Cameron concentrating on NI policy

Tory leader David Cameron continues to focus on Labour's National Insurance rise
12 April 2012

David Cameron has claimed momentum is growing against Labour's planned National Insurance rise as he put the issue at the heart of his General Election campaigning.

The Tory leader said the proposed increase was "the wrong tax at the wrong time for the wrong reason" as he told bakery workers in Bolton of his proposals to find £6 billion to reverse Labour's planned hike.

He flew to the North West for the latest leg of a whirlwind UK tour straight from feisty exchanges over tax with Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the final Prime Minister's Questions before Parliament is dissolved ahead of the May 6 poll.

The Tories promised to give voters the chance to kick out law-breaking MPs between elections as part of a raft of measures which will form part of what they are dubbing a "people power manifesto" to be launched on Tuesday.

Mr Cameron's first stop was the Warburton's bakery in Bolton, whose executive director Richard Warburton was among the first tranche of business leaders to endorse the Conservative plan.

Despite renewed Labour claims the executives had been "deceived" into giving support, the Tories named another 30 who had joined the list, taking the total to 68 senior figures employing a total of more than 850,000 people.

The new signatories included Corus chief executive Kirby Adams, Northern Foods chief executive Stefan Barden, Reed Elsevier chairman Anthony Habgood and Jewson chief executive Peter Hindle.

Addressing staff at the factory, Mr Cameron launched a fresh assault on Labour's plans.

"If they know there is waste ... why not cut out the waste now to stop putting up the taxes later? You should not have to pay more taxes to pay for government waste," he told them.

"Some people say: where are you going to find this money? What we are talking about is saving one pound out of every hundred pounds the Government spends. When you think what businesses have had to save, when you think what shopkeepers have had to save, if you think what a small family firm has had to save in this recession, if you think of the decisions families themselves have had to make about some things they can no longer afford, why don't we get government to do the same thing? I do not think saving one pound in every hundred is particularly tough. Taxing people to pay for government waste is wrong. It would be an economy killer, it would be a recovery killer, it would be a jobs killer."

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