Mick Whitley, the MP for Birkenhead, described Jeremy Hunt’s budget as “a classic exercise of handouts for the rich and cuts for the rest of us.”
Mr Whitley told birkenhead.news that the economy has been trashed by the government and a recession is looming, public services are teetering on the verge of complete collapse and the infrastructure of our country is broken, almost beyond repair. In the face of this the Chancellor decided his priority was to help already rich people with £1million pension pots by lifting the cap on the amount they could build up free of tax.
Mick Whitley said, “People are waiting days in A&E for hospital beds, many months on waiting lists for operations and hours for emergency ambulances. Nurses, teachers, doctors and civil servants are seeing their pay reduced ever further. Families hit by the cost-of-living crisis have seen their energy bills soar. Surely a budget by a government that cared should be tackling these crises.”
Mick added, “But this government doesn’t care. Its promises on childcare support won’t happen for another two years and will still leave us with the most expensive system of childcare in Europe. Its support for new businesses is threadbare but its tax exemptions for big companies is generous.
“It doesn’t create new jobs but tries to bully vulnerable claimants into low paid, dead-end jobs through cruel benefit sanctions and boot camps. It lets the energy giants carry on piling up profits while we pile up debts to try and pay our bills.”
The Birkenhead MP said he was not fooled by the Chancellor’s reference to measures like the extension of the energy price cap for three more months and that this was due to the significant price increase that has already occurred and which is causing widespread difficulty for everyone.
“This budget shows exactly where the priorities of this government lie – rewarding the rich while pursuing a scorched earth cuts policy for the vital public services so many of rely on. The only economic growth these policies will lead to is the growth of poverty,” he concluded.
Why not follow birkenhead.news on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter? You can also send story ideas to news@birkenhead.news
Subscribe to our FREE newsletter