Cameron’s pledge to get rid of the red tape choking progress

Speaking to delegates at the annual CBI conference in London, he said: “When this country was at war in the 1940s, Whitehall underwent a revolution.

“Normal rules were circumvented. Convention was thrown out. As one historian put it, everything was thrown at – the overriding purpose – of beating Hitler.

“This country is in the economic equivalent of war today – and we need the same spirit. We need to forget about crossing every ‘t’ and dotting every ‘i’ and we need to throw everything we’ve got at winning in this global race.”

Mr Cameron told business leaders that opponents of planning decisions and policies would be given less time to apply for judicial review, face higher fees and see the chances to appeal halved.

In addition, Equality Impact Assessments will no longer be compulsory.

Mr Cameron said judicial review has become a “massive growth industry” which costs taxpayers too much money.

“We urgently need to get a grip on this,” he told delegates.

“So here’s what we’re going to do: reduce the time limit when people can bring cases; charge more for reviews – so people think twice about time-wasting.”

But Friends of the Earth’s executive director Andy Atkins said: “The planning system plays an important role in protecting our green and pleasant land. It mustn’t become a scapegoat for the Government’s economic failings.”

Ceri Goddard, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, added: “The clock is currently turning back on women’s rights and the Prime Minister has today abolished one of the key tools we have in place for not only defending them but for ensuring we make the most of women’s talents and potential in repairing the UK’s economy.”

Mr Cameron said the Equality Act was “not a bad piece of legislation”.

“But in Government we have taken the letter of this law and gone way beyond it, with Equality Impact Assessments for every decision we make.

“Let me be very clear. I care about making sure that Government policy never marginalises or discriminates.

“I care about making sure we treat people equally. But let’s have the courage to say it – caring about these things does not have to mean churning out reams of bureaucratic nonsense.

“We have smart people in Whitehall who consider equalities issues while they’re making the policy. We don’t need all this extra tick-box stuff.

“So I can tell you today, we are calling time on Equality Impact Assessments. You no longer have to do them if these issues have been properly considered.”

Business Secretary Vince Cable told delegates that the Government needs to encourage more young people into engineering,

Mr Cable said he was pressing ahead with plans to reverse constraints on skills that have resulted from a historic “serious lack of investment”.

He said apprenticeships only covered a “modest proportion” of students, so the UK “badly needed” a system of training that dealt better with youngsters not in education, employment or training.

The minister announced that a scheme set up to match jobs with engineers leaving the defence sector is being extended to cover universities, so that students can search for jobs – effectively an “eBay for talent”.

Stephen Radley, director of policy at the EEF manufacturers’ organisation, said: “A recent EEF survey shows that almost seven in 10 of our members are currently experiencing recruitment problems because of candidates’ lack of technical skills.”

[email protected]