Martin Rhodes

I welcome the Budget set out yesterday by the Chancellor. The Labour party was founded on the principles of social justice, redistribution and universal rights, and the progressive nature of the Budget helps to deliver on those principles. It will ensure that the very wealthiest households pay a fair share to support public services. On average, households on the lowest incomes benefit the most from this Budget and last year’s Budget policy decisions, while the increases in tax are concentrated on the highest earners. In practical terms, 90% of households will see an average net income benefit, while the richest 10% will contribute more. We are tackling the cost of living by cutting energy bills, increasing wages and protecting the value of the state pension. This Labour Budget delivers an average of £150 off energy bills. The Budget also raises both the national living wage and the national minimum wage, putting money directly into the pockets of working people. For older people in our communities, the increase in the state pension means that 1.1 million pensioners in Scotland will be better off. All those are tangible differences that people will notice in their everyday life, thanks to this Labour Budget. The removal of the two-child cap on universal credit will help to reduce poverty across the country, including in my constituency of Glasgow North, where 2,130 children will be better off. We are delivering that through a progressive Budget, but there is more to do across a whole range of Government Departments. I very much welcome the removal of the two-child cap, but we need to look at other policy areas, too. That is why I welcome the fact that in their mission to end child poverty, the Government and their taskforce are not just looking at the social security levers, hugely important though they are, but identifying all the levers available. The Budget invests in Scotland. It has made an extra £820 million available for investment in our public services in Scotland, taking the additional funding to date for the Scottish Government to over £10 billion under this Labour Government. What we need now is a Scottish Government who will use those resources to invest in our public services and not fail to spend them. We need a Scottish Government who are focused on delivering for and with the people of Scotland, not focused on division and constitutional posturing. This Labour Government, with this Labour Budget, are building a stronger and fairer country; one where living standards rise, child poverty falls and public services are renewed. This is a fair Budget, a redistributive Budget, a Labour Budget, and it is a privilege to support it.