Businesses are struggling with the rising cost of employing staff under the current government.

When Labour increased employer National Insurance contributions – what many have called a new “jobs tax” – local employers immediately warned what that would mean. From high-street pubs and family-run cafés to local healthcare, logistics and start-ups, one message came through clearly: if it costs more to hire, fewer young people will get that crucial first chance at work.

It isn’t prejudice to recognise the reality. If a shop owner in Haslemere faces the same cost to hire a 23 year old with five years’ experience as an 18 year old fresh out of college, it’s obvious which way the decision will fall. In recent months, small businesses across our towns have had to cut back weekend shifts or stop taking on part-timers altogether. The result is fewer local opportunities – and young people losing the confidence, income and independence that come from work.

Across the constituency, the picture is mixed. Employment remains strong overall, yet too many people are outside the labour market altogether – and apprenticeship starts in our part of Hampshire have actually fallen, even as national numbers reach record highs. That should worry us. It means young people locally are not getting the same chances as their peers elsewhere, and small businesses are losing the next generation of skilled workers.

It is difficult to reconcile the rhetoric coming from No 10 with the reality being felt in our towns. The Government talks of fairness and opportunity, but its actions are pricing people out of work and employers out of confidence. As Labour’s “plan for change” continues to backfire, I am proud to welcome the fully funded, practical policies a future Conservative Government would bring forward.

Take the First Jobs Bonus – a policy that would let a young person starting work keep the first £5,000 of National Insurance they pay, savings they could put towards a home deposit or training. That’s a tangible way to help people build their future, not tax it away.

Equally important is the pledge to abolish Labour’s jobs tax, double apprenticeship funding, and restore 100 per cent business rates relief for shops, pubs and hospitality. For the pub in Bordon or Liphook deciding whether to keep its weekend staff, or the café in Farnham wondering if it can afford another trainee, that relief could be the difference between hiring and cutting back.

We’re fortunate to have a strong skills base locally, but we need national backing to thrive. The goal is simple: to make work pay, give young people a reason to stay, and ensure our local economy rewards those who take a chance on the next generation.