Browse policies
Create a fast-track AIM listing path for UK scale-ups that are growing but not yet profitable
The London Stock Exchange is in slow decline. AIM listings have halved in the last five years. The companies that should be listing here - British AI labs, biotech, clean energy, fintech - are instead moving to New York, or going private, o
Preserve our local high street by only shopping there when John Lewis is too far away
I was just stuck in the car park at the retail park again today and it really hit me how depressing the whole place is. I was sitting there surrounded by concrete and massive warehouses like TK Maxx and Costa and I honestly felt a bit sick
A universal basic income pilot at local authority scale
The theoretical arguments for and against UBI are well rehearsed. What we lack is robust UK-specific evidence. Finland ran a two-year trial involving 2,000 participants. The results showed improved wellbeing, higher trust in institutions, a
Accept that everything is getting worse and plan accordingly
Other parties promise to fix things. We think thats dishonest. Things are getting worse and they have been getting worse for quite some time now. The trains are worse. The roads are worse. The weather is worse. Freddos are 30p. Rather than
We will save £3.50 a year by making difficult decisions about childrens shoes
Look, nobody wants to cut the shoe allowance for under-fives. These are not the decisions we wanted to make. But we inherited a very difficult fiscal situation and we have to be honest with people about the choices ahead. By reducing the c
Make it possible to start a company in one hour with zero cost
In Estonia, you can register a company online in about 15 minutes. In New Zealand it takes a single form and costs roughly £10. In the UK it takes at least a day, costs £50, and that is before you register for PAYE, VAT, and whatever else H
Roadworks that overrun should cost the contractor, not the taxpayer
There are roadworks near my house that were supposed to take 6 weeks. We are on week 14. I have seen someone actually working there maybe three times. Here is what should happen: - Every contract gets a hard completion date - For every we
Raise taxes on high earners including me and stop pretending we can't afford public services
I earn well into six figures. I pay less tax as a percentage of my income than my employees do because capital gains is taxed lower than income. That is indefensible. We have a country where nurses use food banks, schools hold bake sales t
Why are we chasing tourist pennies when our own shops are struggling? Let's fix our high streets first.
Why do we keep looking outwards for economic fixes when our own town centres are crying out for help? It just seems a bit backwards, doesn't it, to focus on making things cheaper for short-term visitors when local businesses are fighting to
Restore local council funding to 2010 levels, adjusted for inflation
It is difficult to have a sensible conversation about the quality of local services when the funding that underpins those services has been cut by nearly 40% in real terms since 2010. Councils are not failing because they are badly run, tho
Scrap all regulations and replace them with a strongly worded sign
Health and safety has gone mad. Not a bit mad. Completely mad. You cant climb a ladder without a certificate. You cant serve a scotch egg without a food hygiene inspection. You cant even have a bonfire without checking the wind direction an
Price caps are a daft idea, let's focus on real solutions.
I was in the village shop the other day, picking up some essentials. The price of a loaf of bread has gone up again, it’s quite shocking. It makes you wonder how families on a tight budget are managing at all. David and I are comfortable, t
Time to actually invest in towns like Grimsby, not just talk about it
We need a "Towns First" economic strategy that forces national investment into struggling high streets and industrial areas, not just endless consultations. This means government grants and tax breaks specifically for businesses opening or
Why Are We Still Paying Polluters To Pollute? Enough Is Enough.
Seriously, how did we ever get to a point where we subsidise industries that are actively destroying the planet? It’s like paying arsonists to buy more matches. We’re essentially giving money to the very companies that contribute most to th
Enough with these 'boosts', let's get some proper graft going.
It’s the same old story, innit? A bit of sunshine and blokes kicking a ball around and suddenly the papers say the economy’s booming. Meanwhile, me and the missus are watching our bills go up and up, and the cost of getting a bit of grub fo
Give Small Pubs a Break
I was talking to my regulars the other day and one of them mentioned how his mate's pub in Sutton Coldfield is struggling to stay afloat due to high business rates. It's a shame because that pub has been a staple of the community for years,
Scrap the licence fee already
I'm sick of being forced to pay for the BBC just because I own a telly, it's like they think I'm made of money or something. Every year it goes up and up, and for what, so they can spout their lefty nonsense and make programmes that nobody
Link the state pension to actual average earnings, not a formula nobody understands
Link the state pension to average earnings. Every year. No formulas nobody understands, no political games about whether this years increase is affordable. Pensioners deserve to know what theyre getting.
Start rebuilding the EU relationship now, with a customs union as step one
The Conservatives spent 14 years pretending Brexit was going brilliantly while every economic indicator said otherwise. Small businesses are drowning in customs paperwork. Export volumes are down. The City has lost business to Frankfurt and
If you can work but WON'T work you should lose your benefits. Simple.
I worked 46 years. Started at 16 in a warehouse. Never claimed a penny. Now I see young lads down the road who haven't worked a DAY sitting around collecting benefits. New trainers. Takeaway every night. Latest phone. If you are fit and h