Tory conference news: Clarke’s quango threat

THE Conservatives would focus on cutting red tape and empowering small businesses to grow if they win power, Shadow Business secretary Ken Clarke has pledged.

In his keynote speech at the party conference in Manchester, Mr Clarke – by far and away the most experienced member of David Cameron’s Shadow Cabinet – said all quangos would have to justify their existence, or be closed down.

“We will introduce a system of regulatory budgets across government, that means that no new red tape will be introduced without a compensating cut in the costs and burden somewhere else.

“We will give each regulator and quango a ‘sunset clause’. That means they will automatically cease to exist after a set period unless they can prove their continuing usefulness.”

The former chancellor said regulation to protect workers and consumers would be not be axed, but made to work better.

“We need to protect the highest standards of health, safety, fair trading and honesty in business life.

“We are not going to lower standards. We do not need mountains of forms, thousands of non-jobs, hundreds of quangos in gleaming office blocks to achieve that. Regulations based on achieving outcomes rather than just blindly following box-ticking procedure, will actually work better.

He said the Conservatives were in the “final stages” of developing policies in a number of areas such as skills, training and venture capital funding, with the aim of providing the “right environment for businesses to thrive.”

Richard Lambert, CBI director general, was cautiously optimistic about the proposals.

He said:  “Every would-be government makes commitments about burying red tape – this is par for the course.

“What’s different about today’s announcement is that the Conservatives have set out a rigorous-sounding process against which regulations old and new will be measured.”

Also announced yesterday:

• George Osborne, gave his much anticipated keynote speech, outlining plans to raise the pension age, freeze public sector pay and get tough on bankers. The main point of controversy came when Cameron announced that the Tories would bring into play a pay freeze for all public sector workers, excluding those on less than £18,000 a year or on the military frontline. Osborne’s well timed speech drove home his message on economic recovery, saying repeatedly: “We’re in this together.”

• The shadow chancellor also revealed that from 2016, men will have to work until the age of 66 before they can receive the state pension. Women will eventually have to do the same, he said, but not until at least 2022.

• Shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers announced that there would be no more government funding for fixed speed cameras if the Tories take power. “Enough is enough,” she said.

• Home Information packs were the topic of discussion for shadow housing minister Grant Shapps, who said his party would scrap the scheme if they won the next election. Designed to give homebuyers important information, they were described by Mr Shapps as being examples of “pointless red tape”.

Tearmh France, public affairs specialist at Weber Shandwick, said: “The conference is in full swing, yet we’re still waiting for something ground-breaking from the Tories – the critics believe they are playing it too safe.

“Osborne seems to have won the battle against Darling yesterday but what other cards will be laid on the table when policies for welfare reform and the family are announced today before Cameron takes centre stage on Thursday.”

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