There are current 5.9 million people not in full time employment in the UK. This is a disgrace on every level. It is an economic disaster, a social nightmare and more importantly a complete waste of the talent, skills and abilities of the people of this country.

We in the UK Independence Party are committed to creating jobs, not just any jobs, but good quality well paid jobs.

Since Labour came to power in 1997 they have created just over 2 million new jobs ( all in the public sector) yet according to the Office of National Statistics 1.4 million of those jobs have been filled by overseas workers. During the same period private sector jobs have collapsed due to over regulation, European directives, onerous business and payroll taxes as well as increased business rates.

In order to promote more jobs we will remove the burden of red tape from small and medium sized businesses , we will put in place tax and investment incentives to establish new businesses. Ukip are especially keen to grow our successful manufacturing, engineering and electronics businesses. We are proposing a scheme called Leopard to held small manufacturing business with research and development and to help with export access to overseas markets.

We aim to invest in upgrading and extending the rail network, short to medium term construction of a network of new nuclear power stations and longer term as the technology develops the creation of clean coal, tidal and other sources of renewable energy production.

How are we going to fund this? There are currently 2,547 separately operated business “support” schemes costing almost £1.4 billion. These will be rationalised. The Tax Payers Alliance estimate that British business is incurring unnecessary overhead costs of between £50 and £80 billion per year due to European legislation and red tape. This will end. As a country we also pay £45 million per day to belong to the EU, this also will end.

Of course some of the biggest benefits to society of creating more jobs is to take people off of welfare ( welfare payments annually now cost more than we get in from income tax!), to give people money in their pockets to spend and of course to increase tax revenues from more people being in work. Under UK Independence we will introduce a flat tax ( including NI ) of 32% with the first £10 k ( rising to cover the minimum wage) exempt from income tax. This is without the added benefit of lowering the cost of ill health, crime and antisocial behaviour caused by the misery of unemployment.

For more information:

• UKIP ASHFORD