PM must learn from Thatcher

By allowing local authorities to retain the proceeds from future council house sales to invest in new stock, the Prime Minister hopes to kickstart the wider economy, while also allowing a new generation of public housing to be built – a failure of the Thatcher government’s original “right to buy” legislation.

This policy announcement appeals to aspirational people, the bedrock of the Conservative Party, at a time when the Lib Dems have been accused of stalling too many policies.

However, this is just a start. Mr Cameron must use this week’s conference to advance policies which will create immediate jobs for the young – an issue that the Thatcher government failed to address 30 years ago until the potential of a generation had been lost to the country.

And while enterprise zone status for Brough is welcome following the loss of 900 jobs at the BAE Systems plant, there needs to be an even greater emphasis on measures to create apprenticeships, plus tax breaks and National Insurance holidays for those firms prepared to offer career opportunities to the young. Too much emphasis is being placed on measures, like tweaks to employment law, that will make little difference to spiralling levels of joblessness.

And there is another issue – the Tories must not allow themselves to become fixated by the possibility of a referendum on Britain’s continued EU membership. That, again, is a potential distraction when balancing this country’s books, while influencing the wider debate on the eurozone’s finances, is paramount.

Mr Cameron appeared relaxed as he arrived in Manchester. He was keen to portray himself as a “modern compassionate Conservative” who speaks from a position of strength within the party, and the country at large. That may be so. However, the Prime Minister’s moderate popularity can be attributed, in part, to the Opposition’s shortcomings rather than the coalition’s competence.

His challenge is to ensure that no issue distracts the need to stimulate growth, and new opportunities, in Yorkshire – and those other areas so neglected by the Tories three decades ago.