There are no winners from the Conservative leadership contest

COMMENT The summer of 2022 has surprised us all. The effects of climate change coming home to roost, a prime minister finally admitting defeat and two new hopefuls publicly bashing each other in a dog-eat-dog fight to get into Number 10. I’m sure that’s not quite what the Conservative Party – or indeed any of the rest of us – expected in 2019, back when the levelling-up agenda was put firmly at the heart of its election campaign. Despite being the cornerstone of the Conservative manifesto, the plan to deliver levelling up was not unveiled until February this year. Openly declared as the “defining mission” of Boris Johnson’s tenure, cynics may argue it was a last-ditch attempt to paint over the cracks of “partygate” and other scandals. Either way, it hasn’t taken long for the policy to fall by the wayside, forgotten in the mire of political infighting. Naturally, critical issues such as the rising cost of living and soaring inflation have taken centre stage. But the truth is that, in sidelining levelling up, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have got it very wrong. In fact, a recent poll by consultancy Public First found that 81% of Conservative voters wanted levelling up to remain on the political agenda, making it one of Johnson’s most popular policies. On the rocks Levelling up isn’t the only thing that has fallen off the radar. The public has been left feeling rather bewildered across multiple issues lately. Policies carved out by Johnson’s government have been proven not to add up, with a recent paper published by Ecological Economics revealing that the UK’s current housing target of 300,000 new homes per year would blow the entirety of England’s annual carbon budget. Couple this with Truss’s pledge to ditch nutrient neutrality rules – designed to bolster environmental standards by stopping increases in phosphate and nitrate levels caused by new development, protecting UK waterways from extreme pollution – and you would be forgiven for being very confused. Environmental commitments have slipped down the political priority list – a stark contrast to 2021’s strong ESG agenda, emboldened by COP26 in Glasgow and the spirited activism that engulfed it. The Conservative Party is in a precarious position. The leadership bid has seen Truss and Sunak tear each other apart like children in a playground, making off-putting viewing for voters across the country. They should have been more mindful of the bigger picture, with one eye on protecting the party’s reputation ahead of the next General Election, rather than being laser-focused on beating their opponent. Crucially, in not giving levelling up the focus it deserves, the Conservatives risk losing the traditional red-wall voters that won them the 2019 election. Reneging on promises to level up left-behind towns and cities, coupled with a spate of political scandals, is the perfect recipe for distrust and disillusionment. Creating a disconnect between politicians and voters could make the Conservatives fundamentally unelectable, marking the end of their 12-year reign. As well as affecting their national standing, a lack of commitment to this previous flagship policy could also impact the Conservatives’ ability to win elections locally, particularly in areas such as the North East that were promised the most change. A party in conflict Can the Conservatives unite in time? Whoever wins the leadership bid must refocus sharply on regional inequalities in their role as prime minister and leader of the party. Winning over the party membership is one thing; securing the continued faith and support of red-wall voters is another. As an industry, we should be doing our utmost to get levelling up back on the table. Without it, it will be impossible to direct the right investment into effective planning reforms and development opportunities to revitalise our towns, villages and cities. We must build on the momentum of positive initiatives such as the Proptech Engagement Fund, which saw £3.25m made available to councils across the UK to streamline and improve their planning systems, encouraging development in areas that need it most. The first round of levelling-up funding was also announced last October, with 105 successful awards totalling £1.7bn. Barrow-in-Furness, Burnley, Doncaster, Leeds and Leicester are a few examples of the successful bids so far. The will is there from regions across the UK, and it is up to the new prime minister and cabinet to deliver. Without levelling up, the Conservatives risk breaking the trust of the nation for good. Jamie Holmes is chief executive of Vu.City Photo courtesy of London Communications Agency