Walker criticised an increase to national insurance contributions (NICs) from April that he said had “added greatly to the cost of business”, and said that the expansion of Heathrow airport and more building projects between Cambridge and Oxford would not benefit many firms in the medium term.
Walker said he wanted the government to reform the planning system to make building faster – including for Iceland’s planned new supermarkets – to show that the Labour party would be better for economic growth.
Walker, son of Iceland founder Malcolm Walker, quit the Conservative party and abandoned his ambitions to become an MP in October 2023 in protest at its “inability to deliver” and support business under Rishi Sunak.
The chair of the food retailer Iceland, Richard Walker, has given the Labour government only “six out of 10” for its record so far, after switching support to the party a year ago.
Walker said Labour needed to do more to help firms investing now, rather than projects that may take decades to be completed, he told the Financial Times.
