This one move would transform the UK economy - Labour is too weak to do it

It is becoming harder and harder for young people to get on the housing ladder. With high prices, high mortgage rates and a set of grating taxes, a whole generation is stuck renting. That doesn't do any of us any good. When people aren't secure for the long term, it makes it hard to build communities.

As a Conservative, I cannot accept this. Aspiration is at the heart of Conservatism. And so is community. We believe people who work hard, save, and support their communities deserve the chance to get on in life. Home ownership is core to that belief. But this Labour Government keeps putting obstacles in the way.

Earlier this year, they ditched the higher thresholds we introduced. In doing so, they forced thousands more first-time buyers into paying stamp duty.

Stamp duty is a fundamentally un-Conservative tax. It stops people moving and puts a block on the housing market. That's why I called for stamp duty to be scrapped when I ran for the Conservative leadership.

And I'm delighted, but not surprised, that Kemi decided to make this a key part of our plans for government. Getting rid of stamp duty won't just help people buying and selling - it will bring an enormous boost to the small businesses at the heart of our communities and help build a stronger economy.

Every time a home is sold, it sets off a positive chain reaction - removal vans, decorators, builders.

New owners buy furniture, appliances, household goods, and that spend tends to be with local businesses. Our analysis shows abolishing stamp duty could generate £1.2billion for local businesses.

Analysis suggests the average cost of moving home is £6,506 for a first-time buyer. When combined with additional expenditure such as new furniture, painting and decorating, this could rise to over £16,000 - providing a significant financial boost for local businesses.

But after Rachel Reeves's tax grabs and with prices still rising, those very businesses could really do with this kind of boost. Conservatives know that when people move, spend and invest, the whole economy benefits.

Labour just want to tax more - but we want to back working people and the businesses that keep Britain moving.

But stamp duty stands in the way. It forces people to stay put and shelve their plans to buy and model their dream homes, putting their futures on hold indefinitely.

Research by estate agents suggests 2.8million people would consider downsizing in the next five years if stamp duty were abolished or cut. That would free up a huge amount of housing without a single new brick being laid.

Yet Reeves seems to want the opposite - more people unable to sell their homes and move into smaller ones, because of tax.

That's Labour for you - their instinct is always to take more of your money and wrap you up in red tape. The party's weak leadership lacks the backbone to face down the high-tax demands of their Left-wing backbenchers.

All the statistics coming out of our economy are dire. Inflation up, unemployment up, borrowing up, growth non-existent.

Yet Labour think they can fix it by making ordinary people pay more - even though many are already struggling.

Of course, abolishing stamp duty isn't a silver bullet. We need to make other changes to our housing market too, and crucially we need to build new homes. Immigration has added huge pressures to the housing stock, and we can't just ignore that.

But our plan to ditch stamp duty shows we are prepared to take the serious, radical decisions necessary to help ordinary families across the country realise their goals - and to get Britain growing again.

Labour is too weak to do something this bold. It is clear we are the only party with the plan and the team to deliver a stronger economy.

As part of that plan, we have launched a new campaign - Scrap Stamp Duty Now - with Kemi Badenoch calling on Rachel Reeves to put the national interest first and copy our policy to scrap it at the November Budget. We have started a petition you can add

your name to: conservatives.com/scrap-stamp-duty

If you want to work hard, succeed, and provide for your family, we Conservatives are on your side.