The Conservative Party is using its annual conference to promise tax reductions in its first Budget if it returns to government, according to The Telegraph. The shadow chancellor is expected to present the party's plans for cutting both taxes and regulations, the BBC reports.
Coverage of the conference also points to a wider deregulation package. The Guardian reports that the Conservatives will pledge to abolish the Environment Agency and Natural England, while The Times says the same announcement includes backing for expanding Heathrow. The Independent quotes Griffith saying the party plans a "bonfire" of red tape intended to speed up development.
The proposals, as reported, combine fiscal promises with changes to the bodies that oversee environmental protection and planning in England. The conference setting means the announcements are political commitments rather than enacted policy, and the reporting so far offers few specifics on the size or timing of any tax reductions.
What to watch next: the shadow chancellor's conference speech, where the tax and regulation plans are expected to be set out in more detail.
