Howard: Low tax economy would benefit ethnic minorities
Conservative leader Michael Howard today told ethnic minorities he would create a Britain in which success was not determined by skin colour or religion.
In a speech to ethnic communities in Batley and Spen, Mr Howard said he would build a nation “where everyone, whatever the colour of their skin, whatever their religion, can make the most of their talents”.
He told his audience: “All those people from ethnic minorities who feel Mr Blair and the Liberal Democrats take their votes for granted – come join with us. Together we can build a better Britain.”
The Conservative leader did not outline any new policies aimed specifically at minorities. However, he maintained his party’s policies of increasing consumer choice in health and education, coupled with smaller government, would benefit those groups.
He said: “Low tax economies are the most prosperous and successful economies the world over.
“Asian Britons make up four per cent of the population but contribute 10 per cent to our national income. But how much more successful would they be, if they weren’t over regulated and over taxed? We need to set business free to do what it does best – create jobs and generate wealth.”
And he insisted positive discrimination was not the answer to the problems experienced by ethnic minorities.
“To fight discrimination we must not practice discrimination. Positive discrimination is outdated and it is unjust. It sets family against family, and it leads ethnic communities to doubt their own abilities,” he said.
“The real solution to discrimination is to give people the opportunity to get on in life and to get on with their lives.”
The Liberal Democrat President, Simon Hughes, however accused Mr Howard of being “arrogant and wrong” in suggesting that the Tories are the natural political home for the UK’s ethnic minority voters.
Mr Hughes said: “After the Tories frequent flip-flops over the Iraq war many black and Asian Britons, like many other Britons, would certainly not believe they have any principled positions any more.
“The reality is that black and Asian Britons, just like the rest of the population, are no longer tied to any single party. We are in an era of three party politics with the Conservatives increasingly in third place in many areas.
“The Liberal Democrats don’t take any voters for granted. Our policies of freedom, fairness and trust have a relevance across Britain and we hope that more black and Asian voters will support us in the General Election than at any point in the past.”
