So Adrian Beecroft says he has been "taken aback" by the negative reaction to his report.
"I don't think the compromise we're talking about would have happened if I hadn't written the report," said the private equity boss.
Some Conservative MPs agree.
One PPS told me that his proposals were "too strong" - but that this was the intention.
"[Beecroft] is an outrider, you see," they said.
The suggestion is that by putting together a document that includes controversial measures such as "hire and fire" proposals - where managers can sack anyone in return for a cash payment - Beecroft had forced the business secretary and others to go further than they otherwise would.
There is a bundle of MPs in the Conservative Party who are highly critical of Vince Cable's approach as business secretary.
They feel that he is actually an obstacle to making the labour market more competitive (citing examples like describing Beecroft as "the wrong approach").
But they are fully aware that he cannot be moved from his post in BIS, especially since the Jeremy Hunt saga broke.
If David Cameron tried to move Vince out of BIS at a future reshuffle - perhaps after the Olympics - it would look like a reaction to the BSkyB debacle.
It would also reinforce the idea that the PM protects his friends at the sake of others.
So Vince stays, and the agitated rump in the Conservative Party will have to find another way to inject growth into SMEs.
But with 'watered down' red tape proposals, and slow progress on encouraging banks to lend to small businesses, growth may not come as fast as some in government hope.
In an interview with TP in 2009, Cable said that if he was chancellor and had six months to make a difference, he would start by being "proactive in making sure that the semi-nationalised and nationalised banks are lending to solid British companies".
That lending drive is still at the heart of his approach to business, and what he will continue to plug away at.
Comments
Be the first to comment on this article!