to the Conservative Party conference.
0:30.3	James, what did you make of it?
0:32.4	I mean the best way I can sum it up is it was the most Boris Johnson speech possible.
0:36.8	When Boris Johnson was Foreign Secretary, he tried at least to kind of vaguely conform to some of it up is it was the most Boris Johnson speech possible. When Boris Johnson was Foreign
0:38.0	Secretary, he tried at least to kind of vaguely conform to some of the conventions about,
0:42.2	you know, how foreign secretaries speak. This speech had no such limitations. It was almost like
0:47.9	a kind of greatest hits version of Boris Johnson's columns. It included jokes. I don't
0:52.3	mean any other Prime Minister would have tried to pull off Bill Back Beaver. And it was very upbeat. It was all about this new kind of centerground
1:01.1	of British politics that he wants to carve out where the Tory party, you know, so he wants
1:05.5	to sprawl across the centre ground. The Tory party are the party of the NHS, party of the free market
1:10.2	economy, the party of, you know, you name it, he wants to claim that they're the party of the NHS, party of the free market economy, the party of, you
1:11.3	know, you name it, he wants to claim that they're the party of it. I think the biggest political
1:15.7	risk in the speech is he is giving this speech as gas prices have surged again. I was writing
1:21.7	in my politics column for the magazine, this coming out on Thursday, available in all good
1:26.1	newsagents, how gas was now trading
1:28.3	for the first time at over 300 pence a firm. I was just looking now, the proof came through,
1:34.1	and I think we're now getting close to what, over 400 pence a firm. This is a remarkable
1:39.1	why. It's going to have real consequences. And there was no attempt to prepare the country
	...

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