Douglas Carswell's Blog

My favourite government policy? Apprenticeships

Did you know that a record half a million new apprenticeships started last year?

To me, that's not just a statistic.  Many of those who began apprenticeships are people in Clacton I know by name.

An apprenticeship gives young folk real skills. In a town where too many young people are not in education or employment, more apprenticeships are exactly what we need. It is easily my favourite government achievement.

Second favourite? Taking hundreds of local people out of income tax altogether by raising the threshold to £10,000. All those local people who got stung when Gordon Brown doubled the 10p rate to 20p are now exempt from income tax altogether.

I might have strong views about an In / Out referendum, immigration and the macro economy. But – despite what pundits in SW1 presume – having clearly defined views on those subjects does not exclude focusing on far more specific, bread and butter subjects.  

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