Home secretary parades failures as successes to party hopelessly complacent and out of touch
It wasn’t exactly a U-turn. But it was a close run thing. Ever since Wayne Couzens was convicted of the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard, just about everyone has been calling for an inquiry into both how such a man could be recruited by the police and the institutional misogyny of the Met. Although the government consistently refused to commit to one, saying now was not the right time – until now. Maybe Priti Patel needed to save it up in order to guarantee a newsworthy headline for her keynote speech, even though it was only an inquiry-lite rather than a full statutory inquiry.
The Conservative party conference in Manchester continues to operate in its own little bubble. One where all ministers appear to have been sawn off at the knees and instructed to avoid saying anything remotely interesting. One where any mention of anything remotely difficult – food shortages, petrol queues, gas price rises, universal credit cuts and tax increases – will result in a trip to the gulags. One where even the home secretary is only given a short slot in the Tiny Tent and has to compete with the noise from the people outside. It’s the ritual humiliation of a totalitarian state.
