What do the Tories have to show from their time in power?

After 12 years in Downing Street, four prime ministers (so far), two monarchs, and one mini-budget, the public are starting to drop hints that it’s time for Tories to head home. As Conservative conference kicks off, it’s as good a time as any to take stock: what do the Tories have to show for their many years in office? The truth is that the party’s legacy amounts to little, but it has done one thing well: keeping Labour out of power. This is hardly something to boast about.

The 2010 Conservative manifesto opened with the declaration that ‘our economy is overwhelmed by debt’. The public finances would dominate David Cameron’s first term in office, but weren’t the only item on the agenda. Cameron claimed his priorities were spelled out ‘in three letters: NHS’. Britain would move from ‘big government to Big Society’, cut crime, and reduce net migration to ‘tens of thousands a year’.