Shadow business minister says the Tories will help businesses through the recession

Shadow minister for business and enterprise Mark Prisk called in to the Warrington Guardian offices on Monday to discuss his party’s proposals for bringing the economy back to boom from bust.

“We want to help small businesses. We want to make sure they’ve got working capital so they can continue in the current recession,” he said.

“It’s about making sure any business of any size in any sector is able to get the funding it needs to keep running.”

Should they be put into power at the next general election, the Conservatives will cut business costs by providing automatic rate relief for small businesses, getting rid of red tape, making it easier for companies to bid for government contracts and providing bonuses for expanding business.

“If they can get their overheads down then they can survive this period while keeping the staff they want,” said Mr Prisk, a former chartered surveyor who set up his own company in the last recession.

Corporation tax would be cut from 28p to 25p for larger businesses and from 22p to 20p for smaller ones. The extra money could then be used to invest or employ someone.

Cash would be saved by scrapping ID cards, pulling back around £2billion.

A large part of the Tory plan involves getting people back into work.

Businesses would be able to claim £2,500 for every person they employed who had been out of work for more than three months.

“The present Government talks the talk, but the Labour ministers have never actually been in business,” said Mr Prisk.

“When I look at myself and people like Ken Clarke – we’ve been in business, set up our businesses and understand the practicalities of running it.”

Under Tory plans, the Government would take a step back and stop ‘meddling in the belief that the Government knows best, because it doesn’t’.

He added: “The Government has behaved like it has been on one long party and now the bill has finally come home.”