Returning to parliament this autumn hasn’t been easy. While there have been some really positive moments – such as voting in favour of Bills to nationalise our railways and bring our buses back into public ownership – there have also been really tough decisions to be made about how to repair the public finances and ensure we have enough money to fix our broken public services.
During the election campaign, I had loads of conversations with people who said to me that they knew that things were really bad and were worried we wouldn’t be able to fix things. I acknowledged, as did everyone in Labour, that we would face a terrible economic inheritance if we entered government, but it is only recently the true scale of the Conservatives’ economic mismanagement has become clear.
What nobody knew was that the previous government had made a series of irresponsible and unfunded spending commitments that have left a £22 billion black hole in the country’s finances this year. Put simply, they were spending money they didn’t have. For example, they only allocated £350 million to cover asylum seeker accommodation – and then actually spent £7.5 billion on an asylum system that was out of control. This has never happened before, and is rightly being investigated by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).
The government has been forced to take action to balance the books. Not doing so would have risked further chaos. We were voted in to establish financial stability after so many people have been suffering from higher prices, mortgages, and rents because of Tory mismanagement. Perhaps the toughest choice has been the decision by the Chancellor to target the winter fuel payment at the most vulnerable pensioners who are eligible for Pension Credit. I understand the real anxiety this decision has caused for many people.
I want to ensure that pensioners in East Thanet on the lowest incomes are registered for Pension Credit, which is why I’m backing the government’s campaign to boost Pension Credit registrations, and I will be working with Thanet District Council and local advice services to make sure that all vulnerable pensioners get access to the support they are entitled to. Far too many people don’t claim this support even though they could, so we need to change that. If you think that you, or anyone you know, may be eligible for support that you or they are not currently receiving, please do get in touch with my office and my casework team will be happy to help.
I raised the concerns of residents with my colleagues in the Treasury team. They are in no doubt as to the worries of the people of East Thanet, and I will keep speaking up for you, as well as help make sure the decisions the government makes are in the long-term interests of our community and the country. As I said to many of you when campaigning, I won’t be able to do everything you want. I probably won’t be able to do everything I want. But I will be straight with you about what we can and can’t do, and am determined to work with everyone to make this country work for the people of Thanet.
Labour committed to keep the triple lock on pensions, which saw the New State Pension rise by over £900 this year. There will be another rise announced in the budget next month. Because of that commitment, pensions are projected to increase by over £1,000 in the next five years.
And as a result of MPs like me speaking up, the government is extending the Household Support Fund, providing £500m of targeted support for those in the greatest need.
Our energy bills are far too high: we rely too much on Putin’s oil and gas, and we have drafty homes. The government’s Warm Homes Plan will help pensioners to get insulation, better heating, and upgrade millions of homes. As your MP, I will be campaigning hard to ensure that Thanet’s older and colder homes will be prioritised for that help.
Labour was elected to fix the damage that has been caused to our public finances by the Conservatives. I had honest conversations with you before the election about the financial situation we thought we were inheriting. We didn’t know then quite the scale of the problem, so now we do know, it is essential that we are equally honest with the public about the difficult decisions that lie ahead. That’s the responsible approach to governing, which has been sadly missing from our politics for far too long.
As your MP, I will always listen to you and your concerns. And I will always be honest with you about the difficult choices that have to be made to achieve a Britain that works for everyone, which Labour was elected to deliver.
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