Conservative Achievements one year on

It is now exactly a year since the Conservative government was re-elected with a much increased majority. When that election result was announced no one would have expected a year like 2020. 

The pandemic has generated unprecedented challenges and requires an unprecedented response from everyone. 
 

In government the Conservatives have stepped up to the challenge - doing whatever it takes to protect lives and livelihoods. 

Building the largest testing capacity in Europe, with 40 million tests conducted so far and over half a million tests now available every day across the UK. 
 

Ensuring that, as we head into winter, the NHS has at its disposal over 30,000 ventilators and billions of items of Personal Protective Equipment, most of it now manufactured here in the UK.

And putting in place an unprecedented package of economic support worth over £200 billion. Protecting the wages and jobs of millions of people and making sure the vulnerable have the help they need.

But amongst all of this, we haven't forgotten the promises we were elected on. 
 

Millions of people, including many in historically Labour seats saw us as the only choice to take the country forward and voted Conservative last year, some for the first time ever. So even in the midst of fighting this virus, we have been getting on and delivering on those promises. 

We said we'd get Brexit done. We did, leaving the EU on 31st January this year. 

We said we’d take back control of UK borders. We’ve passed our new Immigration Act which ends free movement at the end of the year and replaces it with a fairer Australian style points-based immigration system. 
 

We said we would recruit an extra 20,000 police officers to keep our streets and communities safe, and one year in we have already recruited nearly 6,000. 
 

We said we would deliver an additional 50,000 nurses to ensure our NHS can continue to provide first rate care for all who need it, and one year in there are 14,800 more as well as over 6,250 more doctors. 

We said we'd build 40 new hospitals, and upgrade 20 more – and  work is already underway. 

We said we'd increase schools funding to a minimum of £5,000 per secondary school pupil, and from this academic year it’s in place. 

We said we'd invest in infrastructure and we’re investing record amounts – triple the average over the last 40 years – to build the railways and roads of the future across the UK. 

We said we’d help level up our communities and our £3.6 billion Towns Fund and £4 billion Levelling Up Fund will ensure prosperity and opportunities are available to everyone, not just those in London or our biggest cities - making a real difference to your community. 

Even with the fight against coronavirus, that has demanded such big sacrifices from us all, it is vital we get on and do these things for the long-term prospects of our country and continue to deliver on what we promised a year ago. 
 

Defeating Coronavirus will continue to demand huge efforts from us all to defeat it. But to build back better and stronger from it, this Conservative government will double-down on the pledges we made to the people, the pledges we were elected on, to build a better country for everyone.