The next guest on tonight’s edition of Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge is the Tees Valley mayor, Lord Ben Houchen.
The Conservative survivor was speaking to Sky News deputy political editor Sam Coates, and he was asked about the Labour government’s plans to boost growth.
He said that what the government has trailed “seems pretty laudable”, adding: “They want to go for growth. They want to create jobs, bring investment. They want to take the brakes off.”
“I don’t think many people can particularly disagree with [it], particularly where this country has been in recent months and if we’re honest, recent years”.
But what he is interested in is how they are going to deliver, saying: “The rhetoric is one thing, but what’s the detail about how they’re actually going to take the brakes off?
“Is it going to be effective, is it going to be timely, and are they going to make the difference in the timescales that they say they are going to make of it?”
Asked specifically what people in the Tees Valley would want to hear tomorrow, lower taxes is top of the list, noting that the rise in employers’ national insurance has been “devastating to local businesses”.
But more broadly, she said: “There’s a sense of negativity. There’s a sense that this government kind of set out on trying to really talk down the country in the first few months – I think, to try and frame the political debate.
“And that’s had a real impact and that’s causing consternation.
“So what we need to do is have a bit of a lift, and we need a clear strategy in the direction of travel.”
Lord Houchen went on to say that he “completely agrees” with what the chancellor is trying to do to deliver growth, but questions whether they will be able to deliver.
“I just caution that I’m not sure whether this government has the appetite to have that type of fight with various different organisations and do what needs to be done,” he said.
He admitted that it’s “absolutely true that the Conservative Party and the Conservative government didn’t do any of this either”, but also said Labour pushed back on some changes ministers wanted to implement, such as habitat rules.
“If she changes those regulations, if this government gets rid of that red tape, and tackles judicial review, they will have my complete support. I’m just not convinced that they’re actually going to have to fight to do what they need to do.”
Will Rachel Reeves be able to boost growth?
Lord John Browne, chairman of BeyondNetZero and former CEO of BP, says we have heard lots about “enabling steps”, particularly around reducing energy costs for both consumers and businesses, and says we can be competitive with Europe.
Energy is “the world’s biggest business” and “it should be the UK’s biggest business, not just for domestic application, but also for export”.
Craig Beaumont, executive director of The Federation of Small Businesses, is asked about the budget and how that has affected businesses.
He notes that there was a “carve-out” for small businesses to give them more breathing space around the rise in employers’ national insurance, so tells Sophy Ridge: “Even when there are difficult decision, this government can, if it wants to, intervene for small business.”
So in terms of growth, the government needs to look at the barriers for small businesses and unblock them – and says he and some of his members have told the chancellor directly what they need.
Mr Beaumont also says that the post-Brexit trade deal with the EU has resulted in “barriers” from British businesses that this government could negotiate away in order to boost growth.
Jo Tanner, former Conservative adviser, tells Sophy Ridge that “the really welcome news” from the chancellor’s speech tomorrow is “the acknowledgement that we need to talk up the UK more”.
“The government got the comms wrong – there’s no question. While they were trying to set the narrative about what the Conservatives had clearly got wrong, they also started then to talk down the prospects for the UK,” she says.
“And I think that’s where it’s dangerous around investment.”
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