Conservative Peer Lord Farmer has called on Jeremy Hunt to introduce a “family-friendly” budget, adding he is set to present his ideas to the Chancellor.
Speaking on GB News, Farmer rallied against an “ethos of expressive liberalism” which he claims is undermining family values.
He says strengthening families and promoting marriage should be at the heart of the Government’s thinking.
Farmer carried out a poll that found eight in 10 parents of dependent children think they would be more inclined to vote Conservative if the party came out with family-friendly tax policies.
Lord Farmer wants family friendly policies
GB NEWS / PARLIAMENT
Asked why the party wouldn’t commit to a “no-brainer” strategy, he says there is a “culture of individualism” which “hurts other people”.
“We have one of the worst records for broken families in Europe”, he said.
“I’ve spoke to Jeremy Hunt about this before and it’s been quite a gentle rejection.
“This is a retail policy. Having a budget which is friendly for families is a policy which people will say, ‘okay, I might vote Conservative for that because there’s overwhelming support’.
“The funny thing is, in the 18 to 24-year-old grouping, it’s the highest level of support. It’s as if younger people want to have that stability and that fairness.”
Farmer went on to suggest that some issues in society have stemmed from fatherlessness.
Lord Farmer joined Camilla Tominey on GB News
GB NEWS
“We should talk about fatherlessness. I didn’t have a father and I grew up with quite a lot of problems for a boy”, he said.
“You aren’t guided. You aren’t given discipline.”
Tominey suggested that single mothers may argue that they are “better off” without a “feckless” husband, and plenty of “very strong” single mothers bring up “perfectly decent civilians in this country”.
Farmer responded: “The single mother is an icon which we bow down to, but we shouldn’t.
“I’m sure most single mothers would like to have a loving man next to them to help out with their children. There’s no doubt about that.
“Single mothers struggle and that’s one of the reasons why we should have more family-friendly policies.”
Lord Farmer is an investor in the holding company that owns GB News.
