Jobs tax 'hanging businesses out to dry' says Tory leader
Kemi Badenoch says businesses are worried about their futures
Leader of the Conservatives, Kemi Badenoch, says businesses are being hung out to dry by the Government's 'jobs tax'.
The North Essex MP was speaking during a visit to Salisbury based defence organisation, Chemring Countermeasures, which is among the businesses impacted by the decisions to raise National Insurance contributions and the national living wage.
Mrs Badenoch says it's a recurring theme in her conversations with employers.
"It has increased costs at a time when businesses are feeling very vulnerable," she said.
She added: "This is just another example of Labour making the wrong choices, whether it's on winter fuel payments, whether it's what they're doing on energy costs, all of these things are having an impact on people's everyday lives and making things more fragile."
The Opposition leader echoed calls from Salisbury MP John Glen for the Government to identify the key to growing the economy: Businesses.
"At the end of the day, it is not government that creates growth. It is business that creates growth. Government needs to lift the burdens on business."
Mrs Badenoch revealed that companies had been sharing their concerns about the US tariffs with her.
Last week, US President Donald Trump imposed a 10% tariff on imports to America from the UK.
She said: "Businesses are worried about how well they'll be able to sell their products to the US we've seen the example of Jaguar Land Rover, which has paused exports and the car industry, for example, exports about £8 billion worth of cars to the US this is very significant.
"It means that all of the numbers which the government made its calculations on in the budget will no longer be accurate."
The former Business Secretary said employers don't want to see retaliatory tariffs imposed by Sir Kier Starmer.
She warned: "If we do retaliate and have tariffs on products coming in, that's going to be a price that they pay, and that means that their imports for components, for the things that they build will become more expensive. And that's going to be yet another burden."
The Government is speaking to businesses across the country as it assesses it's response to Trump's actions.