Darren Grimes (PA)
A prominent right-wing commentator has admitted he was “stupidly naive” for voting for The Conservatives in 2019.
The Vote Leave advocate and social media personality, who has frequently hit out at Boris Johnson’s opponent Jeremy Corbyn in self-owning tweets, said he felt silly for feeling so excited about what the administration promised to deliver.
MPs will today vote on the prime minister’s plan to fix social care at a snap Commons vote called just one day after the manifesto-busting new policy was announced.
The prime minister took a political gamble on Tuesday as he scrapped an election promise by raising national insurance contributions to deal with the backlog in the NHS built up during Covid and to deliver long-overdue reform of the social care system in England.
Tory opposition to the plans when first leaked was fierce, but any backbench rebellion appeared to have subsided by Tuesday as MPs provided little challenge to the PM as he presented his proposals to the Commons.
But the plan – along with another manifesto-breaking announcement to temporarily suspend the “triple lock” on pensions – moves Mr Johnson away from his traditional position of low-tax Conservatism.
The PM also refused to give a firm commitment that taxes would not go up again – although he said he did not want that to happen.
Related: BBC’s Nick Robinson threatens to cut interview with evasive Tory minister
