Tories pledge to trust the free market
A future Conservative government would place its trust in the free market, rather than regulation, according to the party’s Shadow Trade and Industry Secretary.
Speaking on the first day of the Conservative Party Conference in Bournemouth, Stephen O’Brien said that the Tories would usher in a “new relationship” between business and government.
On a day dominated by pledges to “slim down” government and regulations, Mr O’Brien said that the moral case for deregulation was clear: it rewarded the entrepreneur who started with “nothing but a clever idea” and the small business owner wanting to expand and take on more staff.
He said: “The Conservatives propose a new kind of relationship between government and business, based not just on support but on a fundamental trust in free market democracy and trust in the people who are prepared to take the risks and create the profit on which all of us depend.”
Specifically, he promised to eliminate “gold plating” of EU laws, raise the threshold for exempting small businesses from regulations and reverse the “blame and claim” culture.
Mr O’Brien also said he would appoint at least 50 experienced business “supermen” and “superwomen” as business lead generators in key overseas markets to “add real value to our exporting businesses”
Concluding, Mr O’Brien said: “We will set British business free. We will celebrate the achievements of all the people in this country who strive to win in business so that, once again, they can be proud of what they do for our country, their families, their communities and themselves.”
