Kemi Badenoch has vowed to ‘bring toughness back’ to Britain, as she pledged crackdowns on welfare, asylum and low-level crime.
The Conservative leader said voters were ‘crying out’ for a tougher approach that would deliver ‘consequences’ for those ripping off the system.
Mrs Badenoch told the Daily Mail that a Tory government would prevent anyone from claiming benefits as a ‘lifestyle’ choice and called for a ‘no-tolerance approach’ to crimes such as shoplifting, fare dodging, vandalism and public drug-taking.
She pledged funding for an extra 10,000 police officers to implement a ‘broken windows’-style strategy, which helped clean up the likes of New York in the 1990s, to ensure that even minor acts of anti-social behaviour are dealt with seriously.
But Mrs Badenoch urged the police to also prioritise crimes that are damaging the fabric of society rather than pursuing motorists for minor infringements.
Now you can have your say in the Daily Mail’s latest poll – do you think she is right to say that we ‘need to bring toughness back’ to the UK?
In yesterday’s poll, Mail readers were asked: ‘Should councils be allowed to increase parking tickets from £70 to £160?’ Out of more than 8,000 votes, 94 per cent of you said ‘no’ and 6 per cent said ‘yes’.
