In last week’s debate on the Budget Resolutions, I delivered possibly my last speech on the Budget, after 44 years of serving as a Member of Parliament for Huddersfield. It is the 50th Budget I have experienced, delivered by the 14th Chancellor since first winning my seat in The House of Commons in 1979.
When the Chancellor stood to deliver the Budget statement last week, I thought it was rather like a jobbing carpenter, with very basic tools, turning up to the Crooked House pub in Staffordshire, just after it had been burnt down and then demolished.
It turns out that the public feel the same way, with only 10% of the population believing they will be better off due to the Budget and 20% thinking they will in fact be worse off, according to YouGov. Most telling of all, are the 58% of the public who feel the Budget will make no difference to them whatsoever.
When I first heard the Budget, I was shocked at its serious omissions. We live in unprecedented times in which there are two existential threats to our nation and our planet, which the Budget shockingly failed to address. These threats are, of course, global warming and the climate change crisis, and the inadequate defence of our nation in the face of an increasingly febrile world.
Tragically, the theme running across the last 14 years of Conservative rule, is not merely ideological but serious incompetence. During this time, we have witnessed vast amounts of money just thrown away, our national treasure – around £10 billion lost on PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a further £5 billion lost on the resulting Bounce Back Loan Scheme. Lost billions that could have been used to tackle these twin existential threats currently facing the people of this country and this planet.
On defence, even the Chancellor’s own colleagues and former defence ministers have described the Budget as a disaster, as it will result in an overall cut of £2.5 billion in the core defence budget – a £2.5 billion defence deficit despite the volatile global state. I was born during the Blitz of London, around the same time that the House of Commons Chamber itself was bombed and destroyed. I did not know my father for six years, because he went off to serve in the war. Those of us who come from that generation look at our present defence spending and preparedness with fear and trepidation.
In the very week of the Budget, it was reported that global temperatures had risen for the ninth month in a row, with this February the hottest ever on record, showing what a precarious situation our planet is in. Despite this deeply worrying news the Chancellor failed to even mention the term ‘climate change’ when setting out this Budget.
There is also nothing in the Budget about getting manufacturing going again, or about linking our wonderful university researchers with small businesses to tackle climate change, develop hydrogen power, and look at the ways in which clever human beings can, and will, if given the chance, ensure that this planet is safe to live on for us and future generations.
When the people of this country look back on these 14 years of Conservative rule, they will see a period in which they were cheated, deceived and betrayed. It is now time for a new government with high moral values and integrity which will meet these twin challenges with competence, vision and purpose.