We would champion business, say Tories
The Conservatives would champion business and reduce regulation, the Shadow Trade and Industry Secretary said today.
Launching the party’s business manifesto, Stephen O’Brien, said: “British business needs a government which believes in it and will be its champion. By backing the Conservatives, British business can root-out the arch regulator-in-chief, the DTI and Mr Blair’s government.
“We will create a department that stands up for British business with real support, get off its back and on its side. Conservatives know that businesses need the right environment to thrive. British business faces a clear choice at the election: deregulation and support with the Conservatives, or yet more talk from Mr Blair.”
The Tories’ 10-point plan includes the promise of deregulation, lower taxes, reducing the blame and claim culture, and stronger support for British exporters.
Its launch comes on the day that both Gordon Brown and Michael Howard are addressing the British Chamber of Commerce’s annual conference, and after Labour laid claim to being the party of economic competence.
Shadow Chancellor Oliver Letwin this morning rounded on Labour’s spending plans, saying they had “run out of money” and had “moved from a healthy bank balance to a substantial overdraft”.
Mr Letwin said there was renewed speculation that Labour would use “its tax of choice” – National Insurance to “plug the gap.” There was also “mounting evidence,” he said, that Labour would raise council tax “by stealth.”
He said the Conservatives would “take a stand to help people who help themselves,” whereas Labour would continue with “wasteful and unaffordable spending.”
Conservative leader Michael Howard chose today to change the Tory slogan. Rather than the usual ‘are you thinking what we’re thinking?’ the banner on the podium read: ‘taking a stand on the issues that matter.’
He said the UK risked “sleepwalking” its way to another five years of Labour and said that if voters chose to remain silent on polling day then they would “have to live with the consequences.”
Meanwhile, Labour demanded to know why John Redwood, the Conservatives’ deregulation spokesman, had not been present at the launch and launched a ‘search for Redwood’ campaign.
Campaign spokesman Fraser Kemp, claimed that Mr Redwood had previously said that conditions in the UK for business were good, adding: “Just for once Mr Redwood’s position is entirely logical – and that is why the Tories have kept him off their press conference platform.
“The Tories seem to have transported John Redwood to a different planet for the duration of this campaign. He is their spokesman on deregulation yet even on the day they publish their manifesto for business he is being kept in a cupboard.”
Mr Kemp added: “At the last election it was Oliver Letwin they kept hidden away and we had to launch a search party for him. Today, we are launching a search party for Mr Redwood. Anyone who sees him should report their findings immediately [to the Labour Party].”
