As a Labour MP, I believe those who can work should work. In his budget, the Chancellor announced “universal support”, which he described as a new approach to helping more people with disabilities into work. He has yet to tell us how he plans to fund “universal support”, an issue I raised in the budgetContinue reading Compassion and Fairness
It’s good news that the nurses have received a pay offer which will hopefully mean no more strikes. They are the last people who should be driven to taking such drastic action. It is shocking, however, that the money for their pay settlement will have to be found from existing NHS budgets at the sameContinue reading Rewards for the Rich
I wrote this column before the Chancellor’s speech but, thanks to pre-budget leaks, the content is hardly a state secret. He has more money to play with than anticipated and is likely to target areas where opinion polls show Labour taking a lead. He’ll relax staff/child ratios for nurseries. It’s been done in Scotland withContinue reading Finding Holes in the Budget
Einstein was wrong, it is possible to travel faster than the speed of light. I’m inclined to believe it as I look at the Tories rushing around trying to blame anyone but themselves for the crisis they’ve created. Jeremy Hunt, the fourth Chancellor since July, is promising to steady the ship by cancelling tax cutsContinue reading IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE
The Chancellor of the Exchequer gave a statement in the House of Commons on 24 September announcing economic support measures for the next 6 months, including: Replacing the furlough scheme with a new Job Support Scheme starting in November, which will support businesses and employees who have lost hours due to the pandemic. There willContinue reading Chancellor’s proposals Sticking Plaster not a Plan for the Future
