We’ve gone from a government led by self interest and corruption to a government led by idealistic incompetence , like a bunch of kids let loose in a sweet shop overwhelmed by choice . Fuelled by ego successive governments obsess with leading and not serving .
People who put their billions before their allegiance to their country can bugger off. Greens say tax 1% over 10 mill, 2% over 1bn. If they won’t pay that to rescue NHS, they’re scum
I'm a Labour member & supporter, but a third runway doesn't seem like a priority to me. This govt has a monumental task ahead to restore this country, & we all need to be pragmatic about its decisions. Let's hope the cost, the time to build it & environmental challenges make this untenable.
So you are not concerned that rising gilt yields indicates the risk of another Truss moment? You are not concerned about the impact on inflation if sterling collapses (again)?
It isn't, bond yields are generally up, unlike the Truss incident where the UK was an outlier, I'd suggest that most of the issue is Trump related turmoil, and while the UK is more exposed than the EU, nothing fundamental has changed in the UK economy (which has been underperforming since Brexit)..
Higher intrest rates are not a sudden new phenomenon, it has been known for years that this squeeze was coming, pity the previous government was so stupid as to not invest when interest rates were very low for a considerable period of time.
We all know debt levels have been much higher in the past.
I don't think you have to understand them very well to know it has bugger all to do with more airport capacity and Mark is desperately clutching at straws to defend the indefensible.
Clive Lewis deserves credit for speaking truth to a pretty ruthless centrist regime run by authoritarian Starmer and Labour HQ. The Greens, Independents, and Progressive left MPs in Labour need to offer a coherent alternative political vision because Reform are being gifted working class votes
Jesus, do something meaningful and reasonable in a short period of time FFS. Lighten the regulatory load on small businesses and let them carry the growth load across the country 😡
I work for a small business.
With N.I. increase, Minimum wage increase, and waste disposal and recycling changes, we were told yesterday we have to sell £1000 per month more from April just to stand still.
Due to govt changes, our waste goes from 45 to £300 p.m.
Yeah, Labour helping us......
This country is beyond a joke. It's been obvious for thirty years Heathrow needs a new runway and it won't happen in my lifetime because our politicians just see it as something to talk about. Like Boris Island, Maplin Sands, etc. A pointless debate with no outcome.
The most economically centralised country in Europe doesn't need another runway for its capital city. We only fly through London because you give us no choice. London is not the UK. Redistribute and life will improve for everyone, including those in London.
Retrofitting, clean energy, clean public transport could be worth £billions to the local economies across the land. By the time third airport is built (having removed pretty ancient villages & farmland to do so) no one will be able to afford to fly abroad for holidays anyway.
There is no continuous when it comes to economic growth. It's fake, smoke and mirrors, a broken system. The only things growing are prices, the gap between rich and poor, and climate related disasters. That's where the panic should be.
Well put Clive. More Labour MPs like this might make people, who are not Labour Party members, put their faith in another Labour government. Blind obedience as our Labour MP shows, won't.
Clive is right. Just look at the Biden project. Totally failed to recognise the lived experience of the Amercan working class. Played right into Trumps hands
Mr Lewis can resign from it then.
It’s like being in a trade union — you have your debates and a vote, then you pull together. You want to publicly undermine that? Then off you pop.
You mean like how Starmer and the rest of the Blairites resigned when Corbyn was leader? Nope, they all stayed in the party and did everything they could to undermine his leadership. But apparently no-one is allowed to criticise Starmer's Tory-lite agenda now according to you.
He stood by Corbyn until they lost the GE in 2019, many others refused to sit in his shadow cabinet, Starmer wasn't one of them. And please don't blame Starmer for JC stepping down or the policy of holding another referendum, just makes JC look weak if you think that's what happened.
It isn't simple though, how and how long will it take is the never answered question. There's no short term fix and for the life of me I can't see what's wrong with trying to grow the economy.
That's not what they're doing, Osborne didn't raise the minum wage, he didn't all buyt end non dom status, he didn't add VAT to private school fees, he didn't set up free breakfast clubs, he didnt renationalise the railways, he didn't legislate for Employee Rights, and more.
He actually did raise the minimum wage and end permanent non dom status. Not praising him, just pointing out how on the floor your standards are. She's even told the "non-dom community" she's listening to their concerns. Pensioners got very different treatment.
Think it's fair to say that the paperwork for rejoining the SM will be quicker than building a third runway at a working airport, across the top of the busiest stretch of road in the country.
And that's before we even consider where the climate will be at by the time it's built.
What is the paper work? Dmitry Grozoubinski says joining the CU or forming a CU between us and the EU will take a minimum of 2 years, other trade experts say 3-5. I detest Brexit, and I'll never forgive Brexiters, but a huge mistake like Brexit isn't easy to overturn.
Still a long time and meantime we have to deal with cards in hand and not sure why you're equating this to the 3rd runway, it's false equivalence. I detest Brexit, I'll never forgive the people who lied and cheated their way to a narrow win but I don't think it can be undone quickly.
The sooner one starts... plus it would immediately make Britain more investable knowing that we've finally screwed our heads back on and are heading in the right direction. It needs to be done today.
No timescale then and maybe you missed the report about the UK being the 2nd most attractive place to invest in. I hate Brexit but we're kidding ourselves if we think there's a quick,easy way back, apart from anything else it's not all about us and what we want. The EU27 are the important ones.
No one said it would be easy? But it's just painful, pointless procrastination currently and it most definitely would make us more attractive from the outset. TBF I'm struggling to see your case for more dilly-dallying?
Don't put words into my mouth please. I don't think the EU27 would be prepared to do much more than they're doing now when prominent Brexiters are still around. They won't want to spend time and energy negotiating with us until there's political consensus to join again and there isn't.
Comments
https://www.tax.org.uk/election-2024-greens-manifesto
https://obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/tax-by-tax-spend-by-spend/debt-interest-central-government-net/
We all know debt levels have been much higher in the past.
The Chancellor signalling to the bond market that she will endeavour to enable economic growth is an effort to maintain economic stability.
Bond holders require higher returns if the national debt service cover ratio declines as it is doing for the UK (absent economic growth).
With N.I. increase, Minimum wage increase, and waste disposal and recycling changes, we were told yesterday we have to sell £1000 per month more from April just to stand still.
Due to govt changes, our waste goes from 45 to £300 p.m.
Yeah, Labour helping us......
Who cares what Centre for Policy Studies thinks when they refuse to publish their funding.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/28/uk-population-exceeds-that-of-france-for-first-time-on-record
Let’s hope Lewis’s honesty spreads to other MPs.
Corbyn-boy Clive Lewis breaking ranks?
I’m shocked, shocked I tells ya!
It’s like being in a trade union — you have your debates and a vote, then you pull together. You want to publicly undermine that? Then off you pop.
Simon Kuznets (the inventor of GDP as a measure of growth)
https://markets.ft.com/data/bonds/tearsheet/summary?s=UK10YG
And that's before we even consider where the climate will be at by the time it's built.
3-5 years is a fair bit better than the most optimistic scenario for a third runway, which is more like ten.