The Secretary of State, Theresa Villiers, was guest speaker last week, at a dinner in Comber for leading business figures, hosted by the Strangford Conservative Association. Ms Villiers enthusiastically endorsed Mr Johnny Andrews as the prospective Westminster parliamentary Conservative candidate, describing him as “the man to get things done for Strangford”.
In a wide ranging speech she described how the Stormont House Agreement was building confidence, forcing Stormont parties to live within their means and reforming the welfare system.
The Secretary of State also hailed local Conservatives for driving the campaign to devolve powers to lower corporation tax. The measure, delivered by the government, will help Northern Ireland “towards a more enterprise orientated economy”. She emphasized the need to ensure local businesses become more globally competitive in advance of devolving the powers, in 2017, and work hard to recognise and sell Northern Ireland’s unique selling propositions.
She acknowledged that progress was slow on legacy issues like flags and parades, but observed that the next generation were much more interested in their economic opportunities and the chance to sell Northern Ireland's often misunderstood natural advantages.
During round table discussions, local businessmen raised issues which they felt are impacting Northern Ireland’s competitiveness. Air Passenger Duty, VAT on the hospitality industry and problems with red tape and the planning system were discussed.
Johnny Andrews praised the Secretary of State’s hard work and said that she had “really delivered with this agreement.’
“It is essential for Northern Ireland we elect a majority Conservative Government to protect and deliver Stormont House. We need to focus on jobs, skills, business and enterprise to drive the economy. A competitive economy is essential for the private sector to ensure more private sector investment in new jobs and skills‘