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As the country goes to the polls to decide on the next government, many bystanders in the contracting industry have stepped forward to give their views on the political climate that faces the typical client of a Contractor Accountants over the next few years. One of the latest is Simon McVicker, director of policy and external affairs at the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE), who described the 7th May vote as the toughest to call that he had ever experienced. He commented: "Whatever happens, we've got to work with the government that the people decide they want. However, as we have seen in other European countries such as France, even if an anti-business government is elected, it cannot stop the rise in self-employment." McVicker added that although the opportunity for bodies like IPSE to influence the political parties' key messages in the run-up to the election had now passed, the organisation could reflect on good relations with all of the main parties. He cited the example of an IPSE Magazine issue that featured bold pledges of action for the self-employed from David Cameron, Nick Clegg, Nicola Sturgeon, Nigel Farage and Natalie Bennett. But he expressed his disappointment at the Labour Party's non-participation, explaining: "We had good relations with Labour up to the election announcement. The party has downplayed the whole issue [of self-employment] because the trades unions are very concerned by the rise of self-employment." Although contracting has not been one of the hot topics of the election overall, the main parties have nonetheless come to an encouraging consensus on measures to help independent professionals. These include Prime Minister David Cameron's backing for a small business conciliation service, as included in the IPSE Manifesto, as well as an emphasis on late payment and the prompt payment code where Labour and the Conservatives have found common ground. There has also been consensus around the opening up of procurement to enable the winning of government contracts by smaller firms, in addition to improvement to infrastructure such as mobile coverage, broadband and transport links like HS2. McVicker reminded those using a Contractor Accountants London that "It is important to review all election pledges in context in the round. One manifesto pledge might mean something positive for contractors. But another might damage big business to the extent that contractors' client base is affected and there is less work." He also noted that no party had committed to reviewing IR35. Looking at the landscape ahead for contractors post-election, McVicker concluded: "Generally, people feel that the economy is improving and it would be disappointing to throw away everything that has been achieved over the last four years. "We believe that the rise in self-employment will continue whoever is in government after the election, and any future government will have to recognise this."
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