The return of the "moderate" from the PP after a cancer: "I rebel against extremism"

MadridTen months ago, Borja Sémper announced that he had just been diagnosed with cancer. During this time, the illness has kept him away from political activity. This Tuesday, the popular spokesperson has officially returned. Sémper starred in a packed press breakfast in Madrid, where, amidst expressions of affection, he wanted to "bid farewell to this difficult stage" during which his "vital compass coordinates" have changed. The PP leader had already reappeared in some media outlets and this Monday rejoined the party's steering committee. Next week, he will be the one to appear at the weekly press conference in Génova. However, Sémper wanted to hold this event with the specific objective of speaking openly about his pancreatic cancer in order to stop talking about it.

"I don't want my condition as a cancer patient to define me. Illness is part of life," said Sémper, who advocated that we must "talk about it naturally" and without "euphemisms," although, once overcome and with medical clearance, he wants to turn the page and return to public life without that label. The PP spokesperson's intervention, in fact, has already generated political debate beyond this issue. The reason, the harshness with which he spoke about Vox amidst the pacts his party is closing with the far-right. Sémper, one of the PP leaders described as "moderate," lamented "the rise of toxic and harmful radical policies" and stated that he will not participate "in circuses, insults, or mud." "I rebel against the rules of the game that extremists set for us," he said.

In this regard, Sémper has placed Vox and the Spanish government in the same category, criticizing heated statements recently made by both Santiago Abascal and Minister Óscar Puente. At the same time, the popular spokesperson has not deviated from Génova's script and has closed ranks regarding agreements with Vox, whom he has accused of making "erroneous, mistaken, and self-serving interpretations" of the "national priority" concept agreed upon in Extremadura and Aragón. However, he has also made it clear that for him, "the true national priority" should be "building housing," and he has rejected the formulas of both the left and the far-right –"which even goes against the Catholic Church"– regarding immigration.

"We missed him"

An emotional Alberto Núñez Feijóo was in charge of introducing him to an audience made up mostly of PP members, but also former officials from other parties, such as Albert Rivera, from Cs, and Ander Gil, from the PSOE. "Politics missed me and I must say I missed it too," stated the popular leader, who defended Sémper against those who rightly criticize his moderation. He also highlighted the vision with which he returns after going through this personal ordeal, with a delicate comparison. "Who has faced terrorism and cancer without them being able to defeat him, how will he not face the future of this country with hope?" he posed, referring to the fact that the politician, of Basque origin, was "a victim of ETA." Another condition that Sémper said he also does not want to define him by, even though it is such a recurring topic in the PP's speeches.

The intervention of the now-reinstated popular spokesman, who confessed to "having had some temptation to withdraw" during his leave, ended with a vitalistic message. "Don't consider yourselves immortal, get medical check-ups, surround yourselves with good people, and let's be happy, because time sometimes presses."