• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • FAQ
  • Meet the Team
  • About The London Economic
  • Advertise
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
NEWSLETTER
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Film
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Film
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Politics

Labour wants to abolish poverty once and for all, says shadow chancellor

John McDonnell highlighted the scale of inequality in the UK, saying an estimated 135,000 children will be homeless on Christmas Day.

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
December 4, 2019
in Politics
Credit;PA

Credit;PA

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said Labour is committed to abolishing poverty “once and for all”, as the party criticised the Tories for creating a “cost-of-living crisis”.

Labour research alleges that the Conservatives have cost families nearly £6,000 a year by failing to curb rising bills.

In contrast, Labour says its plans to nationalise key utilities and increase wages will make households nearly £7,000 better off each year if it wins the December 12 General Election.

Mr McDonnell highlighted the scale of inequality in the UK during a speech in Birmingham’s Park Regis hotel on Wednesday, noting that it was three weeks to Christmas Day on which an estimated 135,000 children will be homeless.

RelatedPosts

Downing Street probe into Cameron headed by son of Tory peer who is already a government adviser

MPs to spend seven and a half hours paying tribute to Prince Philip

Bewilderment as Alex Salmond claims the endorsement of Robert the Bruce

Downing Street rewrote ‘independent’ race report, experts claim

“Children going hungry and homeless in the fifth largest economy in the world begs the question: are we really living up to the values of Christianity – or any other of our religions or beliefs for that matter?

“We don’t believe it’s enough to offer people a hand-out or hand up out of poverty. We want to abolish poverty once and for all within our society.”

General Election 2019
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell delivers a speech on the economy at a campaign event in Birmingham (Jacob King/PA)

Taking questions from the press, Mr McDonnell said Labour’s spending plans are not “rocket science” and are “based in very common-sense economics”, before he resumed the festive theme.

“If you look at the proposals we’ve put forward, each of them detailed research objectively assessed, in that way it’s not about Father Christmas or make-believe, it’s about hard-nosed economic policy-making,” he said.

Living costs

The Tories said Labour’s claim that it would reduce living costs “defies belief” and accused the party of standing on a manifesto containing tax hikes for “ordinary hard-working people”.

According to Labour’s maths, the Conservatives have cost the average household £5,949 every year since 2010 because of rising bills and falling wages.

Labour says this includes £1,924 more on rent, £1,916 extra on childcare per child and another £1,740 on two rail season tickets.

The party says its plan for “real change” would save £6,716, including £2,941 on childcare per child by expanding free care.

Labour says £2,194 would be saved on a pair of train season tickets by bringing the railways under public ownership and £559 on utility bills by nationalising energy companies and upgrading homes.

It is also pledging that its plan to give free full-fibre internet with a nationalised broadband service would save £364 a year compared with a £204 increase under the Tories.

Other plans include raising the minimum wage to £10 an hour for everyone aged 16 and above, which Labour says would give the average over-25 a £3,444 pay rise.

General Election 2019
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell at a campaign event in Birmingham (Jacob King/PA)

Conservative Treasury minister Rishi Sunak said: “It defies belief that Corbyn’s Labour are claiming they would reduce living costs at the same time as standing on a manifesto containing tax rises which would hit ordinary hard-working people across the country.

“Their spending plans would cost everyone £2,400 every year – that’s equivalent to a month’s pay for most people.”

Despite Labour claiming only the top 5% would see tax rises under its plans, the Tories have pointed out that low-earners would be affected by plans including the end to the marriage allowance, costing up to £250 yearly.

Mr McDonnell highlighted a report from housing charity Shelter which suggested that 135,000 children will be living in temporary accommodation on Christmas Day, and Equality Trust analysis saying the UK’s six richest people control as much wealth as the poorest 13 million.

Burger King park “whopper” bus outside Westminster

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Support fearless, free, investigative journalism Support fearless, free, investigative journalism Support fearless, free, investigative journalism

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending fromTLE

  • All
  • trending

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

Stress, fear and homelessness: The threat looming over families confronted with eviction

File photo dated 07/11/03 of a prison cell.

The Other Prison Pandemic

Latest from TLE

Downing Street probe into Cameron headed by son of Tory peer who is already a government adviser

Coventry pub investigated after hundreds of people queue up for midnight opening

Elevenses: What Is Our Agenda?

MPs to spend seven and a half hours paying tribute to Prince Philip

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: jack@thelondoneconomic.com

Commercial enquiries, please contact: advertise@thelondoneconomic.com

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Film
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech & Auto
  • About The London Economic
  • Meet the Team
  • Privacy policy

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.