Today, two of the major UK business organisations delivered more good news on the economy. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) announced the best UK growth figures in May since 2003, and the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) upgraded its forecast to 3.1 per cent for 2014, the highest rate since the 2007 crisis.
This means more jobs and higher incomes, another step up the economic league tables and it is an endorsement of the government's economic policies. The future just got brighter for Britain.
The danger ahead
But there is a storm cloud on the horizon; one that will undoubtedly lead to more bust than boom and risk plunging Britain back into recession though a flood of borrowing and reckless spending.
The possibility of a Labour government at the next General Election is the danger. A Labour win in 2015 would see a torrent of spending on an epic scale. Current indications are that we will see renationalisation, the return of state intervention in private business and the rerun of 1970s' economic policies. The economy will suffer and businesses will close down or move abroad. People will lose their jobs, taxes will fall and public services will have to be cut.
This is because Ed Miliband and Labour are not fond of wealth creators. If it was up to them, entrepreneurs who started their own businesses from scratch wouldn't be given the support they needed. If Labour gets into power, wealthy foreign investors will be pilloried and driven out of the UK, starving our businesses of vital funding. UK companies needs investment to develop new technology, innovation and expansion. Without inward investment, they will wither and die, taking thousands of jobs with them to the grave.
What can we do?
The simple answer is to vote Conservative. But I know that at the moment there are many small-c conservatives who are considering voting for others, and that's understandable, but it does put the UK in the Labour-victory danger zone. That's why I urge everyone in the conservative family to vote Conservative in Newark next week and in the General Election in 2015.
Yes, I want an EU referendum. I wanted one this year and worked hard to achieve that aim. But we will have one in 2017 if the Conservative Party wins a majority. Yes, I want better controls on immigration. But we can only secure those controls with a Conservative majority. If Labour wins in 2015 they will prevent an EU referendum and immigration will spiral out of control, even faster than before. The danger is real, and it's getting closer by the day.
If everyone who holds small-c conservative values votes Conservative in 2015, we will win and the prosperity we are starting to see will continue to grow. If the Conservatives win, more young entrepreneurs will start world-beating businesses; more investors will choose to put their money in Britain and more quality jobs will be created in every area of the UK. If we all vote Conservative, the growth figures will continue to rise. If Labour wins in 2015 there is only one possible outcome: Britain will be the poor man of Europe once again.
Because, unlike Labour, the Conservatives have a long term economic plan. We will keep our focus on simpler flatter taxes so people have more of their own money and businesses create more productive jobs. We will make sure the UK one of the best places to start a business so Britain continues to rise in the global economic rankings.
The future looks bright and I can see a day when investments in public infrastructure are paid for from surpluses and private money as in the glory days of the 1800s. So let's not risk it. Let's not let Labour drag us down. Conservatives must pull together and continue the growth that's driving Britain to the top once again.