Conference hears Rupert Soames suggest businesses will forgive NICs rise if other policies are tweaked

The chair of the Confederation of British Industry, Rupert Soames, has accused the government of treating employers as a “cash cow” in last month’s budget, and urged ministers to water down plans for workers’ rights.

“It’s been tough on business. In the budget, business has been the cash cow and it’s been milked. Don’t go and whack it,” Soames said at the CBI’s annual conference in Westminster.