Bright Blue has today published the latest edition of its magazine Centre Write, entitled ‘The robotic revolution’, which includes an interview with the Former Director of Strategy at Number 10 Downing Street, Steve Hilton.
In an interview with Bright Blue, Steve Hilton argues that Theresa May is taking the Conservative Party to the next stage of modernisation by helping people on modest incomes who are ‘just managing’.
In the interview, Steve Hilton said:
“I’m very pleased to see some of the arguments Theresa May has been making around working people and how they’ve been left behind. Being for working people, not the rich, not the elite. That, I think, is a very modernising argument and I think she makes it very well.
“You can say well, perhaps it’s the case that the Cameron version of modernisation put more emphasis on the people right at the bottom and the Theresa May version puts more emphasis on those who are not right at the bottom but are struggling. I think that that’s a really healthy debate and we should be pleased the Tory party is arguing about whether we help the really poor or those who are just above them and struggling.”
But he did criticise Theresa May’s restrictive view of immigration:
“I think that Theresa May has a particularly restricted view on immigration. That was a source of contention when we were working together – when I was in Number 10 and she was in the Home Office. I had this view which was let’s pursue a strategy on immigration which was based on a notion of quality not quantity. That we shouldn’t just be universally restrictive, but that we should actually choose the people we want to welcome here, who could make a contribution to our economy and our society in a positive way that was globally engaged and actually stop importing cheap, unskilled labour, which was not helping our economy and our society, and that mainly was from the EU.”
The rest of the magazine explores the impact of technology on our society, politics and economy, with contributions from:
- Matthew Taylor (Chair, Independent Review of Employment Practices in the Modern Economy) on the changes we need in our labour market
- The Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP (Minister for Digital and Culture) on preparing Britain for the rest of the twenty-first century
- The Rt Hon Dame Caroline Spelman MP on why she’s a Bright Blue MP
- Matthew Elliott (Former Chief Executive, Vote Leave) on everyone being Brexiteers now
- Vicky Ford MEP on the future of the Digital Single Market
