NORTHERN Ireland minister Steve Baker has said he backs calls for state benefits to be increased with inflation.
And asked if Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt should be sacked for backing uprating state benefits in line with inflation, he said: “Well, that’s really a decision for the Prime Minister, if I may say so.
“But the mood I’m in at the moment is that I’m extremely happy with the speech that Liz Trust has made. At last after 30 years, we’ve got a Prime Minister with an absolutely sincere and steadfast commitment to prosperity through freedom.
“It’s such a relief. I’m extremely pleased. And now I hope all Conservative MPs, whether they’re in the Cabinet or on the back benches, will decide that this is what they want, and get behind the Prime Minister.”
He told Gloria De Piero in an interview on GB News: “The reality is, with inflation at levels where it is, it’s a very grave problem for everyone, for businesses, for households, for individuals, and yes, for the government, and for the NHS.
“Our fire service just had a big boost of funding that’s been eaten up by energy bills. It is an extremely serious situation. So, I don’t want to second guess decisions, which are very tough to take with big trade-offs.
“I’ve got a long record of saying that the Universal Credit uplift should be kept. I want a safety net that works, plus freedom so that people can get on and live their lives.”
Mr Baker added: “What the Prime Minister is talking about is that spirit of freedom, and she doesn’t care about two for one offer, hallelujah, people are going to have the space to be responsible, make their own choices and build their own lives.
“And of course, responsibility and freedom are quite risky but it is the essence of being human and that’s why I’m so excited, so excited about the speech she’s made today.
“If only Tory MPs would get behind her, we could do something great.”
He said: “She’s a great asset, because at last she’s put some intellectual keel on the ship of state. Politics is always going to be difficult; it’s always going to be contested, there will always be people trying to bring us down.
“The ship of state is always going to be in a storm and in that storm, you need a bit of keel to keep you on course and that’s been, I think, lacking time and again, unfortunately, but that is right there with Liz, she knows what she believes she knows why she believes it.
“She’s very clearly going to see it through. Look at the mood she was in today. Look at how she handled the protesters. I mean, there’s resolve, there’s intellect, there’s agility, this is a person absolutely ready to be a great Prime Minister committed to freedom.
“Reform is going to be tough, so I’m really excited about backing her. I’m glad that I backed her for the leadership. It’s a proud day.”
Mr Baker said: “You don’t get to be Prime Minister of the UK without being able to make a speech. Now, I thought actually, today what you started to see was Liz’s human side ,something which people like me have long seen, of course – I’ve known her for 12 years since we were both elected. I’ve always known she had a sense of humour. And that started to come across today.
“Look at those protesters, they weren’t welcome. We all started clapping to drown them out. The way she dealt with them was to say that they’d come too early into the studio because she was shoved into the theatre because she was about to deal with the anti-growth coalition. And the way she landed it was perfect to deal with the heckler.”
He hit out at M People for complaining that its music was used for the PM’s entrance: “If they’re going to licence their music for use by others, I mean afraid that’s a choice they’ve made, and I’ve provided the licensing arrangements that were complied with.
“I’m afraid they’d surrendered that right to objects. I’m afraid that if you enter into contracts, you have to abide by them. They’re entitled to their political views. But I’m afraid I don’t have much sympathy.
“If you licence your music to be used by somebody else, then you should expect it, expect it to be used.”
