BUDGET WOES AND FARE HIKES - LABOUR HAMMER LONDONERS
But apparently we should be grateful that pints are a penny cheaper…
After weeks of leaking the details, Labour finally delivered the Budget this week and failed to mention Sadiq Khan or any deals for London in the statement to the House. Many at home will be asking what the point of Sadiq Khan is, and as the OBR continues to forecast how much worse things will be under this Labour Government we’re sat asking the same question ourselves.
PENNY OFF A PINT - SHAME ABOUT THE TAX HIKES
One of the more insulting headlines this week was the news that Labour is celebrating knocking a penny off the cost of a pint, a policy that may have sounded vaguely impressive if it had been delivered a century ago. Keen to remind us how grateful we should be for the fact that after 800 pints we’ll have saved enough money for another one, Labour glossed over the fact the pub likely now has to pay several hundred pounds more in national insurance contributions on behalf of the member of staff pouring it, rather than spending that money on wage uplifts or keeping prices down.
TFL WOES WORSEN
With industrial action starting across TfL on Sunday with disruptions expected to last until the 12th, Sadiq Khan this week celebrates hitting more than 140 days of strikes since he promised 0 strikes at his election in 2016. In an outcome that anyone could have predicted, giving £30m to the striking unions earlier this year has not prevented more misery for Londoners as tubes stop early and on some days don’t run at all next week.
Worse still, it turns out that the £485m for TfL promised by the Chancellor - which is below the £650m that Andrew Lord claimed TfL needed - comes with some pretty steep conditions, including an inflation-busting 4.6% increase in fares. Rather than increase fares slowly over time, below inflation rates, the Mayor cowardly chose to freeze them and harm TfL finances in the process. Now Londoners will be hit by a huge increase in one fell swoop because Labour have seen through his cowardly politicking and told him to get a grip on things.
HONEST SUBTITLING OF REEVES’ TAX HIKES
It can be difficult to understand politicians sometimes when they say one thing but patently mean another. To help people out, we thought we’d provide some honest subtitles to help translate the daylight robbery taking place before our very eyes. It’s stark:
KHANS BUDGET VERDICT
Last year, Sadiq Khan was asked for his review of the Autumn Statement under a Conservative Government which he described as “austerity 2.0”. We reviewed how things have changed since under Labour, and needless to say, last year’s Sadiq must be furious with how things turned out this week. Yet for some reason the Mayor of London has been oddly quiet about not criticising his friends in Westminster. Wonder why?