Conservatives unveil new employment law policy

Posted 06/10/2009

Changes to employment law should only be made if a previous legal requirement is dispensed with, Ken Clarke has said.

Speaking at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, the shadow business secretary said this policy would allow the law to be updated without adding to the regulatory burden currently faced by businesses.

“No new red tape will be introduced without a compensating cut in the costs and burden somewhere else,” he insisted.

Mr Clarke also pledged to take action on the number of quangos in the UK should the Conservatives win the next general election.

He described the current level of bureaucracy and red tape as a “millstone around Britain’s neck” that is standing in the way of its economic recovery.

Mr Clarke added that the “excessive” regulation currently faced by businesses needs to be “swept away”.

This follows yesterday’s speech by shadow chancellor George Osborne in which he outlined plans such as a public sector pay freeze to help reduce the UK’s budget deficit.