Tories to share plans for tax cuts and major deregulation in conference speech

Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith is expected to unveil a plan for “the biggest deregulation project in a generation” when he takes to the stage at Conservative Party Conference on Monday. The stand out policies include making houses more affordable, abolishing Natural England and the Environment Agency, supporting the construction of a third runway at Heathrow Airport, and cutting taxes and "red tape". Making a speech at the party’s annual conference in Birmingham, Griffith is expected to warn that Prime Minister Andy Burnham is pursuing a “socialist fever dream”. Griffith will explain that the Conservative Party must “inject reality, tell the hard truths and make this a country we are proud to hand on to the next generation”. He will say: “Our task just got bigger. We face a Prime Minister that wants to return Britain to an imagined past – a socialist fever dream of the 1970s". Credit: PA To cut the price of a new build property, the Conservatives have planned to ditch the Future Homes Standard and housebuilding rules coming into force next year, which will mean developers must include in their designs low-carbon heating technology. The Conservatives would also replace mechanisms known as section 106 and the Community Infrastructure Levy, which fund infrastructure when developers progress their building plans, with a single charge, in a bid to speed up the approvals process. Abolishing the stamp duty tax on property purchases, which is already a Conservative Party policy, is thought to be part of the plan to slash new build house prices by as much as £50,000, according to the Tories. On tax cuts, Griffith will say the UK’s “tax code is a cat’s cradle of complexity. “We understand that time spent filling in a tax return or hanging on an HMRC helpline steals time away from your business, your family," he is expected to say. Greens back ‘Zionism is racism’ policy despite opposition from senior figures Badenoch hints at inheritance tax changes and end to £100,000 tax 'cliff edge' “So, as well as cutting taxes, tax simplification will be a mission for every treasury minister." Natural England and the Environment Agency, who regulate water quality and promote biodiversity, would be axed under a Conservative government and their functions taken into the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This would represent a “common sense for our countryside and the cost” at a time “of rocketing food prices, record numbers of farms closing and nature in decline”, shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins said. Griffith’s proposal could also cut the cost of the weekly shop, according to the Conservative Party, by removing a “polluter pays” fee on packaging producers. Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning. In support of the third runway at Heathrow, Griffith will say: “We’re ‘all in’ for growth and we will legislate to sweep away the blockers to getting the infrastructure our country needs built”. Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrats’ Treasury spokeswoman, said: “The Conservatives rejection of closer ties with Europe have cemented their position as a pointless anti-growth anti-business party.” She added: “No-one can take anything the Conservatives say on the economy seriously given their litany of fantasy-land financial pledges.” Reform UK’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said: “The Tories are once again copying our policies.” But he warned the Conservatives “refuse to cut migrant welfare, net zero subsidies and the ballooning benefits bill”. Chancellor John Healey, Griffith’s opposite number in Government, is set to unveil his first Budget later this month. From Westminster to Washington DC - our political experts are across all the latest key talking points. Listen to the latest episode below...