Rishi Sunak’s promises to Cornwall if he wins the general election

The election campaign trail came to Cornwall today as Rishi Sunak – Prime Minister until midnight tonight – caught the London sleeper and met apprentices at the GWR’s Long Rock rail depot, Penzance.

National and regional media flocked to the seaside depot to watch a “well-rested” Mr Sunak press the meat and announce his latest election promise – to close underperforming degrees and use the money to launch 100,000 of highly skilled apprentices per year, which he said would improve low wages in Cornwall.

Visibly more relaxed than on his visit to nearby Nancledra School in February, Mr Sunak was on a mission to sell his recent National Service promises, the “triple lock plus” on pensions and today’s apprenticeship announcement.

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Not that many of us in the media knew what was said as he met the great and good of GWR, including many of the company’s young workers. As with prime ministerial visits, we were locked in a room for an hour, waiting for our moment to ask the one question each reporter was allowed. And without interruptions.

Even if you want to ask the Prime Minister about the details of what he said, you can’t. As Mr. Sunak sat among our cozy little group, I got my question.

Many people would argue that the gap between the haves and the have-nots in Cornwall has widened in recent years, exacerbated by the rise of second homes and holiday lettings, so what would you do for the people of Cornwall in the next Parliament on on this and other issues if you win?

“We’ve certainly had a tough few years and that’s not just for people in Cornwall but across the country dealing with the economic shocks of Covid and the war in Ukraine, but I think we’ve now turned a corner and inflation. has fallen from 11 percent to 2 percent, easing some of those burdens, and mortgage rates are falling.

“The question in this election is, do we build on this progress? The conversations I have with everyone is that we are the party that is prepared to take bold action, as you can see with National Service, the triple lock plus yesterday and the Apprenticeship Announcement today We have a clear plan that is working. This is how we will deliver a secure future for everyone, not just in Cornwall but across the country.

He added: “Especially about second homes, which I know is a particularly pressing issue here, something I’ve talked a lot about with Derek (Thomas, MP for the area) and other colleagues. I want to make sure that young people everywhere have the opportunity to own their own home. This is part of the safe future we talked about.

“That is why it is important to build homes and we have achieved our target of a million homes over this Parliament, but it is essential that those homes are in the right places and are affordable and that we put local people first. We’re making sure the planning system prioritizes local people or giving councils more power to manage that balance between the visitor economy – which is important – but making sure councils are best placed on the ground to get that balance right.”

He then answered two other permitted questions.

We’ve seen a record number of sewage leaks in the last few years, and recent figures show a 54% increase in Cornwall and across the UK. What do you propose can be done to reduce this and put more pressure on the water companies?

“Some of the releases we’ve seen have been completely unacceptable and the reason we know about these things is because it was a Conservative government that made sure we now monitor 100 per cent of the spills. When I came into office, the Labor Party left. us with a situation where less than ten percent were being monitored.

“The plan to tackle this is clear – record investment that we are seeing some benefits locally, with upgrades here, billions of pounds invested in modernizing treatment works. The second is regulation, addressing the root cause of these things, be it forever. chemicals, wet wipes, those types of things, and thirdly, enforcement – giving regulators incredibly tough powers so they can levy unlimited fines and penalties on water companies, hold them accountable, and link financial payments, bonuses and dividends to environmental performance. , and we have set legally binding targets for water companies and the sector this is the plan and it is working.

This is an area with some of the lowest wages and highest home prices in the entire country. We rely heavily here on European funding which has been replaced by the Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF). You have just announced that National Service will be funded from the SPF. Can you guarantee Cornwall won’t miss out as a result?

“I’m absolutely determined to level up in Cornwall. Our track record, whether it’s investment in high streets and town centers – Penzance, Truro, St Ives, Camborne – or whether it’s the huge investment in the Royal Cornwall Hospital for new women. and the children’s unit, the outpatient unit coming here (Penzance), or new diagnostic centers just over Cornwall, or the Mid Cornwall Metro, for example.

“This investment will always continue under a Conservative government. When it comes to national service, I think it will be transformative for young people and society in Cornwall and indeed the country. Why? Because it will give young people skills and opportunities that will serve them well in life. It will promote a culture of service and make us a more cohesive society and strengthen our country’s resilience and security. It will become a rite of passage for people and change the country for the better.

“Today’s announcement on apprenticeships, which will mean we close low-performing degrees that are failing young people and use that money to create 100,000 high-quality apprenticeships. You talk about low wages, the best way to raise people’s wages, as I was. talking to apprentices this morning is about building amazing careers.”

After asking us if we had ever used bedroom service, he was off to do more such things in Devon. On the way he met the Conservative candidate for Camborne and Redruth, Connor Donnithorne, at Trevaskis Farm on Connor Downs.

After he left, I spoke to three GWR apprentices – Ryan Clewer-Wolk, Arne Mason and James Hartwell – who all praised their apprenticeship schemes and said the Prime Minister had taken an interest in their courses.

I asked him if, after talking to him, they would vote Conservative on the 4th of July. Before he could answer, a laughing GWR press officer intervened, while the Tories’ PR representative called me a “naughty b****r”. You can only try.