Zack Polanski: I have a ‘serious vision’ for UK businesses
Green Party leader Zack Polanski will tell business leaders at a conference on Thursday that he will deliver “clarity, stability and serious vision” for the UK economy.
In what will be his most significant address to bosses since becoming leader, Polanski is expected to recognise that private sector executives “might have some preconceptions” yet he’ll insist that his controversial policies on the environment and taxation would bolster economic security for small businesses across the country.
“Look – plenty of you probably won’t agree with me on everything,” he will tell an audience at a conference organised by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), one of the largest industry groups in the country.
“But there are a few things I think we can agree on: that the job of government is to provide long-term stability, and an environment in which good businesses can thrive.
“That all of us – families, individuals, workers, businesses – do best when we know what’s coming, and we’re supported to meet it.
“And that a strong economy, one which enables us all to reach our potential, must be a resilient economy, a sustainable economy, and a futureproofed economy.”
He will hit out at the Conservatives and Labour’s “decade of instability” and suggest that a government led by him would focus on boosting domestic production and the quality of manufacturing infrastructure.
His speech will also touch on the heatwave that has swept the UK this week as he is set to criticise structures that “break down when the temperature hits 30 degrees”.
“The impacts couldn’t be starker than what we’re seeing this week. Extreme temperatures leaving trains cancelled, employees unable to get to work – or employers forced to send their workers home because they can’t keep their workplace cool.”
Polanski among political heavyweights speaking to business
Polanski’s address to businesses reflects his push to bring the focus back to the Green Party’s policy agenda after a difficult few weeks.
The London Assembly member was cleared in a City Hall investigation on claims he failed to pay council tax while living on a boat, although he is still being probed by the borough of Waltham Forest.
He apologised for the “unintentional mistake” of not paying the tax while in east London and said he should have taken “greater care” over housing arrangements despite facing “financial hardship”.
His speech will come amidst a crowded field of political heavyweights sharing their ideas with a business audience.
Shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride will use his speech to challenge Andy Burnham to rule out levying further taxes on businesses as he will claim that the Prime Minister-to-be was “already having an impact on our country”.
“The positive lever he has at his fingertips right now is to provide certainty,” he will say.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves, the Liberal Democrats’ Sir Ed Davey, Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick and rumoured Burnham adviser Andy Haldane, the former Bank of England official who is now the president of the BCC, are also set to deliver speeches at the conference.