Budget 2013: Adam Afriyie Tells George Osborne Getting Growth Is 'Not Rocket Science'

Adam Afriyie Tells George Osborne Getting Growth Is 'Not Rocket Science'
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George Osborne has been told stimulating growth is not "rocket science" and that he must change economic direction in today's Budget or be seen as "wilfully stubbon" by voters.

Writing for The Huffington Post UK on Wednesday, Tory MP Adam Afriyie, who has been accused of plotting a leadership challenge against David Cameron, said people do not feel better off now than they did at the time the coalition came to power.

"We are now six years down the line from the start of the economic crisis. Six years is a long time. People have been very patient," he says.

"But now is the time for the government to think bigger, to take those calculated risks and to enact sensible business- friendly measures. Otherwise people will start to think we’re being wilfully stubborn."

"The acid test here is: do you feel much better off now than you did in 2010? No. You probably don’t. Do you feel much more optimistic; can you see an end in sight; do you think your ability to cope financially is appreciably better than in 2010? No. Possibly not. And that is a big problem."

Afriyie, the businessman and Windsor MP, has denied he has leadership ambitions however has had a higher profile since the alleged plot was exposed.

His plea for Osborne to do more to encourage growth mirrors that of many Tory backbench MPs who want to see the chancellor take more radical steps to kickstart the stagnated economy.

Setting out a series of policies he would like the chancellor to introduce, Afriyie says measures to foster growth are not "rocket science" nor was it "playing politics".

"The bottom line is that despite all our efforts, the economy is not growing fast enough. In fact we have almost zero growth. Implementing new bold policies that boost growth is not turning round, turning back or giving in," he says.

"It’s building on the good things we’ve already achieved, flexing to accommodate and respond to the current situation and taking Britain’s economy to the next level.

"In business, and in life, if something is not having the desired effect, you adapt it. Why should Governments behave any differently?"

Among the measures suggested by Afriyie are a holiday on capital gains tax (CGT) for business investments, the reduction in corporation tax to 12.5% and raising the individual tax allowance beyond £10,000.

Budget 2013
The Longest Ever Budget Speech(01 of10)
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William Gladstone delivered an epic Budget speech in 1853 that lasted four hours and 45 minutes. He was fuelled by a mixture of egg and sherry which he sipped throughout. (credit:Getty Images)
Alcohol In The Commons Chamber(02 of10)
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A Chancellor of the Exchequer delivering his Budget is the only person permitted to take alcohol into the Commons Chamber. (credit:Getty Images)
Winston Churchill(03 of10)
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Winston Churchill preferred to drink brandy when delivering his Budgets. (credit:AP)
First Televised Budget(04 of10)
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Thankfully, Gladstone's almost five hour Budget was not televised. That began back in 1990 with John Major's first and only speech.Nice glasses John...
The Very Old Briefcase (05 of10)
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George Osborne's first Budget speech also marked the last appearance of the famous battered old red briefcase. The Parliamentary stalwart was made for Gladstone way back in 1860 and had become too fragile to use. It is now displayed in the Churchill War Rooms in Whitehall. (credit:PA)
The Snappy Dresser(06 of10)
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Labour MP, Leo Abse, was known for his flamboyant dress sense and used to get suits specially tailored for the Budget. Here he is on Budget Day, 1969. (credit:PA)
A Dog Named Budget(07 of10)
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Chancellor of the Exchequer from '79-'83, Sir Geoffrey Howe, named his dog "Budget".Not a word of a lie.Here he is with Budget and his wife, Elspeth. (credit:PA)
The Budget One-Liner(08 of10)
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Not known for their humour, Chancellor Derick Heathcoat-Amory, managed the near impossible with the line:
"There are three things not worth running for - a bus, a woman or a new economic panacea. If you wait a bit, another one will come along.''
In 1960, Heathcoat-Amory collapsed mid-speech.
(credit:PA)
The Budget That Never Was(09 of10)
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Tory Iain Macleod, is the only Chancellor to have not delivered a speech, dying shortly after his appointment. (credit:PA)
What's In The Briefcase, Norman?(10 of10)
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You'd be forgiven for thinking the old Gladstone briefcase in this picture contained Norman Lamont's 1993 Budget speech, but you'd be wrong.It actually contained a bottle of whisky while an aide, by the name of William Hague (yes, that one) carried the speech to the chamber.Hague later said of the incident: "It would have been a major disaster if the bag had fallen open."Indeed. (credit:PA)