Keir Starmer has shamelessly and pre-emptively defended the Labour Party’s decisions on taxes and public spending which chancellor Rachel Reeves will announce in the Autumn Budget later this week. Don’t mention the bus fare cap, obviously:
This is a landmark week for Britain.
For the first time in 15 years, our Budget will put working people first.
The truth is, the Tories left you to pay the price for their chaos.
We will clear up their mess. Step up in tough times, not stand back.
We will deliver change.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 28, 2024
Have Prime Ministers had to make a “defend our decisions” speech ahead of their Chancellor actually announcing the budget before? Seems odd that @Keir_Starmer is out preempting any criticisms that might come @RachelReevesMP way on Wednesday. #Budget2024
— James Foster (@JamesEFoster) October 28, 2024
Bus fare cap increase: declaring class war
At a speech in the West Midlands, the prime minister said that he will allocate £240m to roll-out services to help people get back to work. Meanwhile, he’s making it harder for poor people to get to work in the first place by increasing the £2 bus fare cap to £3:
Scrapping the £2 bus fare cap is a disgraceful decision that will harm the poorest in society, and discourage public transport at a time when it is needed more than ever.
Why is the government punishing people for trying to get to work?
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) October 28, 2024
The Labour government has confirmed a 50% rise in bus fares – a blow for everyone who relies on buses in the cost of living crisis 📉
This is the wrong approach – government should be supporting our economy and environment by making it easier to get around without a car 🚏🚌 https://t.co/1SaAZfENHL pic.twitter.com/JD4OhFQx6W
— Carla Denyer (@carla_denyer) October 28, 2024
He might claim to want to help people into work. But that only stands if you’re not too poor to afford a car:
Put working people first, if they drive to work, but not if they get the bus to work… https://t.co/mUcIZjh7FV
— Karl Limpert (@KarlLimpert) October 28, 2024
Starmer has pledged to claw back the alleged £22bn black hole in public finances which he inherited from the Conservative government. However, he confirmed that this weeks budget will raise taxes and call for more borrowing to drive long-term growth.
By ‘we will deliver change’ he means hiking up the current bus fare cap by 50%. A change that will no doubt hit poor people the hardest:
Let’s see how much the working class get taxed hey @Keir_Starmer “difficult decisions” tend to mean inflicting more tax on working class and letting the super rich off scot free.. https://t.co/BVsIIw5udq
— ernmander (@ernmander) October 28, 2024
Labour’s budget this week will be an assault on pensioners and the working people of this country.
It will hammer economic growth and kill off jobs and investment.
— Kevin Edger (@KEdge23) October 28, 2024
Starmer claims to know that nobody wants higher taxes or public spending cuts. Yet he fails to grasp that targeting the poorest in society instead of the ultra-wealthy is only going to make the situation worse:
“If people want to criticise the path we choose, thats their prerogative. But let them spell out a different direction”
Notice how all the examples of criticism Starmer gives are from the right. He doesnt mention those who want to tax the rich more & rebuild our public services pic.twitter.com/hCnjBkGTyK
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) October 28, 2024
Who writes this rubbish for him?
Yes, politics is about choices.
You chose to freeze & starve pensioners & punish small businesses whilst spending billions on net zero & foreign aid. Then gaslit the public about a 22 billion black hole whilst spending double that yourself. https://t.co/3t3skAVN4Z
— Spirited1 (@helen_spirit1) October 28, 2024
Tax rises are a-coming
Starmer also doubled down on Labour’s promise to avoid returning to austerity and hiking taxes on working people. Which seems to rule out increases to employees National Insurance. However, he did confirm that other taxes will need to rise.
We are expecting Reeves to raise employers contributions to National Insurance by at least 1%. To think that capitalist business owners won’t pass this cost on to workers via less pay rises or fewer jobs is deluded, at best.
Once again, Starmer has proved his “changed” Labour Party will readily throw working class and poor communities under the bus.
Or in this case, make that bus unaffordable to people living on the breadline.
Already, his government is taking people for a ride – because it’s not a higher bus fare cap that will fix the country. That will simply plunge more of the poorest people into ever more hardship. All while they plan to strip people of social security and coerce them into work. Now, for countless people, he’s just made it that much harder for them to do that.
Needless to say, the wheels are already coming off Labour’s return to the driver’s seat.
Feature image via Reuters/Youtube
Additional reporting via Agence France-Presse
