Baroness Griffin of Princethorpe (Lab)

My Lords, I am delighted to welcome a Budget that puts fairness at the heart of decision-making. I particularly welcome the reversal of the travesty of austerity and the lifting of our most vulnerable children out of poverty. I welcome a pro-growth Budget that invests in infrastructure. I led on energy poverty in the European Parliament, so I strongly welcome cutting the cost of living, bringing down the average energy bill and investing in green energy infrastructure. I strongly welcome our strengthened relationships with our partner economies in the EU and our beginning to mitigate the disasters of Brexit. I was particularly moved by the maiden speech of the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Portsmouth and look forward to working with him. As a city councillor in the 1990s, I represented the poorest ward in Liverpool. When we speak of hydrogen, it has to be green hydrogen derived from renewables. We also need to invest more in energy efficiency—after all, the cheapest fuel is the fuel that you do not use at all. Talent and potential exist in every town, city, rural economy and county. However, they are not yet evenly matched by opportunities, high GDP jobs, skills training or adequate transport links, especially in the north. While I welcome Northern Powerhouse Rail, the Government must build on the Budget to enhance city region powers and ignite growth in every region and between northern regions, building a sustainable economy and transport links to eradicate, once and for all, socioeconomic disparity for communities such as Liverpool, Crewe and Blackpool. In the European Parliament, every time someone stood up and asked, “What about London?”, I retorted, “What about Manchester, Liverpool and Carlisle?” Our economic recovery must fully embrace the challenges and opportunities of the north.