Exclusive: Chancellor says Conservative party is ‘broad church’ and criticises Nigel Farage’s claims over immigration
that elections are won from the centre ground, amid fears that the party could lurch to the right in response to Nigel Farage’s return to frontline politics.Hunt admitted that it would be “very difficult” for the Conservatives to win on their current trajectory, but suggested it would not have made any difference if Rishi Sunak had waited until the autumn to name the date.
Asked whether the Tories should pitch to the right in response to the threat from Reform, Hunt replied: “The evidence of Britain is that elections are always won from the centre ground and I think in a two-party system that will always be the case.Hunt said the Tories should remind voters of the “massive disconnect” between Farage’s ambition to “smash” the Tory party, thereby aiding Labour’s path to power, and what Reform voters wanted, which was “not a Labour government in a million years”.
Farage’s return has also increased the pressure from Tory rightwingers for Sunak to make a commitment in his manifesto, which is expected next week, to withdraw the UK from the European convention on human rights , although such a move could trigger a mutiny from Tory centrists. Hunt insisted that the economy had turned a corner, with inflation falling to 2.3% in the year to April 2024. He conceded that interest rates had not yet fallen, but said: “They might soon.”Make sense of the UK election campaign with Archie Bland's daily briefing, direct to your inbox at 5pm . Jokes where availableHe added: “Are people feeling it? I think people are feeling quite bruised. They’ve had a very tough time with big challenges with the cost of living.
He defended decisions taken in his time at the Treasury, saying tax rises – which have resulted in a historically high tax burden – “had to happen to right the ship”. He also defended his decision to cut national insurance, despite it angering some pensioners, who did not benefit.
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