The King’s Speech marks the new session of Parliament and is an opportunity for the government to set out its legislative plans for the year ahead. However, last week while we had the usual pomp and carriages, it was marked instead by a Prime Minister desperately clinging onto his job.
The instability caused by Labour’s infighting is very damaging and the speech was yet more of the incrementalism that is failing to deal with the changes we need. It is more drift from a party that didn’t have a plan for what they wanted to do when they won.
In the King’s Speech, there were no measures to tackle the ever-increasing welfare budget or the growing number of people claiming benefits with no requirement to seek work. With the latest data showing unemployment is now increasing, and youth unemployment on a worrying trajectory, this is frankly negligent but simply reflects the opposition from Labour MPs to welfare reform.
The lack of action is unfair to taxpayers and to people who are effectively being written off as we know the longer people are on benefits the less likely they are to move into work with all the purpose that brings.
There were no measures that back growth in the economy or to help businesses facing higher national insurance, business rates, and other costs due to government policies. Instead, there is a bill on “regulating for growth” – when the regulatory burden is preventing the growth we all desperately want to see.
In contrast, the Conservatives set out our alternative King’s Speech. This reflects 18 months of detailed work and includes plans to tackle ever higher welfare spending, including making the system fairer and restricting welfare to British citizens.
To back our high streets, we would introduce permanent 100 per cent business rate relief for retail, leisure, and hospitality businesses. We would also cut bureaucracy on firms and remove the additional regulation on employing people.
Energy security is vital for our economy and when UK prices are much higher than our competitors we need to act.
Through our cheap power plan we would cut bills by £200 for households by removing VAT for three years and scrapping green levies and charges to cut business electricity bills by 20 per cent. We would also maximise oil and gas resources in the North Sea to boost energy independence, support thousands of jobs across the country, and generate billions in tax revenues.
When MPs had the chance this week to vote to back more domestic production, Conservatives did but Reform and Liberal Democrats didn’t. Labour’s MPs even opposed more UK energy production while at the same time the Prime Minister was shamefully lifting sanctions on buying Russian oil and gas. No to the UK, yes to Putin.
Other bills we proposed would help protect our borders, ensure governments are not frustrated by courts in the UK and Strasbourg, fight crime, protect veterans, and restore school standards.
In my last column, I highlighted the numerous u-turns the government has been forced to make by my party. I said our focus now was on getting the Chancellor to drop her planned fuel tax hike from September – and I very much welcome this looks set to happen as it would have increased costs for families by over £100 and hauliers £2,000.
When times are tough, this government is missing in action. Instead of tinkering, we need bold policies to support the productive part of the economy, not pay for endless welfare, and to back businesses to grow and help to improve living standards. Our plans would get Britain working again.
