Oral Answers to Questions

Michael Wheeler Excerpts

Tuesday 10th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Clapham and Brixton Hill) (Lab)]

4. What fiscal steps she has taken to help reduce the cost of living for families.

[Michael Wheeler (Worsley and Eccles) (Lab)]

9. What fiscal steps she has taken to help reduce the cost of living for families.

[The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Rachel Reeves)]

Stability is the most important thing that we can do to get interest rates and inflation down, and tackling the cost of living—especially given the global headwinds—is my top priority. At the Budget, we took money off energy bills and froze prescription charges and train fares. The Government’s cheaper fuel finder scheme is now online, and it shows petrol prices at forecourts across the country. Yesterday, some petrol retailers charged almost 180p per litre, while others were charging less than 130p per litre. This Government will not tolerate price gouging, and I will be meeting with petrol retailers this week to raise concerns and to get prices down at the pumps for all our constituents.

[Rachel Reeves]

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025, which will come into force in the next month or so, will make a big difference to my hon. Friend’s constituents and to all our constituents who are contending with living in the private rented sector—particularly with issues such as evictions, but also with mid-term rent increases. At the same time, we have put £39 billion into our social and affordable homes programme so that more people can get a council house or a social home rather than living in the private rented sector. We are also getting rid of the two-child limit, which the Trussell Trust says will reduce demand for food banks.

[Michael Wheeler]

While cost of living pressures are affecting people across my constituency of Worsley and Eccles, young families face a perfect storm. Whether it is housing costs, expensive childcare or student loans, many young families are struggling, and research shows that the cost of living crisis is holding people back from even starting a family. Will the Chancellor outline what measures the Government are taking to alleviate the financial burdens on young families, in addition to their welcome moves to expand free childcare?

[Rachel Reeves]

We absolutely recognise the pressures facing families. Bringing stability back to the economy is the No. 1 thing that we can do for working families. There have been six cuts in interest rates since the general election, which has seen the average cost of servicing a mortgage come down by about £1,300 a year. The Renters’ Rights Act will come into force shortly to give greater rights to people in the private rented sector. The free childcare offer, which is now fully funded, ensures that parents with children aged between nine months and five years get free childcare if they are in work. From next month, the end of the two-child benefit limit will lift 450,000 children out of poverty.

Oral Answers to Questions

Michael Wheeler Excerpts

Tuesday 21st January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Bobby Dean (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD)]

11. What steps she is taking through the tax system to support SMEs.

[Michael Wheeler (Worsley and Eccles) (Lab)]

12. What steps she is taking through the tax system to support the retail sector.

[Steve Darling (Torbay) (LD)]

22. What steps she is taking through the tax system to support the hospitality and tourism sectors.

--- Later in debate ---

[James Murray]

I think that retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, which are the backbone of our high street, might object to the idea of permanently lower tax rates as “tinkering around the edges”. That is a fundamental change that we want to bring in from April 2026 to make sure they have stability, certainty and permanently lower rates. Alongside it are our wider ambitions in the “Transforming Business Rates” discussion paper, which I invited the hon. Gentleman to read and respond to at last week’s Treasury Committee.

[Michael Wheeler]

I draw Members’ attention to my declaration in the register of interests.

Retail is an important part of the economy in my constituency, which includes many wonderful independent businesses. Will, who runs the excellent Wandering Palate in Monton, wrote to me about the challenges he is facing. Will the Minister outline the measures the Government are taking to support small business owners like Will in my constituency and across the country to enable our high streets to thrive?

[James Murray]

I thank my hon. Friend for his question and for referencing Wonderful Palate, the business in his constituency. I do not know the details of the rateable value of that property, but I point the owner to the fact that we are retaining small business rate relief, freezing the small business multiplier next year and extending the retail, hospitality and leisure relief in 2025-26. I also point the owner of that business and other businesses to our future plan, as I mentioned, to have permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with values of below £500,000, as well as to consider reforms to small business rate relief to better support businesses that want to expand into a second premises.

VAT: Independent Schools

Michael Wheeler Excerpts

Tuesday 8th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[David Baines (St Helens North) (Lab)]

I am delighted to take part in this debate, as I am always grateful for the opportunity to praise and defend our public services, particularly our state schools, and the millions of people, including the vast majority of my constituents, who rely on them.

The Opposition motion

“regrets that the Government has decided to impose VAT on independent school fees”.

Well, I regret that the last Tory Government did all they could to deliberately and carefully dismantle, defund and destroy our public services, including state schools, for 14 years—[Interruption.] There is a huge amount that I could say, but we are pushed for time and many Members want to speak, including lots of Government Members. I know there are more of us here—

[Michael Wheeler (Worsley and Eccles) (Lab)]

Every day.

[David Baines]

Indeed.

There is a lot that deserves to be said about our schools. We have heard many Conservative Members ask about the impact. They suddenly care about the impact of decisions made in this place, but where was their talk of impacts over the past 14 years? In St Helens North, 81% of schools have had real-terms funding cuts since 2010—over £3 million in real terms, or £239 for every pupil. Where was the consideration of impacts when the last Government cancelled Labour’s Building Schools for the Future programme and watched our state schools crumble? Where was the talk of impacts when the last Government presided over a SEND system that is failing over 1 million children and that their own Education Secretary described as a “lose-lose-lose”? Where was the concern for impacts when standards fell, which they did?