Dragons' Den star James Caan has today backed Tory economic policy... This is a press release just sent out by his office....
James Caan, champion of entrepreneurship and star of BBC TVs Dragons’ Den, analysed the policies of the Labour and Conservative parties today, in search of solace for small business prior to the General Election.
“Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME’s) obviously have a huge part to play in the economic recovery and providing employment growth,“ said James Caan. “Currently, all parties are claiming to have prioritized help to SME’s, but that help comes in various policy forms.”
“Labour and the Conservatives seem to be offering alternative policy focuses for economic recovery, and their plans for deficit reduction depend upon the successful impact of their respective policies. I believe that the recovery needs to be business-led, with particular support for SME’s, and the Conservatives are most convincing on this aspect at the moment.”
“Labour have outlined a series of encouraging measures as part of their £2.5bn Growth Package to help small businesses, but Alistair Darling’s budget claimed to be based on the lowest end of Bank of England growth estimates,“ said Caan, “but I am convinced that his growth figures are exaggerated. If this is the case, his borrowing projections also look imprudent.“
Caan states that viable SME’s are continuing to struggle to access the credit that they need, and emphasises that Labour have largely failed to ensure that access over the past year. Moreover, “their plans to ensure that Lloyds and RBS lend to SME’s by setting targets and creating a Credit Adjudicator Service (CAS) are ambiguous“ said Caan. “Their plans to raise National Insurance Contributions will also cost of thousands of jobs.“
Caan believes that the Conservative Party has a stronger focus on business and will also be more successful in reassuring the financial markets.
“The Tories place a different and greater emphasis on making it easier for SME’s to operate, and are willing to actually cut taxes here. Their plan to keep NI at its current level will protect jobs in the private sector, and it will act as an incentive for business.“ he said.
Caan is impressed by George Osborne’s promise to cut the deficit faster than Labour, and to put more emphasis on spending cuts rather than tax rises. “Cutting the deficit will be easier given a stronger business-led recovery.”
“Regardless of who wins the election, market led growth will be crucial, but this needs to be implemented with minimal transitional cost in terms of jobs,“ said Caan. “At the moment, the Tories will be receiving the entrepreneurial vote, and I think that current employees and jobseekers will also welcome the NI relief on employers to employ them.“
James Caan has a good understanding of the needs of small businesses. He has created many millionaires, and has launched his Entrepreneurs’ Business Academy. James Caan has co-chaired the government’s Ethnic Minorities Business Task Force, reporting directly to business secretary Lord Peter Mandelson.
Lord Mandy will not be pleased. Expect the slurs on James Caan to begin shortly...
UPDATE 11pm: How odd. Caan has just appeared on Newsnight arguing against everything he said in this statement and effectively backing Labour. Has Mandy leaned on him? Either that or he's just a flake.
26 comments:
He's been deceived. The man is a dupe. Knows nothing about anything. Obviously. Vote Labour.
Shhhhhhhhh.......... He's a nomdom don't you know.
Knowing Labour, one of the smears will be about how crap he was in "Rollerball".
WV Mingr!
He's been deceived.
Kaan? Cann? Caan? Come on, Iain - consistency, please!
Shock news. Non-dom doesn't want to pay a tax. Thanks for the scoop
I think that well known entrepreneurs like this as well as the big business leaders backing the Tories will really resonate with people. Blair, Brown & Mandelson put a lot of importance and credence on getting the business leaders backing in 1997- they can't turn around now and pretend business leaders are stupid or of no importance. Interesting as an aside that they aren't backing Cable who the media seem to think is some kind of economic guru.
Iain Dale said: "Expect the slurs to begin shortly"
I cannot wait. Then Labour will learn that many of the top businessmen in this country are not just fat swines creaming off loadsamoney, but sharp, intelligent people who know the difference between their ar*e and their elbow.
If Labour are stupid enough to pursue this line of attack then it will go very, very badly wrong.
Personally, I wish Labour all the best in attacking the Captains of Industry. Anything which assists the destruction of socialism is fine by me.
So Labour attacks bankers, industrialists, merchants and businessmen of all types.
Who's going to fund Labour when the union cash runs out - as it is rapidly doing?
This really is the Last Hoorah for Labour. They have cut their own throats.
I am mystified - The LDs are proposing a tax cut ... raising personal allowances. but when the Tories propose not implementing a tax rise they say this is unsustainable.
Typical LD-facing-both-ways-hypocrisy.
I am thinking twice about nipping out to the supermarket these days in case a gurning Gordon Brown turns up at the checkout.
I cannot help be reminded of Lurch the Butler when I see him lumbering round the country - we can even imagine Gomez lurking in the background.
I notice he's in the audience watching Brown this evening. Suprised he hasn't been bundled out the back and given a good kicking!
I'm surprised no-one has noticed the attack on business leaders criticising the labour NI tax increase began a few days ago in left-leaning blogs and press. Will Straw's little feifdom snidely describes business leaders as the country's highest paid individuals - which is irrelevant to the topic being discussed - with similar lines popping up elsewhere suggesting this is a far from an off the cuff comment.
He's on Newsnight just now, backing Labour on NI...
James Caan has just been on Newsnight and his line was in flat contradiction to the statement as shown. On Newsnight he downplayed the cost of the NI hike to the extent of it being immaterial to business and therefore a sensible option.
Curious. He has either been got at or is just flaky. Don't know which!!!
Iain,
Watching James Caan on Newsnight - ever get the feeling that you've just been played?
Just saw Mr Caan on Newsnight stating that we mustn't cut too deep too quickly, the NI rise is not a tax on jobs and the Tories are talking mince when they say it is.
have you just heard the drivel he has said on newsnight.....? I have 1000 workers, i have very tight margins to work with and now acording to Mr Cann I have a £15000 pound a month tax bill thats each and every month... thats £180,000 per year £900,000 over the next 5 years... can you or any one tell me where I find this extra cash from during a resesssion?????????? guess what you can't....... it will kill me and my business.... Cann you are fraude and should be ashamed... you are not for the samll business mane just yourself.....
I can only come to one conclusion having watched him on newsnight!
http://cityunslicker.blogspot.com/2010/04/james-caan-in-training-for-lib-dems.html
Just a flake, I heard this too and came back to read the statement. Has Mandy been feeling his collar?
Just a flake.
I came back to read his statement and wonder if Mandy has been feeling his collar?
I suspect this was a set-up; a press release designed for an enthusiastic, influential tory blogger to take the bait. Seeing as this is Michael Caine day and I've just been watching Get Carter on Channel 5, I can't help but imagine the great crisp-muncher saying these imortal words to you:
"You're a big man, but you're in bad shape. With me it's a full-time job. Now behave yourself."
oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. Is mandy out of practice its coming undone
Oh right. When a businessman backs the Tories that's proof that the Tories are right.
But when he doesn't, he's a flake....
The truth will out. The Conservative economic plan is non existent... you cannot cut deeply, cut taxes and maintain publuc spending all at the same time.
Talking about "putting more emphasis on spending cuts rather than tax rises", I wonder what Mr Caan thinks about the £97bn on nuclear weapons that both parties are planning...
At the Gordon Brown event last night James Caan was in a prominent position near the front. When Mandy came in and spied him he shook his fist at him. That must have been what swung it.
Didn't Caan miss the point last night on Newsnight regarding the national insurance rise? He made out that the cost of recruitment would only be around £15 per month extra employers NI for a new employee. He failed to make the point that an employers overall national insurance contribution will go up considerably and hence reduce the ability to recruit.
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