The new Labour Government has scrapped winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners – and is blaming the Conservatives. There is a massive black hole in all Labour's proposals, which the Conservatives warned before the election would result in tax increases. Before the Election Ms Reeves said, “We will not raise taxes on working people.” We later learned of Labour’s own idiosyncratic and very narrow definition of ‘working people’. Now it appears to be an even narrower definition; one which excludes people above a certain age, even if they are still economically active. In the UK around 1.5 million people above pensionable age are still in employment: contributing their experience and energies to the economy and to their communities at a time of national skills shortages and huge gaps in the workforce. There is probably no-one in South Suffolk who does not personally know many such people, thousands of whom are still showing such commitment well into their seventies, eighties and even beyond, giving rather than taking. Now they are to be plundered by the new Chancellor. Is it not ironic that the newly governing party seems to have forgotten the meaning of its own name?
Labour’s claims that they have inherited the worst set of circumstances since the Second World War. To prove them wrong, you don't have to go back as far as 1945 – only to 2010.
- When we took over from Labour in 2010 unemployment was at 8.0%. In 14 years, it was nearly halved by our government to 4.4%
- In 2010 the deficit was at 10.3% of GDP thanks to Labour's reckless borrowing. It's now at 4.4%, forecast to fall to 1.2% in the next few years.
- In 2010 inflation was at 3.4%. It's now at 2.0%, the Bank of England target.
- While Labour left us a note saying 'there's no money left' we left them the fastest growing economy in the G7 and twelve months of consecutive wage growth.
So, the first target of Labour is pensioners. How disgraceful is this? And who is next in their crosshairs?