Health and Social Care Levy

Debate between Rachel Reeves and Jake Berry

1st reading
Wednesday 8th September 2021 Commons Chamber

[Rachel Reeves]

I think many councils and the people who work for them and provide social care at a local level will be incredibly worried about what they are hearing from this Government, which is that council costs are going to go up while they are getting no additional money.

[Jake Berry]

Will the hon. Lady give way?

[Rachel Reeves]

I will give way again in a moment, but I have taken a lot of interventions—a lot more than the Minister.

In contrast, who has been shielded by the Chancellor? Which types of income will be paying no additional tax after today? They include those who get their income from financial assets, stocks and shares, sales of property, pension income, annuity income, interest income, property rental income and inheritance income. Well, fancy that. I do not doubt that the champagne glasses were clinking in Mayfair last night toasting the Chancellor, but not in Mansfield, not in Middlesbrough, not in South Ribble and not in Thirsk either. Some 95% of the revenue the Government plan to raise from this tax bombshell comes from employment. What a contrast.

Jobs and Growth

Debate between Rachel Reeves and Jake Berry

Wednesday 12th October 2011 Commons Chamber

[Jake Berry]

I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will provide me with the figures—

[Rachel Reeves (Leeds West) (Lab)]

Do you not know?

--- Later in debate ---

[Jake Berry]

I am sorry, but I will not give way. I want to make progress.

The Labour party opposes the Government’s public spending cuts, but its alternative—the too little, too late alternative—would mean that our economy, like Greece’s, would shrink by 5% this year, and that mortgage rates would rocket. One of the things that Government Members are most proud of is our desire and aspiration to increase the tax threshold to take many of the lowest paid in our society out of tax altogether. Had we followed the too little, too late approach, as Greece did, we would have had to cut our tax-free allowance by 50%.

The Chancellor has been frank about the choppy waters ahead, yet businesses in my constituency of Rossendale and Darwen still strive to succeed. Businesses such as J&J Ormerod, the largest employer in my constituency, B&E Boys, Crown Paints and WEC engineering, are doing their best to manufacture proper products and to rebalance the UK economy, despite tough times. Those businesses know about the Labour party’s economic illiteracy. That is why, before the general election, some of them signed a letter opposing Labour’s jobs tax. Businesses in my constituency will not forget that the previous Government were the enemy of enterprise and industry, and that Labour is the party of the jobs tax.

[Rachel Reeves]

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

[Jake Berry]

Sorry, I will not.

How ironic it is that the Opposition motion calls for a cut in national insurance. That is too little, too late, and business in my constituency knows that the Labour party is not the solution but, in fact, the problem.

[Rachel Reeves]

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

[Jake Berry]

Sorry, but I will not.

Looking at today’s job figures, including the increase in unemployment in my constituency—

[Rachel Reeves]

The increase was 29.2%.