Honesty in politics is important. A lack of honesty breeds dissatisfaction in the whole democratic system, which in turn causes apathy.
Many of you will have seen the steadily increasing list of broken promises and Labour failures on this website.
Recently, Sir Keir Starmer has said that the Labour Government had stabilised the economy. On the contrary, the economy has gone backwards under Labour.
Under this Labour Government inflation is up, from 2.0% to 3.5%. Unemployment is up, highest in four years. GDP growth is down, from 1.4% over six months to 0.8%. Borrowing costs are up. Debt is also up. The Office of Budget Responsibility halved its forecast for growth this year and it has also said mortgage rates will rise further.
Now Labour have been forced to make a u-turn on winter fuel payments. Having taken the payments away from any pensioners but those with a very small income, the Government has belatedly restored it to some older people.
Labour made no mention at all of changing winter fuel payments in their election manifesto, only to make the cut just a few months after the election. At the time of Rachel Reeves’ budget, a Labour minister justified removing the winter fuel allowance said, “If we hadn't taken that action we'd have seen a run on the pound.” Not only is that disproportionately alarmist, but it is completely undermined by the Government going back on its original decision. Deception built upon deception.
Local Conservatives have campaigned hard against the scrapping of winter fuel payments. In Wokingham Borough, Conservative councillors introduced a motion calling for the Chancellor to reinstate winter fuel payments, which was supported by the administration but opposed by Labour. This a victory for the thousands of campaigners locally and many more around the country who told the Government to think again.
During last year’s General Election campaign, Labour made a new Royal Berkshire Hospital a top priority locally. During a debate on BBC Radio Berkshire, the now Labour MP Yuan Yang promised that under a Labour Government the new hospital would be built in the next parliament. Since coming to power last July, the Labour Government has delayed this programme, pushing back building work by over a decade - or two parliaments.
In April the Labour MP for Earley and Woodley voted “no” on a parliamentary motion to speed up delivery of a replacement for the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
All of us living in Wokingham Borough deserve better than Labour repeatedly taking us for fools. There are many more areas where we need to stand up to this Government and their broken promises, decisions they have taken which they hid before the election – National Insurance increases, inheritance tax changes that are crippling farmers, absorbing local councils into monster authorities that will rob local people of their voice.
It’s only the Conservatives who are listening to residents and fighting for you.
