Oral Answers to Questions

Iqbal Mohamed Excerpts

Tuesday 4th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Torsten Bell]

The previous Labour Government cut child poverty significantly, and so will this one.

[Iqbal Mohamed (Dewsbury and Batley) (Ind)]

Between 2010 and 2020, the personal tax allowance threshold went up by 9.2% on average per year. However, it was frozen by the previous Government in 2021, and the freeze has continued under this Government. Will the Chancellor consider unfreezing the personal tax allowance and adjusting the additional rate and higher rate bands to compensate, to ensure that tax receipts are maintained?

[Dan Tomlinson]

It is important to realise that changes to taxation, if they are unfunded, will mean additional borrowing. This Government will ensure that we do not return to austerity, as the Conservatives did, but nor will we return to additional borrowing, which causes interest rates to rise, causes the cost of mortgages for families to go up and leads to economic chaos. That is not the approach this Government will take.

Bill Presented

Dairy Farming and Dairy Products Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Sarah Dyke presented a Bill to make provision to require the Secretary of State, in any negotiation relating to an international trade agreement, to seek to ensure that the agreement does not result in any detriment to UK dairy farmers; to make provision about the labelling of dairy products imported from outside the UK; to make provision about fair dealing between dairy farmers, processors and retailers, including in relation to pricing; to provide for certain additional contractual protections for dairy farmers; and for connected purposes.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 28 November, and to be printed (Bill 323).