Tories should abandon 'free market fundamentalism' says former aide to PM

Will Tanner said a failure to do so would lead to election defeat

Theresa May's Tories must abandon free market fundamentalism, says ex-aide Will Tanner (EPA)

A former aide to Theresa May has said the Conservatives should abandon “free market fundamentalism” if the party wishes to remain in Government.

Will Tanner said the Tories had to reflect the public’s desire for the spoils of capitalism to be more fairly distributed.

It comes after Ms May’s former chief of staff Nick Timothy also gave an interview over the weekend, making the case for popular policies in the Tory election manifesto to be fulfilled.

Writing in The Observer on Sunday, Mr Tanner said: “The prospect of another election hangs Damoclean-like over the Conservative party.

“Whether it comes sooner or later, one thing is certain: the message needs to change.

“If the party chooses to build a new consensus, it can triumph. If it reverts to the free market fundamentalism of the past, it will fall.”

The ex-aide, who left his role as deputy head of Number 10’s policy unit after the election, said the most popular Tory policies during the campaign were promises to spend £8 billion more a year on the NHS.

He went on: “The most attractive Labour lines were pledges on rent caps and student loan giveaways.

“Every mainstream party pledged to tackle corporate excess, use the state to build houses and give workers more rights and protections.

“Conservatives can restate the case for markets as much as they like – it will not win the next election.”

To win he urged his party to be “pro-market” rather than “free market”, and for a strategic state rather than a small state.

He said opportunities for the young and hard working should be prioritised over security for the old and universal benefits which also go to more wealthy individuals.

Mr Tanner called for taxes on “unproductive parts of the economy” including property, and said they should be lifted on employment and labour.

He finished: “The next election may be months away or years away, but the challenge is clear.

“Conservatism must be remade for the challenges we now face or must brace itself for electoral defeat.”

Mr Tanner worked for Ms May for several years and collaborated closely with Mr Timothy in producing the much-criticised Conservative election manifesto.

On Saturday Mr Timothy also called for polices in the manifesto, like creating more grammar school places and reshaping social care, to be seen through.

He said: “If the party retreats to a much more orthodox Conservative proposition then I worry that won’t be sufficient to tackle the big problems that the country has, and in five years’ time we do risk the election of a dangerous left-wing alternative.”