Labour left complain threat of austerity is ‘unacceptable’ after manifesto launch
https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/labour-left-threat-austerity-manifesto-launch-3109526
Posted by theipaper
Labour left complain threat of austerity is ‘unacceptable’ after manifesto launch
https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/labour-left-threat-austerity-manifesto-launch-3109526
Posted by theipaper
15 Comments
A return to austerity under [Labour ](https://inews.co.uk/category/news/politics/labour?ico=in-line_link)would be “unconscionable” and a more radical approach is needed to tackle poverty, Sir Keir Starmer has been warned after his party unveiled its long-awaited election [manifesto.](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/labour-parks-tanks-tory-party-lawn-promise-pensioners-families-3107230?ico=in-line_link)
Sources on the Labour left said there was disappointment that the manifesto had not been more radical and [said the lack of public spending increases created an “unacceptable” threat of austerity.](https://inews.co.uk/news/labour-public-spending-cuts-ruling-out-tax-rises-election-3106989?ico=most_popular)
Labour’s promise of an “ambitious” child poverty strategy was welcomed but campaigners said the first step[ must be ending the two-child benefit cap](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/benefits-caps-pushing-women-and-children-into-poverty-3096203?ico=in-line_link), something the manifesto did not commit to.
The party has left £2.5billion of new tax revenue unspent in the manifesto. A Labour source said it would not be allocated pre-election and insisted there were no current plans to spend it on anything specific.
“We took this decision because it’s the prudent and responsible approach,” they said. “It stands in contrast with the approach being taken by the Conservatives that had billions of pounds of unfunded spending commitments.”
But a source on the left of the party said that this money could pay for free school meals for all children, or reversing the two-child benefit cap.
“They have the money, it just shows it is a political choice they are making,” they said, adding it put Labour in a “bad position” going into government with such restricted spending, adding: “They won’t be able to deliver.”
Starmer told the BBC that reversing the two-child benefit cap was something he would want to do but said he was unable to commit to.
The Children’s Charities Coalition branded the move “deeply disappointing” and said there was “little concrete commitment in the manifesto to help struggling families as early as possible and no plan to transform support for children in crisis”.
Momentum chair Kate Dove said the manifesto indicated Labour would “make progressive change” but said the “current commitments fall short of what is needed to fix the Tories’ broken Britain”.
After calculations from the Institute for Fiscal Studies showed Labour would have no additional spending power, Momentum – campaign group critical of Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership – said the threat of austerity under the party was “unconscionable and unacceptable”.
Starmer has insisted he will not be returning to austerity yet the party will be faced with spending cuts down the line without an uplift in public spending.
“Despite Keir Starmer’s blithe dismissals, independent analysis shows that is what is coming down the pipeline. The consequences for a country already stretched beyond breaking point would be dire,” Momentum said.
Is the “labour left” the group of Labour politicians that have never actually won an election in all of British History?
Why aren’t Labour being honest?
None of the measures brought in were ever reversed. **We are still in austerity.**
Don’t Labour have any plans to end austerity?
£8 billion in tax rises. I mean its not promising a huge surge in spending but then election that promised that have not gone well for Labour.
I strongly suspect the “Labour left” genuinely do not understand how an election works. They seem to think there is some kind of turn based system and when it’s your turn you get voted in, instead of having to win the trust of voters. They think that Starmer has gotten lucky in that it’s “Labours turn” and they can put anything in front of the people and they will simply agree to it.
The idea that people can reject the Conservatives because there appears to be a moderate and competent Labour Party is not something that can fit inside their heads.
I’m not sure what expectations are? The country is pretty much in ruins at the moments. The Conservatives have bled us dry. I’d be far more comfortable with a sensible and cautious approach, rather than making commitments they can’t stick to.
I guess some of it is also reputational, as they want to shed the image of being irresponsible with the economy – Not that I think that was the case by 2010, but I’m sure many will disagree!
As for Momentum? Hasn’t worked out so well so far, and we now actually have a chance of a Labour govt this year. Causing division from the inside just seems silly at this point!
The sheer nerve of the Labour front bench to rail against austerity for the last 14 years only to continue the policy once they get into office, is quite breathtaking.
The frustrating thing seems to be that in order to fix these issues, labour needs a wider base, meaning appealing to the very people who support austerity and stick two fingers up at those worst off.
I think labour do need to show they can be trusted and competent, and they can show leadership and convince said numpties that helping the worst off fixes a lot of issues in society.
Crazy that anyone would object or need to act cautiously over helping people in need.
Unfreeze the tax thresholds and push them up. Why the fuck should I pay 40% on upwards of £37k?
45% on over 125% just incentivises dumping into pensions.
Wealth above that is not paid in salaries so they barely pay 20% on that.
You’ve got to hit the wealthy in their assets and hike tax and close loopholes.
If they leave? Fuck em.
It’s just a bit of austerity. It’ll only kill 50,000 people.
It’s called Taxing the wealthy, and if they want to leave then… oh dear… goodbye.
The lefts answer to everything is hike taxes and increase funding. It’s just not going to work. We have to solve the fundamental issues with our economy and tax system. Not just hike existing taxes.
For all the talk of continued austerity, this manifesto proposes a whole new raft of quangos, commissions and watchdogs. That’s all going to cost a fortune and I don’t see many complaints. Interesting…
No one hates the Labour Party more than Labour members 🤣.
Country is on the slide and without major reforms to tackle inequality, things can only get shitter.
If the far Left are moaning it just means it’s Friday. The rest of us want the fucking Tories out.