Lillian Jones

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Huq. After only 18 months in office, this UK Labour Government have taken decisions that have ended Tory austerity and delivered the largest block grant to Scotland since devolution. After years of Tory under-investment, £50 billion for Scotland’s vital public services—schools, hospitals and local councils, whose budgets have been cut to the bone—is welcome. Other decisions taken by this Labour Government will lift 95,000 Scots children out of poverty. That is helping 2,097 children in my constituency of Kilmarnock and Loudoun. After this Parliament, half a million children across the UK will be lifted out of poverty. That makes me burst with pride—it is the reason I am in politics. We have raised the minimum wage, meaning that 200,000 Scots got a pay rise. We have delivered the Employment Rights Act 2025, protecting workers, strengthening their rights, banning zero-hours contracts and ending fire and rehire. We have confirmed £42 million in investment for Kilmarnock and Loudoun for infrastructure, regeneration and civic pride. That is Labour delivering for our communities. Hundreds of miners in Kilmarnock and Loudoun have finally got justice too. BCSSS pensioners and the mineworkers’ pension scheme members have seen uplifts to their pensions of 41% and 32% respectively. It was their money, and I am proud that this Labour Government finally gave them justice. We are coming after covid fraudsters too. Under this Government, we will get taxpayers’ money back. Labour has introduced a mansion tax and an online gambling tax, and it is standing up to big tech firm platforms, because free speech does not mean the freedom to abuse, exploit or degrade women or girls, although Reform may disagree. The economy has been stabilised: six interest rate cuts have saved businesses in my constituency thousands of pounds, and made mortgages cheaper for homeowners—another manifesto commitment delivered. We have also delivered trade deals with Australia, India and the US, protecting 150,000 jobs, including thousands in the Scotch Whisky industry. We are giving opportunity back to our young people by securing the UK’s return to the Erasmus+ scheme. Those are just a few of our achievements after only 18 months, but there is much more to do. This Government are in the service of the British people, and I will continue to work hard and deliver for all in Kilmarnock and Loudoun.