Antonia Bance MP: Budget will deliver much-needed change the people of Britain voted for
This week, the Chancellor set out the first Budget of this Labour government.
As your MP, I know just how tough things have been for people here in Tipton, Wednesbury and Coseley. The Conservatives crashed the economy and local people have paid the price with mortgage and rent prices soaring, sluggish growth, and public services crumbling around us.
The Tories wasted billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on their failed asylum system, propping up private rail companies and dodgy Covid contracts - leaving a £22 billion black hole in the nation’s finances and public services on their knees. They made working people pick up the bill for their chaos and decline.
We now have a government that will deliver for working people here in Tipton, Wednesbury and Coseley.
Labour has made the choice to protect working people's pay slips by keeping our promise not to raise National Insurance, Income Tax, or VAT. We will focus on growing our economy through investment, so that we can rebuild Britain and fix our schools, hospitals, and broken roads.
This is a Budget that will fix the foundations of the economy and deliver the change that people voted for.
In Tipton, Wednesbury and Coseley, thousands of employees on the national minimum wage can expect a pay rise to £12.12 per hour from April 2025. This will put an extra £1,400 in the pockets of a full-time worker.
When we were elected to government, we knew it wouldn’t be easy to fix the mess the Conservatives had made. We need to make tough but necessary decisions on spending and welfare, crack down on fraud, tax avoidance and waste, and make sure every single penny of taxpayer money is spent wisely. It is now time to turn the page on Tory failure, and to start a new chapter focused on making Britain better off. Whether that’s putting more pounds in people’s pockets; delivering 40,000 more NHS appointments each week; building the affordable homes we need; or fixing our crumbling schools, this week's Budget invests in Britain's future.
As your MP, I will always fight to secure the investment, jobs and public services that we deserve. After 14 years of Conservative chaos, we finally have a Chancellor, and a government, that is on our side.
