ON Thursday this week I had the opportunity to deliver a speech on the Chancellor’s Budget to the House of Commons (which The National very kindly featured a video of on their website). The Budget is, of course, one of the most significant pieces of policy work that the Government delivers each year, so a lot of MPs submit to take part in the debates.
It is always good news to have more voices in any debate, but it does limit the amount of time each MP gets to speak, especially when members waffle. One such example would be Conservative MP Leo Docherty who used his generous speaking time to attack shadow chancellor John McDonnell, suggesting he was a Marxist who might wish to nationalise sausages. So, I thought I would take the opportunity of writing this column to expand on some of the points I raised and talk about a couple of points I wasn’t able to make at all.
READ MORE: Mhairi Black destroys 'Better Together' myth in barnstorming Budget speech
I mentioned that when the Tories announce policies, they usually sound fine or even sensible at the first glance, but we all know that as soon as you take a second look things appear questionable. By the third glance you can see there is no bearing to any recognisable reality and it all falls apart.
This Budget is absolutely filled with these types of policies.
READ MORE: Mhairi Black: Tories know Universal Credit causes harm despite their speeches
If you look at Universal Credit – the Chancellor made a big song and dance about the extra £1 billion for the transition period, but this money is for the managed migration period.
This doesn’t kick in until next year and does exactly nothing for those who are currently suffering through Universal Credit. As I mentioned in my speech, the boost to the work allowance only reverses half of the cuts made in 2015.
In fact, the Resolution Foundation states that the benefit freeze will take £210 from low income families in financial year 2019/20. Combined, these policies amount to a not-quite £8 a week increase in incomes for low income families.
A billion pounds set aside for managed migration does nothing for those currently suffering through the five-week waiting period. It does nothing for those who Universal Credit has already left trapped in a never-ending cycle of debt and rent arrears. It does nothing for my constituent, who was left with barely £70 to live on because he received a partial wage after having left work.
The rollout of Universal Credit must be stopped until all of these problems are addressed. The Chancellor’s announcements are the policy equivalent of painting over crumbling plaster.
It is also worth repeating that the changes to the delivery of Universal Credit that the Scottish Government has been able to make with its limited powers cost the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government must pay all costs associated with the delivery of these flexibilities to the DWP. The Scottish Government is being forced to pay out to protect Scottish people from a Government they did not vote for.
When the Chancellor was delivering his Budget statement, I was incredibly proud to see the WASPI women in the gallery protesting. The Chancellor has completely ignored the WASPI issue and pensions in this Budget.
I can understand why the Chancellor wouldn’t want to bring any attention to pensions, however, because he will know that the state pensions in the UK are among the lowest out of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s 36 member countries. Pension policy has been a nightmare for the UK Government for years, and instead of listening to sound advice and setting up an Independent Pensions Commission, they continue to act as though all is fine. The contempt they show for the electorate is as astounding as it is arrogant.
The topic of the debate on Thursday was specifically how the Budget affects families and the wider community. Any claim that this Budget will help families and communities is a fantasy. The two-child cap and disgraceful rape clause that comes with it are still in place, pensioners were ignored, and Universal Credit claimants were disregarded. Families will only face further suffering with this Budget – particularly those families that are already the worst off in society.
The only people this Budget was realistically designed to help were the Government ministers who need to butter up their rebel backbenchers.
The Budget was supposed to deliver one key message – that austerity has ended. If anyone can show me where in this Budget that is evident, I would be grateful. All I can see is mild and meek tinkering around the edges. Austerity isn’t over and no matter when it ends, the legacy of these years of cruel policy will be felt for many, many years after.
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Callum Baird, Editor of The National
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