Tugendhat: Tories must deliver economic change not ‘shouting at foreigners’

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Tom Tugendhat said the UK needs a “Conservative revolution”, including higher wages and lower migration, rather than “shouting at foreigners from the white cliffs”. “We need to make sure the economy actually works for people, delivering a higher wage, lower migration economy – not just shouting at foreigners from the white cliffs and pretending that you can fix migration by withdrawing from a single treaty or changing a single bill.” In the interview, the former security minister said he wanted to “leave parts of” the European Convention on Human Rights immediately, enact reforms regarding the treaty and he was prepared to leave it entirely if reforms “don’t work”. “This isn’t something we can just tear off the band aid and pretend it has no consequences, it underpins many other treaties and we need to be absolutely ready, and my commitment is that we will be ready.” We need to make sure the economy actually works for people, delivering a higher wage, lower migration economy – not just shouting at foreigners from the white cliffs and pretending that you can fix migration by withdrawing from a single treaty or changing a single bill Conservative leadership hopeful, Tom Tugendhat When asked by Laura Kuenssberg whether he would reinstate the Rwanda scheme, he responded: “You need a deterrent. “Now, I can’t predict whether it’ll be Rwanda or something else – the Germans may have already taken on all the capacity of Rwanda by that stage, so we need to make sure we put a deterrent, as Italy does, as Germany is planning, and many others.” Mr Tugendhat was then pushed by the host to respond “yes” or “no” to whether he would bring back the scheme, to which he said: “It’s impossible to answer a four-years’-time question, forgive me.” In the interview, the MP emphasised his experience as security minister and his time spent serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.