British people don't want a nanny state micromanaging our lives - Sally Ann Hart

Let me be clear: the State must serve, not rule. This fundamental Conservative principle has guided Britain through its most prosperous periods, and it is one we must defend most fiercely.

I remember the 1970s — a time when Labour's obsession with State control turned Britain into "the sick man of Europe."

Unchecked union power, skyrocketing inflation, and a stranglehold of bureaucracy nearly brought our nation to its knees. We swore we would never return to those dark days, yet here we are, facing Labour's outdated agenda once again.

Starmer's vision of "taking back control" is not progress—it is regression. It opens the door to unions having unmitigated influence over our economy, as demanded by Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT union.

The British people do not want a nanny State micromanaging our lives creating millions of dependent Britons unable to think for or help themselves. We need the freedom to make our own choices, to innovate, to prosper.

Look at the evidence. The NHS is buckling from an excess of State control, not a lack of it. Bureaucracy and inefficiency plague the system, hindering rather than fostering patient care. Do we really want to extend this model to other sectors of our economy?

Labour's re-nationalisation plans are another example of misguided State intervention. They promise solutions but deliver only inefficiency and waste. We have seen this play out time and again: remember British Leyland? A poster child for failed nationalisation, it drained taxpayer resources while producing embarrassingly poor products. Is this really the future we want for our energy and water industries?

It is easy for Starmer to make promises from a conference stage but who foots the bill for Labour's grand plans? No, not Lord Alli. It is you and me - our hard-working families, innovative businesses, and ambitious youth.

Higher taxes mean less investment, fewer jobs, and a shrinking economy. Is this the Britain we want to live in?

As Conservatives, we believe in a different path. We believe in empowering individuals, not the State.

We trust in the ingenuity and resilience of the British people. Our approach is simple yet powerful: create the conditions for businesses to thrive, for individuals to make their own choices, and for competition to drive innovation and efficiency.

This is not theory—it is proven history. The Conservative reforms of the 1980s unleashed decades of growth and prosperity by freeing Britain from the shackles of State control.

We did not just recover; we flourished.

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“As government expands, liberty contracts” (Ronald Reagan). We need more freedom, more opportunity, more dynamism. We need policies that trust in the wisdom of individuals and the power of free markets. We need a government that facilitates opportunity rather than dictates it.

Starmer's vision is a step backwards, towards a time when the State loomed large over every aspect of our lives. History has shown us a better way; the path to improving people's lives is not through government control, but through empowering individuals to shape their own destinies.

We must all fight against this regressive agenda. We must believe in ourselves, the British people, free from the reins of an overreaching State.

The choice before us is clear. State control is not the solution.