Sir Keir Starmer has said on Monday appearing at the 3 Locks Brewing Company in Camden that Labour will create a “level playing field” for the business rates system.
The Labour leader criticised the government for failing to fix the business rates system and that with them in power they will make a “system that works better.”
Labour have pledged to put an end to late invoices be paid by large companies and they will have to report over their payment practices.
Sir Keir said, “We want to replace them with a system that works better, because at the moment there’s not a level playing field between businesses that are online and those that are sort of bricks and mortar.
“It’s been a problem for a long time, the Government hasn’t fixed it and small businesses have all gone through a really hard time in recent years.
“So that’s our plan, we want small businesses to thrive because they are the backbone of our economy and they need that stability in our economy, and they need to know that their energy bills are actually going to be lower and stable.”
Dragon Den’s star Deborah Meaden who was with Sir Keir saif that Labour’s plans are “absolutely brilliant.”
Meaden told the PA news agency, “I think GB Energy is absolutely brilliant, I think it does everything that I care about.
“Businesses don’t like being out of control of costs and energy is one of those costs that simply fluctuates beyond your control.”
The Labour leader said, “They’ve had a really hard time with this Government in recent years, so our plan is to support small businesses and give them that chance that they need,” he said.
“That does involve replacing rates, because business rates put a real drag on businesses. It also involves stabilising the economy, of course, and Great British Energy, because what’s come up here comes up with all small businesses – energy is too expensive.
“What you can’t have if you run a small business is sort of costs that you can’t control, so Great British Energy, a publicly owned company for renewables, is very, very popular with small businesses.”
The Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves wrote in The Sun, “I want taxes to be lower. But unlike the Conservatives I am not going to promise you a tax cut without telling you where the money is going to come from or without being able to guarantee you it will be delivered.
“And the approach the Conservatives are taking now is the same as the approach Jeremy Corbyn took – and I totally reject it.
“I’m not going to offer you a fantasy manifesto that writes cheques we could never cash. I will never do this.”
