BCC reaction to Conservative Party manifesto

15th April 2015

Commenting on the Conservative Party manifesto and the policies proposed, Dr Adam Marshall, Executive Director of the British Chambers of Commerce said: -Companies across the UK will welcome Conservative policy proposals on fiscal discipline, low taxation, infrastructure projects, and support for enterprise and regional growth.

-A majority of the businesses we survey continue to support the Prime Minister's ambition to re-cast Britain's relationship with the EU, and to hold a referendum on the result. -Raiding pensions savings, even to pay for a business priority like expanded access to childcare, will dismay entrepreneurs, for whom long-term rewards are often more important than short-term pay. Political intervention in regulated markets, such as rail fares, could have negative impacts on investment, as could proposals for new employment regulations around corporate volunteering. -The housing crunch is a brake on business growth and employment in many parts of the UK. Yet the problem isn't whether we're selling enough houses, but whether we are building enough of them.