MP is “proud” of budget which will “return our nation to growth”

Photo: Greg Couzens

Elsie Blundell MP

Elsie Blundell, MP for Heywood and Middleton North, offers her views on the recent budget, and says that the foundations are now in place to “return our nation to growth.”

This budget was about restoring economic credibility, supporting working people and fixing the NHS. The last Government crashed the economy, brought public services to their knees and presided over a cost-of-living crisis that stretched household finances to their limit.

There are no shortcuts to economic growth – but here are some key things Labour will now do to fix the foundations of our economy:

• Increase the national minimum wage to £12.21 an hour
• Increase weekly earnings allowance for carers, so they can work more hours and keep more of their money
• Freeze fuel duty - drivers will see no rise at the pumps next year – and provide £500m to fix 1 million potholes per year
• Target benefit fraudsters as part of a crackdown to save £4.3bn a year
• Make an extra £100 billion available over the next five years for capital spending, and I will be making sure we get our fair share of this funding for projects like Atom Valley
• Increase employment allowance - that’s [up to] £10,500 off every small employer’s yearly national insurance bill
• Provide 40% relief on business rates in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors
• Compensate infected blood and Post Office Horizon scandal victims
• The Long Term Plan for Towns - which includes the Long-Term Plan for Heywood - will also be retained.

For the NHS there is a huge increase in spending by £22.6bn for day to day services. There is also £1.5bn to reduce waiting lists by opening up extra beds and £1bn to make repairs to hospitals left crumbling by the previous government.

Schools will get an extra £2.3bn for more teachers and there is an additional £300m for skills training in Further Education.

Many people have raised issues like these with me, either in the campaign or since the election. That’s why, I think some of the best announcements in this budget are the extra £1bn for SEN provision and a tripling of investment in school breakfast clubs.

All children deserve the best start in life and the best start in the day. That’s why I’m proud that our Labour chancellor has set in place the foundations to return our nation to growth, supporting working people to earn more and keep more of their pay.

Elsie Blundell MP