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With Left-Wing Policies Raining Down Like Molten Lava, no Government in Recent History Has Veered From its Manifesto so Quickly

by Toby Young
17 August 2024 3:00 PM

Stephen Glover has written a blistering column for the Mail about Labour’s torrent of Left-wing policies, none of which were in its manifesto. Here’s how it begins:

On the morning of July 5th Sir Keir Starmer stood outside No. 10 and addressed the nation. Even flinty-hearted Tories may have been momentarily moved.

His short speech marked the beginning of a new age, and the end of the Conservatives’ final undignified months in which incompetence, sleaziness and corruption combined in a fatal brew.

The new Prime Minister spoke of the need for “trust”, as he had also done earlier that morning, after being declared the runaway winner in his North London constituency.

Now he referred to a lack of trust as a “wound”, and declared that Labour would “carry the responsibility of your trust, as we rebuild the country”.

Trust and integrity were catchwords not only of Labour’s election campaign but also of Sir Keir’s appeal to the British people from the days when Boris Johnson was prime minister. He has presented himself as a trustworthy, dependable politician devoted to public service, and in every way morally superior to his Tory counterparts.

What do we think of his sales pitch now?

I ask because no government in recent history has in such a short period of time veered so far from the manifesto on which it was elected. Almost every policy announcement – and there have been many in six action-packed weeks – has either come as a complete surprise, or gone further than the electorate could reasonably have expected.

During the campaign Sir Keir adopted a super-cautious ‘Ming vase strategy’ characterised by a terror of revealing his real plans to voters, who might have been put off by the truth. As soon as July 5th passed, the Ming vase was allowed to crash to the floor. Labour emerged in its true colours.

The most abrupt departure from the party’s painstakingly calculated approach has been over taxation. Labour insisted on the hustings that there wouldn’t be any increase in income tax, National Insurance and VAT. It “would not raise taxes on working people”.

On May 28th, in her first speech of the campaign, Rachel Reeves, now Chancellor, was specific. She promised that if Labour won the election there would be “no additional tax rises” beyond those she had already announced for private school fees and non-doms.

Now leaks abound that some taxes on capital gains, pensions, and inheritance, as well as stamp duty and council tax, will go up when Ms Reeves unveils her budget on October 30. Many of the casualties will certainly be “working people”.

The Chancellor has admitted – as she did not during the campaign – that taxes will have to rise, telling a podcast on July 30: “I think we will have to increase taxes in the Budget.”

Is all this in keeping with Sir Keir Starmer’s undertaking to restore trust? Is it a demonstration of integrity to introduce draconian tax increases that were deliberately concealed in the campaign? The people will judge. Many may think it a cynical deception.

The dishonesty spreads far beyond taxation. Three weeks ago, Rachel Reeves announced the abolition of the winter fuel allowance for all but the very poorest pensioners. Nearly ten million people will be affected. The Chancellor believes the measure will save the Exchequer £1.4 billion a year, though some experts doubt this.

Nowhere in Labour’s manifesto is there the slightest hint that pensioners would be targeted. Ms. Reeves herself, admittedly seven years ago, pledged unequivocally to defend winter fuel payments.

And as recently as last November, her deputy at the Treasury, Darren Jones, was angry when it was falsely rumoured that the Conservative government was about to get rid of them. He tweeted that pensioners “mustn’t be forced to bear the brunt of Tory economic failure”.

Worth reading in full.

Tags: PensionersRachel ReevesSir Keir StarmerVAT

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22 Comments
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JXB
JXB
8 months ago

Time to wheel out the Mencken quote:  “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard,”

I am pleased to see those who voted Liebour will be hit hardest.

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varmint
varmint
8 months ago
Reply to  JXB

It isn’t “democracy”. It is “democratic Socialism”, which basically just means “Socialism”

3
0
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
8 months ago

I approve of the choice of picture

7
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Norfolk-Sceptic
Norfolk-Sceptic
8 months ago
Reply to  transmissionofflame

But the mask doesn’t block viruses, or speech ….

1
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transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
8 months ago
Reply to  Norfolk-Sceptic

I just think every politician and public figure who appeared with a muzzle should be portrayed with a muzzle forever more, lest they or anyone else forget.

4
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Mogwai
Mogwai
8 months ago

He’s just a shyster through and through, who wouldn’t know integrity if it gave him a prostate exam;

”Pre election Starmer says he’ll “always be on the side of pensioners”.

He’s cut winter fuel allowance for pensioners who’ve paid into the system all their lives.

Whilst spending, at the last legacy media calculation, of an estimated £8m a day on illegal immigrants in hotels.” Tommy Robinson

https://x.com/Keir_Starmer/status/1785303047704346728

Meanwhile, for comparison…

”The cost of illegal immigration is £6.6 billion. The number of pensioners in Britain is 12,600,000.

