CONSERVATIVES PLEDGE TO SCRAP ONE TAX PER BUDGET

Andrew Griffith, the Conservative shadow chancellor, pledged tax and regulation cuts in a speech to the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham. He said a future Conservative government would abolish Labour's mansion tax and scrap one tax at every budget. Griffith also promised to remove a tax on plastic packaging and axe arm's-length government bodies he said held back business growth. "I didn't come here to raise taxes – I came to lower them," he told delegates, adding that tax cuts would be made only "when we can afford to do so" and funded within the party's "golden economic rule". He paid tribute to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, saying she had the backbone to make difficult decisions.

The British Chambers of Commerce welcomed the pledges, with policy director Kate Shoesmith saying they would give businesses "breathing space" on future tax bills. She said the complexity of the current tax system added cost and absorbed management time, pushing businesses towards a more cautious approach. Shoesmith said cutting business costs, from energy to tax to employment regulation, was essential for economic growth. She also pointed to Griffith's support for a third runway at Heathrow Airport as evidence of the importance of investment in infrastructure.

The Chambers stopped short of calling the government's approach entirely damaging, noting Labour's own deregulation plans could also benefit businesses if matched by clear policy. Shoesmith said it was essential for businesses to be involved in decision-making at local and regional level. The intervention came ahead of the government's Budget, due later this month under Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Griffith's pledges were presented as part of a wider Conservative platform contrasting with the government's economic approach.