What is really going on in politics? Get our daily email briefing straight to your inbox Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

There were two aspects to the Tory manifesto that will resonate long after today’s launch.

The first is the repositioning of the Conservative Party by Theresa May.

The second is that everything she said will count for nothing if the Brexit negotiations fail.

The Prime Minister declared “there is no May-ism” only good, solid Conservatism.

Parts of the manifesto are a rupture with past Tory thinking.

It declares that government can be a force for good, supports state intervention to fix the energy market and promises action on executive pay.

Other aspects are blue in tooth and claw: universal free school meals will be axed, selective education expanded, fox hunting could be brought back and the welfare freeze will continue.

(Image: PA)

We may find out that May-ism does exist: it is compassionate rhetoric disguising right-wing values.

On Brexit, Mrs May was honest about the challenges but dishonest about the consequences.

She braced the country for difficult negotiations but refused to spell out the economic pitfalls of leaving the single market and the customs union.

Everything she promised rests on the success or failure of Brexit.

Her bold claim to build the “world’s great meritocracy” cannot be achieved if the City is hollowed out, trade stalls and the tax base is depleted.

(Image: REUTERS)

The Prime Minister spoke of a shared prosperity but was silent on which taxes will rise and how her commitments on the NHS and education will be funded.

In the end we were left with language and posturing. Mrs May wants you to back her because she looks the part.

She doesn’t want you to look behind the scenes, where horrors of the next five years of government lie: a rocky economy, stealth taxes, more borrowing and the great unknown of Brexit.