Cameron will warn of long haul recovery
DAVID Cameron will today set the stage for a long-haul recovery that might not materialise before the next election, as he tries to find reasons for optimism amid a gathering economic storm.
Speaking on the last day of his party’s conference in Manchester, the Prime Minister will attempt to break a cycle of gloom that he is worried could become self-fulfilling.
“Right now we need to be energised, not paralysed by gloom and fear,” he will say. “You hear pessimism about our economic future, our social problems, our political system… that our best days are behind us… I’m here to tell you that it isn’t true.”
But he will also admit that the economic crisis is far worse than the Tories had thought when they came into government last year and that Britain’s recovery will take a long time.
“People want to know why the good times are so long coming. The answer is straightforward but uncomfortable. This was no normal recession,” he is expected to say.
In a sign that the government is worried that any positive effects of its policies will not be felt by the public before 2015, Cameron will suggest that the coalition is “laying the foundations” for growth. “It’s like building a house. The most important part is the part you can’t see – that foundations that make it stable.”
The Prime Minister will also signal that the government plans to “confront those vested interests” that stand in its way, such as unions and companies that are not providing apprenticeships.