A congregation of the world’s most sought after enterprisers took place in London today, as the Prime Minister spoke to over £40bn worth of potential investment, promising to make Britain the place in which to invest and do business.
Remarkably for a regulatory socialist, the Reverend Starmer sounded almost Farage-like, as he talked about the virtues of a bonfire of bureaucracy, in the hope of removing obstacles to growth:
However, it does not seem all those attending were convinced by the PM’s flirtation with the free market.
The CEO of Google Eric Schmidt did not hold back when holding an ‘in conversation’ event with the Prime Minister.
Jacob Rees-Mogg accused Labour of breaking a manifesto pledge
GB NEWS
Not a great start for an investment summit when a potential investor doesn’t even believe you care about growth.
The Labour government claims it’s all about growth and investment, but their actions tell a very different story.
Sir Keir StarmerPA
They’re talking about investment, yet at the same time, they’re itching to slap more regulations and costs on employers, making it harder to run businesses efficiently and making businesses less likely to take people on.
Last week saw proposals to make it harder to employee people, and this week the talk is of making it more expensive by extending employers’ national insurance contributions.
And then there’s this obsession with the EU. They want a so-called “reset” with Brussels, with David Lammy meeting EU officials today.
It’s clear they’re more interested in placating European bureaucrats than standing up for British interests. This reset is nothing more than a way to reverse the Brexit gains and fall back into the EU’s regulatory clutches.
As for national insurance contributions, Rachel Reeves talks with a forked tongue. The manifesto clearly said “we will not raise the rates of national insurance.” Even Paul Johnson, the director for the Institute of Fiscal Studies, said to increase them would be a “straightforward breach” of Labour’s promise.
It also has important economic consequences for it increases the cost of employment without boosting productivity. This leads to less job creation and slower growth. To leak these proposals during an investment summit just shows how incontinent this government’s efforts at communications are.
Labour isn’t interested in real growth or telling the truth. They’re more focused on expanding government control, re-engaging with the EU, and making it harder for businesses to thrive, and it’s the rest of us who will suffer.