By the time Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers her Budget tomorrow, the whole country will surely be relieved it’s all over.
It has had one of the longest gestation periods in British politics. It is four months since the election – the biggest gap following a change of government since 1979.
But voters should care. Because since the election, Labour has changed its tune on who will pay £35billion in tax hikes.
The party’s pledge not to raise taxes on ‘working people’ helped it win power.
It’s increasingly clear, however, that the Government defines ‘working people’ only as trade union members and the public sector. Everyone else should prepare to have their pockets picked to boost public services.
‘Honesty is really important,’ Sir Keir Starmer says. But it’s incontrovertible that Labour has lied and lied about its tax plans.
The party may learn the hard way that there are few things the public loathe more than having their intelligence insulted (pictured: Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer)
In true socialist fashion, the burden will fall on those who have had the gumption to work hard, better themselves, grow their savings, invest and pay into pension pots.
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And what will it achieve? Very little, that’s what. Indeed, the Health Secretary admits that despite billions of extra pounds set to be splurged on the NHS, patients are unlikely to see any improvements.
The Government seems hopelessly unaware that, combined with more red tape and business costs, record-high taxes are the polar opposite of a growth strategy – they are the engines of economic destruction.
‘Honesty is really important,’ Sir Keir Starmer says. But it’s incontrovertible that Labour has lied and lied about its tax plans.
The party may learn the hard way that there are few things the public loathe more than having their intelligence insulted.
Shame of an MP
It’s difficult to believe the reputation of our unimpressive political class could sink any lower in the public’s eyes.
Yet, invariably, it has. We now have a Labour MP under police investigation for attacking a constituent like some yobbo.
CCTV footage shows Mike Amesbury thumping the man to the ground in the early hours of Saturday. The MP claims to have felt ‘threatened’, but sucker-punching someone is highly dangerous – potentially causing severe injuries and even death.
Pictured: Mike Amesbury MP who has had the Labour whip suspended pending an investigation into footage that appeared to show him punching a man to the ground
Such aggressive behaviour is unbecoming of anyone – let alone a lawmaker.
So it’s hardly surprising Mr Amesbury – suspended by Labour – is facing growing calls to quit his Runcorn seat.
By his own standards, perhaps he should. During a Commons debate on the violence blighting this country, he warned thugs: ‘It should be made clear that verbal or physical assaults will result in prosecution.’
If Mr Amesbury has done wrong, he must face the full force of the law.
MPs are meant to fight for their constituents, not fight with them.
Child maintenance
Britain’s plummeting birth rate is not just some statistical curio – it could dramatically alter the way we live.
The average woman now has 1.44 children – wholly insufficient to sustain population growth without mass migration.
Women of childbearing age have, on average, only had 1.44 children each as of 2023, according to a report from the Office of National Statistics. This is the lowest level recorded since records began in 1938
The economic implications are obvious. A shrinking workforce and an ageing population will put almost impossible pressure on public finances.
Rising housing and childcare costs mean many young people feel they cannot afford to have children. Women increasingly seek careers and independence.
Yet no country in history has emerged from the grip of long-term falling birth rates.
The Government must urgently think about what it can do to tackle this problem. Britain’s future depends on it.