That works out at £523.81 per pensioner. The winter fuel allowance was £150.00 – £300.00.”

https://x.com/DaveAtherton20/status/1824017345385259396

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Mrs Bunty
Mrs Bunty
8 months ago

I did think this was a joke, not sure now.

IMG_4087
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Jabby Mcstiff
Jabby Mcstiff
8 months ago

I don’t have any sympathy. The political class lies to you whenever it is convenient to do so obviously. If you can’t see beyond that at this point then you deserve everything you get. Of course one of the downsides of democracy is that the punishment is always collective. They got 19 percent of the electorate to vote for them but they push their tawdry scumbag agenda through anyway. This shows grubby opportunism and a lack of long term political insight. You were forced to vote for them given the piracy of the last government. That is the real issue.

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Smudger
Smudger
8 months ago
Reply to  Jabby Mcstiff

Reform was there on the ballot paper for those of a centre right persuasion.

1
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The Real Engineer
The Real Engineer
8 months ago
Reply to  Smudger

Don’t be mistaken, we voted for it! 4 million votes, 5 seats, that’s democracy is it?

1
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Jabby Mcstiff
Jabby Mcstiff
8 months ago

This is a deeply corrupt man who has been behind many injustices including Julian Assange. I know that Assange is hated in the UK, for reasons I don’t quite understand but if you look at what he did you will see that he was just carrying out the agenda of the Anglo-Americans. This is a very unpleasant individual. You shouldn’t give him a free pass because he looks like a tailor’s dummy. Either you hold him to account or he is going to give you a very long custodial sentence. Keeping your mouth shut won’t be enough.

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Jabby Mcstiff
Jabby Mcstiff
8 months ago

They have no mandate but they have you by the balls anyway. That was the intention. As Frank Zappa said, they will keep alive the illusion on freedom as long as it is profitable to do so. When it is no longer profitable they will strip away the scenery, pull the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the cold bare brick wall at the back of the theatre,

2
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varmint
varmint
8 months ago

“TRUST” ———–ha ha ha jeez. ——Yes all the pensioners trust Miliband and Reeves, who between them will cause the impoverishment and death from cold of many pensioners unable to heat their home because of Milibands pretend to save the planet eco socialism, and Reeves’s removal of the heating allowance.

3
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RTSC
RTSC
8 months ago

He’s just a nasty, lying Socialist.

But anyone with a few functioning brain cells knew that and didn’t vote for him. Our problem is the 20% who either didn’t know that, or who are also nasty little Socialists and approve of his authoritarianism.

4
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Smudger
Smudger
8 months ago
Reply to  RTSC

Their dishonesty is almost as bad as that of the Tories.

1
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The Real Engineer
The Real Engineer
8 months ago
Reply to  Smudger

Much much worse.

1
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Epi
Epi
8 months ago

Well honestly what did you expect? It’s a LABOUR GOVERNMENT they tax and spend and then tax and spend even more. They won’t be happy until everyone is as poor as a church mouse and we’re all on the same level i.e. in the gutter. That’s socialism for you.

2
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Judith pelham
Judith pelham
8 months ago
Reply to  Epi

Except themselves who are rich enough not to notice

2
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Hester
Hester
8 months ago

Reeves and Starmer were very “clever” in their choice of words in that there would be no tax increases on “working people”, my ears pricked at this as particularly weasely words, after all there are two main sets of none working people, those on benefits, and pensioners, the former I assume are given benefits because they have no assets, so the latter were who the Labour predators would attack.
Then Kier Starmer was asked in an interview what his definition of a working person was, his answer was revealing, in his mind a working person is someone who has no savings. In other words unless you are living hand to mouth, if you have a small ISA, Pension, Savings account etc, you are fair game.

3
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coviture2020
coviture2020
8 months ago

“No government has lost trust so quickly.”
The prime minister cannot be trusted to maintain a view longer than his next interview.
The black hole was a surprise, consultation with the OBR could have shown that ,unless the OBR are more incompetent than we believe. Despite the black hole Millipede gave 11 Bill to overseas countries to help achieve net zero. To say the least of the spineless response to public sector strike threats.
No wonder free speech is in peril. Show trials to replace Strictly!

2
0
The Real Engineer
The Real Engineer
8 months ago
Reply to  coviture2020

No, No, there is no “Black hole”. All the commitments were available from the OBR to Labour and everyone else. The black hole is the latest public sector pay increases. Note there is no information with the OBR or anyone else how they will pay for them. Two faced lying by Reeves.

1
0
Chris Williams
Chris Williams
8 months ago

Was it $20 Trillion that was siphoned off from everyone else to the 0.1% during Covid? Perhaps The Chancellor will be seeking 99.9% of her budgetary deficit from the 0.1%?

0
0

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