The Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP, Leader of the Opposition, was in King’s Lynn to join James Wild MP to promote Conservative plans for stronger high streets. Norfolk County Council Leader, Kay Mason Billig joined the event which began outside the newly opened King’s Lynn library, along with other councillors involved in Norfolk’s “High Streets Matter” initiative.
During the visit, Kemi and James met local businesses to discuss how to increase footfall, attract visitors, and support independent shops. They spoke with Iain Kirkbright, Director and Co-Owner of Sunlounger travel agents, and separately with John Day, Owner of The Fent Shop, alongside his daughter Louise, about the challenges and opportunities facing businesses on the high street.
Kemi then hosted a roundtable at the Lattice House with several representatives from the King’s Lynn Business Improvement District, hospitality firms, the legal and printing sectors, and local restaurants focused on practical steps to reduce costs and regulation on firms to help them succeed and create more local jobs.
As part of the Conservative Party’s plans for stronger high streets, Kemi Badenoch committed that business rates would be abolished for retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses with a rateable value of up to £110,000, benefitting around 250,000 firms.
With higher energy prices a major concern, the Conservative’s Cheap Power Plan would also cut electricity costs by scrapping the carbon tax and other levies on electricity, helping high streets by lowering one of their biggest expenses.
Speaking after the visit, James said:
“It was important to have Kemi in Lynn seeing the major investment in the new library and sharing our plans to improve the high street and listening local firms about measures to support jobs and growth. By scrapping business rates and cutting energy bills, along with tough action on crime, we would help our high streets to thrive bringing more people into the town centre, support investment, and protect local jobs.
“This visit by the Leader of the Opposition underlines our commitment to helping King’s Lynn and West Norfolk firms and to securing a prosperous high street for the future.”
Speaking during the visit, Kemi Badenoch said:
“We need to make sure people understand what the Conservative Party stands for and that we are the only ones who can actually get Britain working again.”
“I’ve been speaking to businesses here in King’s Lynn, pubs especially, and they’re talking about how energy costs are going through the roof. We need to bring energy costs down for businesses and also for families.”
