A strong and properly regulated free-market economy is the only way to guarantee higher living standards, Theresa May will say on Thursday as she contrasts her economic approach with the call for more state control made by Labour at this week’s conference.

Source: Theresa May to champion free market in Bank of England speech | Business | The Guardian

Prime Minister May’s defence of the free market is not a critiques of Jeremy Corbyn. I did not hear him say he wants to do away with the free market at any point nor did he talk about the overthrow of capitalism. His target is a particular version of actually existing capitalism structured by the principles of neo-liberalism. A view of the world which bifurcates it very much as was done in Animal Farm i.e. “State Bad Market Good”.

Such a position is not coherent. In the reporting above Mrs May calls for a “properly regulated” free market but opposes Mr Cobyn’s call for more state control. Who does she think is going to “properly regulate” the market if not the state?

Mr Corbyn is correct in suggesting that the centre ground of British politics has moved. Mrs May herself appreciates this and proposed quite radical ideas about workers on Boards when she first came into power. She is constantly tacking back to where she thinks the bedrock of her support is. She lacks to courage of her convictions. Mr Corbyn does not.