For once Rachel Reeves came across as human, but clearly out of her depth. Her last budget hit small businesses hard.Take money from the poorest, another hit.
We need
It used to be called a Budget, now it’s a Spring Statement. The Budget is now what was the Autumn Statement. Why this rearrangement of the deckchairs on the Titanic I’ve no idea.
The Autumn Budget was a bloody disaster. The Spring Statement only serves to make matters worse.
Economically illiterate Rachel Reeves is not only a disaster, she’s evil. Not satisfied with robbing pensioners of their winter Fuel Allowance, she’s now taking money from the poor and disabled.
I could not stomach listening to or watching the Spring Statement.
I was in Nottingham Friday last week. The streets were empty, the coffee shops and restaurants empty. Fear, fear of what would be in the Spring Statement, when already suffering from the Cost of Living Crisis.
People I speak to, regardless of political affiliation, have nothing but contempt for Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves.
They both have to go before they inflict further damage on the country.
Donald Trump showed his contempt for the UK. 25% tariffs on cars exported to the US. The US accounts for 18% of UK car exports.
The political influence Keir Starmer has on Donald Trump. Nil.
April the impact of Autumn Budget 2024 will kick in.
Less money in the local economy, job losses.
Cuts to Welfare, less money in the local economy.
250,000 people including 50,000 children, pushed into poverty.
Fiscal Rules are meaningless.
Decide what we need to spend, then where do we get the money from.
Not, we need to save £5 billion, let’s cut Welfare, let’s hit the poor, sick and disabled.
And not even necessary.
– wealth tax
– carbon tax
– hike top two income tax rates
– ultra processed food tax
– Big Tech revenue tax
When is Rachel Reeves going? She is clearly on borrowed time.
Rachel from Accounts claimed she worked ss an economist at a bank. She did not.
She lied about her time at the Bank of England. She claimed she was there for a decade. It was five years, less if take off leave of absence for a Masters Degree.
Her staff got the blame for incorrect biography on social media. Is she so incompetent she can’t write her own entry? So incompetent that she fails to check what has been written in her own name?
Under investigation at the bank for misuse of a corporate credit card. Used to buy expensive gifts for herself, friends and colleagues. She claims to know nothing about it. And yet common knowledge amongst her former colleagues. Why did she need a lawyer when she left the bank?
A pattern of dishonesty emerging.
She abused her MP’ credit card and had it suspended. £4000 debt for personal expenditure.
She has brought these same bad habits into government. Accepting gifts. Then claiming it was a mistake recorded as office expenditure. And once again blaming her staff.
Most businesses would have fired her. Many will fire on the spot if caught lying on a CV. In the US, a criminal offence if lie for a Federal post.
Her Budget last Autumn an unmitigated disaster.
And it doesnt stop there.
Trash the environment in the name of growth , expand airports, relax planning restrictions.
There was not a hint of social or economic justice in this budget. — Richard Murphy
Ten minutes of waffle.
£40 billion tax rise, more than half of which will fall on business with a hike in National Insurance contributions, in other words a tax on employing people.
£20 billion carbon capture. Spaffing money up a wall. Keeping Big Oil in business. Should have been spent on protection and enhancement of carbon sinks, regenerative agriculture, rewilding.
Demonising those on benefits. Target tax dodging.
Increase minimum wage. Long overdue.
Businesses that pay poverty wages lack a viable business model.
Increase in Carers Allowance.
A big mistake not to increase fuel duty.
Bus fares to rise from £2 a trip to £3 a trip.
Where are the measures to address climate change?
Loading NI wrong. More than half of the £40 billion tax to be raised. A tax on employing workers. Will lead to reduced hours and job losses. Tax increases have to be fair. Should have increased corporation tax.
If wanted to help small businesses kill the BIDs. The BID Levy is killing struggling local businesses. BIDs are parasitical entities on local businesses.
Hike soft drinks levy
Lost opportunity. Ultra-processed food should be taxed.
APD should be replaced with a levy on flights.
Wrong reduce tax on draught beer served in pubs.
Wrong to cap Corporation Tax. Too low. It should be increased
Long overdue abolish non dom status. But to be replaced by a fix.
More funding for defence and Ukraine
Increased funding for local authorities.
To support the High Street and local businesses, scrap BIDs.
Reduce Right to Buy discount and reinvest in new council housing. Long overdue.
Invest in rail. But rail fares to be hiked by more than double the rate of inflation.
The three point plan for the NHS is to privatise the NHS.
The Budget was a tragic lost opportunity. Apart from increase in Carers Allowance, raise in minimum wage, lacked social justice. Nothing to deal with climate or health, nothing on social care, nothing on not scrapping Winter Fuel Allowance. Will be very damaging to small farms when passed on to the next generation.
What we should have seen
The budget will leave no improvement in living standards.
No sooner had the Chancellor sat down, the Budget began to unravel, hard hit employers with risk of cuts to hours or loss of jobs, care homes for the elderly and family farms when the farm passes from one generation to the next.
Should the slogan for Labour during the General Election not have been …
It certainly wasn’t, Vote Labour and it will get worse.
People are waking up to the fact they have been betrayed by Keir Starmer and Labour.
We cannot say we did not warn you, you were warned by Novara Media, by Owen Jones, by myself.
Labour have refused to lift the Child Benefit cap beyond two children. The half a dozen Labour MPs of integrity who voted against the cap, John McDonnell et al, were immediately suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party.
Pensioners who are not in receipt of Pension Credits will be stripped of their Winter Fuel Payments. Hypocrite Labour MPs voted to deny the elderly of their Winter Fuel Payments.
We did not need a report by Labour to tell us the NHS was on its knees. Try seeing your doctor let alone a consultant or pay a visit to A&E especially on a Friday night.
The response of Keir Starmer, no more money for the NHS.
The post-WWII Labour government , the country in ruins, did not say, no money, they found the money and created the NHS and the Welfare State. Children were better off than their parents. Now children are worse off than their parents.
If we look to Europe, they fund their health services.
There is the money, a 2% Wealth Tax would raise £24 billion.
We need to do more to lessen the societal costs to the NHS.
Deal with binge drinking bars. One warning, then closure.
Open Walk in Clinics. Lincoln used to have a Walk in Clinic. It was closed, leading to additional pressure on A&E.
Free Social Care. Not rob people of their life savings to pay for social care.
Extend No Smoking areas.
Tackle ultra-processed food. There is to be a ban on TV advertising before 9pm. There should be a ban on advertising, on sponsorship of sporting and cultural events. A warning on all ultra-processed food. A tax on ultra-processed food. A presumption against granting planning consent for junk food outlets.
Cutting Winter Fuel Payments will lead to many more elderly needing hospital visits.
Please sign and share the 38 Degrees petition calling for increased NHS funding and action.
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