Over their 13 years in power Labour strangled Britain's high streets with red tape. This Government is now slashing scores of regulations to help businesses grow.
As part of the Red Tape Challenge, unveiled by the Cabinet Office, local high streets will be among the first to benefit from the Government's plan to remove the rules and regulations holding back British firms.
In addition, the Department for Communities and Local Government this week announced plans to simplify Whitehall planning guidance, including a 'town centre first' approach whereby town centres should be recognised by councils as being at the heart of communities and that local authorities should pursue policies that support the viability and vitality of town centres.
Labour's plans to 'revive the High Street' - which include an massive unfunded cut in VAT - are a vain attempt to hide the damage left by their planning regulations, rises in business rates and the Whitehall-imposed changes to licensing laws.
Labour's repeated call for a cut in VAT has been labelled as 'crazy' by the Financial Times.
Local Government Minister Greg Clark said: "We will not take lectures from Labour about the high streets that they spent years undermining when in office. Labour's planning rules hiked up parking charges; they raised business rates by stealth and their licensing laws made towns less safe at night, driving people away.
"In addition to ripping up the red tape on businesses, this Government has scrapped Whitehall rules on town centres, doubled small business rate relief for two years and is giving councils more powers to tackle late-night antisocial behaviour."