Austerity Is Still Austerity, Even Under A Labour Government

he lady doth protest too much, methinks.” This quotation from Hamlet keeps coming back to me every time Chancellor Rachel Reeves blames the last government for the economic inheritance and austerity measures she claims have been thrust upon her. The truth is that she often made it plain before the election that she expected a terrible inheritance; if there were some secrets she did not know about – well, that should not have surprised a politician.



They have certainly been thrust upon the rest of us, not least the many pensioners who, while not qualifying for the revised, means-tested winter fuel payment, will struggle with heating bills that are much higher than when Gordon Brown, as chancellor, introduced the allowance all those years ago.

I know of one loyal Labour supporter, living in Keir Starmer’s constituency, who has resigned from the party over this issue. This at a time when Brown himself is very much occupied with urging alleviation of the damage caused by the spread of poverty during the Conservative years of austerity. In common with most of us who supported a change of government, Brown wanted the two-child benefits cap lifted. And at a time when the costs of social care are a crying scandal, it beggars belief that the government has dismissed Andrew Dilnot’s not-particularly-costly proposal for a limit on the contributions old people have to make for their care.



There have been disturbing reports that Starmer and Reeves are still, even now, more concerned with pleasing so-called “red wall” voters than the electorate at large. Does this account for their continued opposition to rejoining the single market? Are they still frightened of the leavers – who, recent surveys suggest, are a diminishing band anyway? As I wrote last time, can somebody please tell the Labour party that they won the election?





Obviously, Starmer has been preoccupied by coping with the riots and the need to restore social order. It was therefore unfortunate for the chancellor that she found herself on a recent visit to New York and Toronto trying to sing the praises of the UK as a place to invest when the news was dominated by rioting.