Business leaders have rounded on Boris Johnson for a “bombastic” but “economically illiterate” speech that appeared to blame the current supply chain crisis on businesses.
They were joined by usual supporters of the Conservative leader, with the Adam Smith Institute calling the speech “vacuous”.
The Conservative think-tank Bright Blue said: “The public will soon tire of Boris’s banter if the government does not get a grip of mounting crises: price rises, tax rises, fuel shortages, labour shortages.”
The CBI said the promised high-wage, high-skill economy was “a compelling vision”, but was concerned by the lack of detail.
Others responded with predictable ire to claims from the prime minister that they are to blame for labour shortages and supply issues.
The PM also pledged that no new homes would be built on “green fields”, in a clear reversal of his government’s previous planning policy direction.
While the speech, given to a packed auditorium at the Conservative Party’s annual conference in Manchester yesterday, was warmly received by delegates, it actually contained only one new policy announcement – a levelling-up premium for teachers. It later transpired that the same policy had been launched and then phased out in 2019.
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