When I was growing up, we weren’t constantly divided by ethnicity or religion. We saw each other as people first. It was simple: if you’re cool, you’re cool. If you come here, integrate, respect our shared values and embrace our culture.

Burnham thinks Britain’s problem is too little government. The reality is the opposite. For years we buried businesses under layer after layer of regulation, pointless compliance costs and a planning system that turns building almost anything into a decade-long ordeal. The result speaks for itself. London the world’s historic financial capital is now just 23rd in the world for IPO fundraising. The number of UK listed companies has fallen by around 40% since its 2008 peak. Our listing regime became a deterrent, weighed down by onerous requirements that helped drive companies elsewhere. In 2024, companies floating in London raised just $1 billion down 9%, we ranked 20th, behind Oman, behind Malaysia. By 2025 we’d fallen to 23rd, with just £184 million raised in nine months. The lesson is simple: when government gets bigger, growth gets smaller. We’ve spent fifteen years making it easier to tax and regulate wealth than to create it. Smaller government isn’t just an ideology. It’s a growth strategy.

My 17-year-old daughter: “I’m confused. We’ve always been taught not to share personal information or anything that identifies us online because it isn’t safe. Now they want us to do exactly that to access social media.”