Best of the Spectator Coffee House Shots: what next for the British right?
Oct 3, 2025
Robert Jenrick, a former Conservative MP and cabinet minister, discusses the UK's pressing fiscal challenges, advocating for public spending cuts and re-industrialisation. Miriam Cates, a former MP and broadcaster, highlights the impacts of demographic decline and stresses the need for family-focused welfare reforms. Both explore the need for the right to reconnect with its base by addressing economic discontent and immigration issues, emphasizing the necessity of aligning policies with the desires of working families for electoral success.
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Debt Crisis Requires Spending Reform
- Robert Jenrick warns the UK faces a debt crisis and must cut public spending, especially welfare.
- He argues re-industrialisation and energy policy reversal are needed to stop de-industrialisation.
Prioritise Energy For Industrial Revival
- Jenrick advises junking the Climate Change Act and building gas-fired power stations to revive industry.
- He recommends maximising North Sea recovery and exploring fracking where viable.
Fix Planning To Unlock Housing
- Reform planning to drive housebuilding by adopting zonal planning in big cities.
- Use US-style state-level planning reforms to regenerate cities like Manchester and Nottingham.