Conservatives launch major business policy drive as party pledges to be ‘open for business’

The Conservative Party has launched the next phase of its Policy Renewal Programme, with a renewed focus on business.

Speaking today, Andrew Griffith MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade, unveiled plans for what he calls the biggest review and engagement process with British businesses in a generation.

Drawing on his background as a former FTSE100 CFO, Griffith announced a bold initiative to put frontline experience from across the private sector at the heart of policymaking. The strategy will focus on the practical realities facing businesses today — from global corporations to SMEs — rather than relying on what he described as the “Whitehall knows best” approach.

“Britain’s businesses have been hammered by a punishing Labour government, which has trash talked the economy, hiked taxes to record highs and drowned businesses in reams of red tape,” Griffith said.

The new Conservative business strategy will be shaped by direct input from business leaders, entrepreneurs, and small business owners, with Griffith continuing a nationwide listening tour. The policy drive will form a centrepiece of the party’s offering to business at the next general election.