Simon Saunders

Executive Director, Prosper UK. One Nation, Liberal Tory.

[Prosper UK @Prosper_UK_]

We heard it again in Liverpool.

At our roundtable with @DowntownBusines, businesses were clear: they want to invest, hire and grow.

But high taxes, rising employment costs, planning delays and skills gaps are holding them back.

Policy should not just be written in meeting rooms in London. It should be shaped by the people creating jobs, taking risks and trying to get Britain growing again.

[Gavin Barwell @GavinBarwell]

Really good to see @KemiBadenoch calling @Nigel_Farage out for his disgraceful remarks last night - whilst at the same time making it clear what needs to change in the light of the appalling police treatment of Henry Nowak. This is what leadership looks like

[Prosper UK @Prosper_UK_]

Prosper UK is on the road, listening to businesses and communities across the UK.

In Liverpool, we heard real energy and ambition.

But place after place, time after time, the same barriers come up: high taxes, rising employment costs and poor access to finance.

Manchester, Newcastle and Guildford are next.

Find an event near you: https://t.co/u3oCuSgbn0

[David Gauke @DavidGauke]

I didn’t vote for either of the winners of the last two General Elections but “traitors” for whom a “reckoning is coming”? Really? This very excitable, angry & hyperbolic man should be nowhere near a position of responsibility in a political party that aspires to power.

[Prosper UK @Prosper_UK_]

People can renew a passport in minutes.

So why are so many other public services still slow, clunky and hard to navigate?

Our latest roundtable looked at how technology can cut frustration for citizens and waste for taxpayers.

Better public services need better policy. That is what Prosper UK is here to build.

[Prosper UK @Prosper_UK_]

The 2019 coalition has left the station.

The Conservative Party will not rebuild by trying to recreate it. And Chasing Reform risks shrinking the party further.

The opportunity now is to build a broad, pro-growth, centre-right coalition focused on living standards and competence.

As @gavinbarwell pointed out here

https://t.co/e8ZZ9cFCbM

[David Gauke @DavidGauke]

A good explanation of why the Reform “overtime tax cut” is a very bad policy.

[Prosper UK @Prosper_UK_]

In Edinburgh, we heard the same message from businesses, researchers, retailers and supporters.

The UK has huge strengths, but too often we make it harder than it needs to be to grow.

So how do we deliver?

By listening beyond Westminster, working with people who understand the real economy, and turning practical ideas into a pro-growth agenda for the UK.

[Prosper UK @Prosper_UK_]

We went to Birmingham to speak to the businesses and experts trying to get homes built.

The message was clear: demand is there, ambition is there, but too many projects are being held back by uncertainty, slow planning, regulation and viability challenges.

Read our latest report.

https://t.co/MkdXOn8COa

[Prosper UK @Prosper_UK_]

If Conservatives want to win again, the focus has to be on the things people actually notice: jobs, welfare, council tax, social care, schools and whether young people can get on in life.

That is where serious politics has to start.

Sir Tony Baldry for Prosper UK.

https://t.co/ncRoJkehke

[David Gauke @DavidGauke]

All those calling for a Reform/Conservative pact should note this.

[Prosper UK @Prosper_UK_]

At our retail roundtable in Scotland, we heard what they actually need: tackle retail crime, lower costs, and a serious plan for business rates.

That is how you back the high street, not gimmick policies.

https://t.co/yFh9fO7fIM

[Jackie Doyle-Price @JackieDP]

I have spent my entire life fighting Labour but nothing would ever entice me to vote reform to defeat them. When I cast my vote I do so positively for the Conservative Party. Reform are miles apart from my politics. These colleagues are very wrong

[Gavin Barwell @GavinBarwell]

I find myself agreeing with @DavidGHFrost (although he can relax - I am confident that we disagree about how to resolve the contradiction)

[David Gauke @DavidGauke]

Spot on from @GavinBarwell.

[Gavin Barwell @GavinBarwell]

Just got an email from the Conservative HQ about last week's elections entitled "We're back". This is a pretty optimistic take given we came fifth in Scotland, fourth in Wales and lost another 563 councillors in England. For a most honest assessment see https://t.co/Ohg0nEdwmx

[David Lidington @DLidington]

Actually John, Theresa May rejected the idea of trade barriers between NI and GB when the European Commission proposed it. It was Boris Johnson who changed the UK's position & accepted what the Commission wanted. B

[Prosper UK @Prosper_UK_]

Cardiff. Birmingham. Edinburgh.

Politics works better when it listens to the people and businesses driving the country forward, not just the Westminster bubble.

This summer, we are going further, Manchester, Newcastle, Exeter and more.