Today’s Kings Speech contained plenty of warm words about growing the economy, supporting young people into work and controlling the cost of living, but Labour’s actual policies are doing the complete opposite.
I have been warning in Parliament for months that the Government is directly harming youth employment. Businesses, particularly in sectors such as hospitality, tourism and retail, are being hit by higher taxes, more regulation and rising costs. These are the very sectors that often give young people their first step into work. It is simply not credible for Labour to talk about tackling youth unemployment whilst pursuing policies that make it harder for businesses to hire, invest and grow.
I am also deeply concerned by the proposal for a European Partnership Bill. The Government must be completely clear about what it means. Does it mean moving closer to the Single Market? Does it mean reopening old arguments about our relationship with the EU? The public deserve honesty about the Government’s intentions.
There are also measures in this speech which I know many of my constituents oppose, including the introduction of Digital ID. In a poll I ran locally the overwhelming majority of my constituents were against such proposals, and the Government should listen carefully to those concerns.
It is also revealing – and concerning – that the Government proposes to “use public investment to shape markets”. That sounds less like backing enterprise and more like a bigger state, more intervention and potentially more nationalisation. At the same time, there is little reassurance for families and businesses facing high energy costs and wider cost of living pressures.
Labour says it wants growth, stability and opportunity, but their policies so far in government have delivered the opposite. The Conservatives will continue to hold the Government to account and stand up for lower taxes, enterprise, jobs and common sense.
There are some measures in the King’s Speech that I welcome, such as supporting NATO and the armed forces, as well as measures on cladding remediation and tackling antisemitism. However, the overall programme still fails to provide the clear pro-growth, pro-business agenda the country needs.
The Conservatives have set out a clear alternative: leaving the ECHR to get a grip on illegal immigration, scrapping Stamp Duty, approving new drilling licences in the North Sea, reforming welfare to help people back into work, scrapping business rates for high street firms, properly funding our armed forces and backing businesses rather than burdening them.
