Copy article

"Who on earth recommended Silverstone as the venue? The Tories will be lucky to get out of the pits"

ended 11. June 2024

The PM today announced the Conservative Party's General Election manifesto at Silverstone, which can be downloaded >> here <<. Newspage asked business owners for their views, below.

12 responses from the Newspage community

Copy all

Star Quote
Copy

Editor
Samuel Mather-HolgateVerified
Independent Financial Adviser at Mather and Murray Financial
JK Rowling would have been thrilled with this work of fiction, not just because both manuscripts are based in the realms of fantasy, but both are moving further right in their political ideologies. After 14 years in power, the manifesto is written as if they were new to government. Bringing back Help to Buy comes a day late and a dollar short, as Sunak has been without a housing policy for years, even dropping the targets on house building they self imposed because they weren’t hitting them. A credible housing plan is still a massive gaping hole in the manifesto, and even the silky, polished skills of Sunak can’t hide the lack of policy depth within this dodgy dossier.
Star Quote
Copy

Editor
Michelle LawsonVerified
Director at Lawson Financial
Who on earth recommended Silverstone as the venue? The Tories will be lucky to get out of the pits and make it onto the grid, let alone start and end the race. Unless they can pull a miracle out of the bag, this General Election race is over before it has begun. Actions speak louder than words and the Tories have had the past 14 years to deliver action. More empty pledges.
Star Quote
Copy

Premium
Daniel WiltshireVerified
Actuary & IFA at Wiltshire Wealth
The Tory campaign has been a flaming car crash and the manifesto launch has done nothing to quell the flames. Sunak's attempt to present himself as a tax-cutting radical, whilst presiding over the highest tax burden since WW2, is an act of political contortion that would make even Vladimir Putin blush.
Star Quote
Copy

Rebecca Seeley Harris0
CEO at Re Legal Consulting
There are tax cuts for the self-employed but no tax cuts for those who provide their services through a limited company. These directors are hard-working but are completely ignored by the Conservatives. There is also a big problem with off-payroll working and IR35 and I would have liked to see the Conservatives address these issues in their manifesto. The Lib Dems have promised to review IR35 but there is no mention of it from the Tories.
Copy

Editor
Ben PerksVerified
Managing Director at Orchard Financial Advisers
An interesting choice of location by the Tories to announce their manifesto, as they do seem destined for a high speed crash. Could they even complete a lap without pulling the handbrake and making a U-turn? The manifesto makes for interesting reading and it’s true they have plans where their competitors don’t, but it's likely this is too little too late.
Copy

Editor
Rohit KohliVerified
Director at The Mortgage Stop
The Tories’ may be at Silverstone today, but their General Election race has stalled on the starting grid. Come 4 July, they look set to be in an electoral skidpan. It's hard to see today's manifesto making any difference as they are arguably already out of this race completely.
Copy

Editor
Justin MoyVerified
Managing Director at EHF Mortgages
Silverstone is an interesting choice of location for the Tories to launch their manifesto, as any corner turned by the Conservatives will be a long chicane in which they're stuck in first gear with the wheels about to fall off. Promises of abolishing NI for the self-employed will not help those with legacy Bounce Back Loans that are crippling business owners, and re-introducing Help to Buy is going to push property prices higher, away from those that want ownership, rather than help them. Small amounts of tax saving pales into insignificance compared to the higher mortgage rates borrowers are strugglng with today, Sunak needs to pit before it's too late.
Copy

Editor
Mike StatonVerified
Director at Staton Mortgages
This is Rishi Sunak and the Tories down to a tee. They start revving up their campaign after everybody has already overtaken them. I can't see them getting out of 2nd gear in this election. They've already lost this election considering the car crash they have left behind. Hopefully we won't see Rishi and his team on the podium come 4th July.
Copy

Editor
Andrew MontlakeVerified
Managing Director at Coreco
Unfortunately for the Prime Minister, it looks as if voters are about to bring down the chequered flag on the Conservatives. Far from being an efficient pit stop and moving to race-winning slick tyres, this is a manifesto full of rehashed, tired policies and desperate giveaways that do not cut the mustard on closer inspection. After presiding over the highest tax burden for a generation, it is hard to claim to be the party of tax cuts, and it is difficult to believe pre-election promises that have a record of being broken. As far as housing is concerned there is nothing to see here at all, and no evidence that houses will be built in any great number after fourteen years of abject failure to do so and an abandonment of any targets. A rehashed Help-to-Buy Scheme offers more of the same, demand-side sticking plasters over a gaping wound that further inflates prices. The Conservatives have failed to navigate the first bend, let alone the chicane.
Copy

Legend
Jenny BlythVerified
Small business owner at Storm in a Teacup Gifts
Once again, Rishi Sunak chooses the ‘too little, too late’ lane.
When your fallback angle is simply don’t vote Labour, it’s hardly surprising you’ve lost the confidence of your former voters. This government has ruined our health, our economy and our strength. Shame on it.
Copy

Graham CoxVerified
Director at Bridging Hub
National Insurance cuts for employees and self-employed alike, what's not to like? Well, quite a lot actually. Those already struggling on welfare will pay the price in benefit cuts, whilst the claim they'll raise £6 billion cracking down on tax avoidance is for the birds. I'll believe it when I see it. And to top it off, Help to Buy is making a comeback. The disastrous and counter-productive policy that was the primary cause of house prices taking off when it was first introduced in 2013. After 14 years, is this really the best they can come up with?
Copy

Keith BuddenVerified
Managing Director at Ensurety
I think the Conservative manifesto launch can best be described as a magician appearing on stage. He produces his hat, produces his wand and abracadabra!, he taps three times on the hat. The problem is the rabbit has already escaped and everyone has seen its face on posters nationwide. The phrase "damp squib" may well have applied to Rishi Sunak at the announcement of the election, sadly it also applies to his manifesto. I honestly think he is the first Prime Minister to run a campaign keeping his sole focus on how to lose rather than how to win. Every election campaign always runs the chance of a car crashes, the Conservative campaign is having more crashes than a drunk driver on an obstacle course.