Labour North West

Welcome to Labour in the North West

Labour North West covers Cheshire, Greater Manchester,Lancashire, Merseyside and parts of Cumbria.

Labour North West MPs are warning about the dangers of a reckless budget that is short sighted in approach and will hit the poorest in region hardest of all.

Shadow Treasury minister, Wallasey MP Angela Eagle, said:

"This budget offers no help, no chance and no hope for the poorest and most vulnerable in the North West.

"Young people and families are set to suffer the most with child benefits frozen for three years,

the abolition of the health in pregnancy grant and cuts to the Sure Start maternity grant.

"And don’t forget they’ve already cut the Child Trust Fund, ended free swimming for children and cut back on free school meals.

"Then comes what the Lib Dems described as ‘The Tory secret VAT bombshell’ and what David Cameron said himself was ‘very regressive’ and ‘hits the poorest hardest’."

Acting Shadow Deputy Prime Minister, Blackburn MP Jack Straw, said:

"As night follows day Conservative governments always put up VAT – but this time with Liberal Democrat support.

"Before the election Nick Clegg warned that the Tories planned a secret VAT tax bombshell. Now he’s the one helping to light the fuse.

"Everyone accepts that VAT is a very regressive tax. Increasing it to 20% will hit the poorest the hardest. This alone explodes George Osborne’s claim that this budget is about fairness.

"It is a budget of broken promises that will increase unemployment, penalise the most vulnerable people in society and stunt economic growth.

"It will hit the North West disproportionately hard as Conservative cuts to local government grants are already doing.

"The question now is whether Liberal Democrat MPs are prepared to stand up for fairness and their promises or abandon both for the personal rewards of ministerial office."

Labour North West Regional Spokesperson, Oldham East MP Phil Woolas, said:

"This is a Thatcherite budget with window dressing that once again will mean young people will pay with their jobs.

"The fear for the North West is that they will happen at such a rate than new jobs will not be created to take their place.

"The government is scrapping the Future Jobs Fund and will axe a future 12,000 opportunities for young people in the North West making the region the hardest hit in the country."

Ends