Tories to Promise Sweeping Deregulation, Tax Cuts and Housebuilding Savings at Party Conference

Conservative shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith is preparing to set out an ambitious economic programme that he will present as the most far-reaching deregulation effort Britain has seen in a generation. Speaking on the second day of the party's conference in Birmingham, Griffith intends to frame his agenda around lowering taxes, reducing bureaucratic obstacles and bringing down the cost of building homes. The speech marks an attempt by the opposition to sharpen its economic message as it continues to recover from a heavy general election defeat in 2024.

Griffith will be joined by a series of shadow ministers who are expected to fill in the details of the proposals over the course of the day. Together, the announcements are designed to show that the Conservatives have a coherent plan ready should voters return them to power at the next general election. After the party's historic loss in 2024, its leadership has been working to rebuild public trust, particularly on economic management, an area where opponents have repeatedly attacked the Conservatives' record in office between 2010 and 2024.

According to the plans, a Conservative government would seek to abolish both Natural England and the Environment Agency, transferring their responsibilities to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The party has criticised the two bodies, arguing that Natural England has slowed housebuilding and that the Environment Agency has hampered flood prevention work. Defra would take on their functions under the proposed shake-up, a change the Conservatives say would streamline decision-making and remove obstacles to development.

Housing is central to the package. The Conservatives intend to scrap environmental and energy efficiency regulations, including the future homes standard, as part of an effort to reduce the cost of delivering a new home by as much as £50,000. The party believes those savings could eventually be passed on to buyers, easing affordability pressures in a market that has long been criticised for sluggish supply. The proposals reflect a broader argument among Conservative figures that regulatory requirements, however well intentioned, have added significantly to construction costs without delivering proportionate benefits.

The party also plans to replace the existing system of developer contributions with a single levy. At present, section 106 agreements and the Community Infrastructure Levy require developers to fund local projects and services when building plans move forward. The Conservatives argue that this patchwork approach causes delays and leads to money being spent inefficiently. A unified charge, they contend, would speed up the process and ensure that funds are directed more effectively to the benefit of residents in areas where development takes place.

Business costs are another target. The Conservatives would scrap the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme, which obliges companies to cover the cost of collecting, recycling and disposing of the packaging they produce. The party describes the scheme as a burden on firms and claims that removing it could help reduce the cost of the weekly shop. Retailers and manufacturers have frequently complained about the administrative and financial demands of such schemes, though environmental groups have argued that producer responsibility is essential to reducing waste and improving recycling rates.

On infrastructure, Griffith is expected to commit a future Conservative government to doing whatever it takes to end delays and increase capacity at Heathrow Airport by backing a third runway. Expansion plans were abandoned by the Conservative-led coalition government in 2010, and the issue has remained politically contentious ever since. Former chancellor Rachel Reeves championed the runway as a means of boosting economic growth after Labour took power, but Prime Minister Andy Burnham has declined to say whether he supports the project since entering Downing Street, describing it as principally a matter for London and Londoners.

Griffith will use his speech to draw sharp contrasts with the government. He is expected to say that no one else is coming to save the economy and that only the Conservatives can inject reality, tell hard truths and build a country worth handing to the next generation. He will accuse Burnham of pursuing a socialist fever dream of the 1970s, while insisting that his own party is focused on cheaper homes, lower taxes and less red tape. The language signals a deliberate attempt to position the Conservatives as the party of economic realism and deregulation.

The conference follows the publication by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch of a 100-page document setting out her guiding principles and explaining how the party would govern if it won the next general election. That document, alongside Griffith's speech, forms part of a wider effort to present a policy platform that is both distinctive and credible. The Conservatives have faced sustained criticism from rivals over their economic record in government, and the leadership is keen to move the conversation onto its plans for the future rather than its past.

The government has offered its own economic framing. Chancellor John Healey said last week that all promises made by the administration would be built on the rock of fiscal discipline, and that the Budget on 28 October would give families and businesses a bit of breathing space. The contrasting messages set up a clear political battle over tax, spending and regulation, with the Conservatives arguing that the burden on business and households is too high and the government insisting that stability must come first.

Opposition parties were quick to dismiss the Conservative proposals. Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said the Conservatives had cemented their position as a pointless anti-growth, anti-business party by rejecting closer ties with Europe. She argued that no one could take the party seriously on the economy given what she described as a litany of fantasy-land financial pledges. The criticism highlights the difficulty the Conservatives face in persuading voters that their plans are fully costed and deliverable.

Reform UK also attacked the announcements. Economy spokesman Robert Jenrick accused the Conservatives of once again copying Reform's policies, adding that the Tories were unable to match his party's pledge to raise the tax-free personal allowance to £15,000. The exchange reflects the intensifying competition on the right of British politics, where Reform has sought to outflank the Conservatives on tax and immigration, forcing the larger party to respond with bold-sounding commitments of its own.

Whether the package succeeds in shifting public opinion remains uncertain. The proposals combine deregulation, tax reduction and planning reform, all of which have long been debated in Westminster but rarely delivered in full. Supporters argue that the measures would unlock growth, accelerate housebuilding and ease the cost of living. Critics counter that weakening environmental protections and scrapping established levies could carry significant long-term costs, particularly for local services and the natural environment, and that the savings promised may prove difficult to achieve in practice.

For now, the conference speeches will serve as the clearest signal yet of the direction the Conservatives intend to take. Griffith's address, alongside the contributions of his shadow ministerial colleagues, is intended to demonstrate that the party has both the ideas and the determination to govern again. With the next general election still some way off, the coming months will determine whether these announcements are remembered as the foundation of a credible recovery or simply as another set of pledges that never reached the statute book.