Hague backs Labour's IT policy

William Hague, leader of the Conservative Party, has revealed that he supports most of the Labour government's policies - at least as far as IT is concerned.

In an exclusive interview with Silicon.com, Hague said: "There is such a thing as an opposition IT policy, although we're happy to support the government generally for what they're doing. There isn't a fundamental policy divide on anything. But my part in the Conservative Party tends to focus on a philosophy of lower taxation and lighter regulation."

Perri 6, senior research fellow at the University of Strathclyde, was glad to see the Tories agree in part with the current government.

He said: "I think there are very large areas of agreement. I think in the field of competition and promoting British industry, British investment and enterprise, both parties are broadly committed to the same kind of production measures in the budget and the Conservatives' last few budgets showed the same sort of incentives and support."

Hague also pointed out that if it had been left in the care of the world's governments, the Web would not have grown to the level it has today.

He said: "We're very much on the look-out for over-regulation. We've got to remember the Internet has grown up in an extraordinarily democratic, almost chaotic fashion and if it had not been allowed to do so, it wouldn't have grown up at all. If a government had planned it, it wouldn't have happened. If a group of civil servants had sat in a room and planned it, it wouldn't be here."

This week's News in View programme is available in our Politics Channel (http://www.silicon.com/a36443 ).