Weekly Update – Friday 29 October 2021

Government must implement plan B now

This week there was an increasing sense of Déjà vu as the Government repeatedly refused to listen to experts and resisted calls to bring in restrictions to contain the spread of Covid-19. Earlier in the summer when the Government announced we would become the only country in the world to give up trying to control Covid-19, many predicted that the consequence would be a sustained high number of cases and deaths leaving us in a worse position for the winter ahead. Those predictions have proved correct. We now have the highest case rate in the world with thousands of people tragically dying each week from Covid.

Meanwhile, across most European countries where they have maintained sensible rules such as mask-wearing, cases remain low, lives have been saved and the economy is benefiting as a result.

Unfortunately, under the chaos of this Tory government, we now face a much harder winter than our European neighbours. The recent Health & Social Care Select Committee report into the Government handling of this pandemic criticised specifically the Government for acting too late and made it clear that had they acted when experts said they should then lives will have been saved. This time is no different and we can see the Government repeating the same errors in front of our eyes. Sadly, the consequences may be just as tragic.

Nothing in Budget for Edmonton

I wrote to the Chancellor this week following his failure to reverse cuts to Universal Credit in his budget on Wednesday. Measures announced to change taper rates not only fail to make up for the huge £20 cut but completely ignore those who claim Universal Credit and don’t work.

The fact is that this was a budget that ignored ordinary people in favour of giving away for Rishi Sunak’s rich friends. While the elite can look forward to cheaper flights on their private jets, cheaper champagne and tax cuts most people will face an increased tax burden of £3,000 and no help at all with their energy bills and the cost-of-living crisis.

After 11 years in Government, the Tories have finally admitted that austerity has failed. It drove up debt, stagnated wage growth, drove down economic growth, drove up poverty and increased inequality. As an economic practice, it has now been abandoned as a failed experiment, promoted by an elite at the cost of tens of thousands of lives in the UK alone.

But the fact that it is no longer benefits the Conservatives politically to promote austerity doesn’t mean they can’t continue to enforce it by stealth. While this budget increased public spending in a number of areas it barely scratched the service of the vicious cuts inflicted over the last 11 years and the focus on spending remains is on infrastructure projects rather than tackling poverty, homelessness and the other consequence of austerity.

That’s why the Government has cut Universal Credit, when it was already at a rate far lower than equivalent benefits in any other economically developed country, with the exception of the U.S. After such a long time in power the Tories may have changed the way they talk about the public finances, but underneath are the same old Tories – cutting taxes for the rich while making life harder for the rest of us.

Fire & Rehire Bill voted down

Last week the Government shockingly voted down a bill that would have ended the practice of ‘Fire & Rehire’. Over recent years and particularly during the pandemic companies have increasingly fired their staff to bypass employment rights and rehire them on worse pay and conditions. The practice essentially circumvents hard-won rights and allows companies to push pay and conditions down by force, without any consultation with Unions.

The Government has said they oppose the practice but have failed to take any action to stop it. It’s therefore extremely disappointing that last week the Government voted down this Bill that would have done so much for workers up and down the country. It’s clear that as long as the Tories remain in power it will be up to Unions to fight against this unjust practice.

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Thank you for taking the time to read my latest update, if you have any issues that you would like to raise directly with me then please do email  edmontonconstituency@parliament.uk. I’m always happy to help whenever possible.

Kind regards,

Kate Osamor  MP