It is fair to say Dr Liam Fox is not well thought of by a great many people within his own party.
“He has the emotional intelligence of a hairdryer,” said one senior Tory figure after the International Trade Secretary – essentially the cabinet member for not being able to do very much until the UK exits the EU – declared that immigrants who come to Britain and “consume” its wealth are not welcome.
The subject of exactly how Little Britain political reality has become in recent months dominated the Conservative conference.
At the risk of sounding like one of those elites Theresa May, who started her career in financial services before moving into politics, is no fan of, the notion of having a “Go Home” Secretary who wants to single out and “shame” businesses for employing foreign workers is uncomfortable.
There are real issues with wages being undercut – as the PM touched upon in her speech – but more is being said about driving people out than driving pay up.
It is of little doubt that May is genuine when she says she wants to help people.
She means it when she reaches out to people who could become so-called tenement Tories.
Will genuinely radical policy follow her rhetoric or will easy-hit demonisation continue to be the order of the day?
