Boris and Jeremy tell the BMF of their plans
18 July 2019
Under
a Hunt Government, there will be a Budget in the first week of
September to prepare for the possibility of leaving the EU on a no-deal
basis on 31 October, Jeremy Hunt MP has told the BMF.
The
Foreign Secretary said he would cut business taxes to stimulate
investment and boost the economy - including his promises to cut
Corporation Tax to 12.5%, take 90% of high street businesses out of
business rates, and increase the Annual Investment Allowance to £5
million.
Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson took part in the last
of the Conservative Party Leadership Election hustings at the ExCel in
London’s Docklands in front of party members, business representatives
and diplomatic observers. Brett Amphlett, Policy and Public Affairs
Manager, represented the BMF at this event to learn how their ideas
would affect the building materials supply chain.
Boris
Johnson MP drew on his time as Mayor of London, pointing to his record
on new-build housing in the capital. He also spoke more about
environmental policy and ‘green collar’ jobs. Boris praised the current
Prime Minister, Theresa May MP, for legislating for the new committment
to end the UK’s contribution to global warming with a net zero emissions
target by year 2050. "The revolutionary technological advances being
made in Britain enables us to take the lead on climate change", he
added.
Mr Johnson reminded the London audience of his scheme
to replace and improve boilers in the capital. This was a reference to
his London Boiler Cashback Scheme in 2016-2017 that encouraged Londoners
to replace old, inefficient boilers with modern, energy-efficient
models. The BMF was involved in devising that offer with City Hall staff
and other heating industry partners to decide on eligibility criteria
and bring it to wider attention.
Both contenders spoke of the
need to go further on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and the way that
young people have been at the forefront of recent public protests
against global warming.
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