Democracy is the cornerstone of our country. It is how we choose our leaders, hold them to account, and determine the direction of our nation. People judge their local candidates, the party’s manifestos, and vote for those they believe will best deliver for them and their communities.
An e-petition calling for another general election reached more than one million signatures, more than ten times the number needed to trigger a debate in Parliament.
As a Member of Parliament’s Petitions Committee, I have been honoured to lead debates on a wide variety of public petitions – from protecting Northern Ireland Veterans, to the Labour government’s Education Tax, and – on the need for another general election.
Whilst it is true that a single petition cannot trigger an election, the public support for one should give the Labour government pause for thought.
On 5th July 2024, Keir Starmer stood on the steps of Downing Street and promised a ‘government of service’. He promised to put country before party and deliver accountability and transparency.
I am afraid the Labour government have done the exact opposite.
Fair minded people understand that governments must adapt to world events and unexpected challenges, like war or a pandemic. However, I don’t believe people accept being promised one thing before an election and then getting the complete opposite once a party is in power.
The reality is that Britain is paying the price for a catalogue of broken promises by this Labour government.
Within weeks of taking office, Rachel Reeves cut Winter Fuel Payments, leaving pensioners cold in their own homes last winter. Despite pledging not to increase National Insurance, the Chancellor introduced the so-called “Jobs Tax”, hiking employer National Insurance. Combined with Angela Rayner’s Employment Rights Act, they have increased the cost of hiring a worker by around £1,000.
Across the Chancellor’s first two Budgets, we have seen £64 billion in tax rises – an eye-watering figure for a party that promised no new tax rises.
The Labour government has failed people in so many ways. There are, however, people and businesses that have been hit particularly hard.
For rural communities like mine, the decisions Labour have taken in office have been particularly devastating.
Before the election, the Prime Minister told the National Farmers’ – Union
Conference that “losing a farm is not like losing any other business – it can’t come back.” Yet, within months of taking office – the government introduced a Family Farm Tax.
The decision put farmers through more than a year of hell, facing a future where they would lose the very farm they have nurtured for generations. Very sadly, some farmers even taken their own lives. While a partial u-turn was announced just before Christmas, this damaging policy should be scrapped entirely.
Our pubs and hospitality businesses are also under siege. Increased employment costs, rising prices, and new taxes are all piling on the pressure, in addition to surging business rates from the SNP government in Edinburgh.
It has meant that pubs are closing at a rate of two per day, hollowing out communities.
On immigration, the government made bold promises before the election to ‘smash the gangs’, yet they have delivered the opposite. Small boat crossings have increased, with 41,000 people entering the UK illegally last year, and more than 32,000 people now housed in asylum hotels at the taxpayers’ expense. That is no surprise. One of the first acts of Keir Starmer upon becoming Prime Minister was to scrap the deterrent put in place by the previous Conservative government.
This government has now made 13 u-turns since coming to office. On income tax, on welfare reform, compensation for WASPI women, a grooming gangs inquiry, and now – partially – on Digital ID.
There was no mention of Digital ID in the Labour Party’s manifesto. People did not vote for it. People don’t want it, and crucially – we simply do not need it.
Of course, innovation has a place, but law-abiding citizens must not be forced to get something they did not to consent to, or be excluded from their full right if they choose not to participate.
Each week when I’m out in the Scottish Borders knocking on doors, holding surgeries, and even when reading my inbox – there is one word that comes up time and time again – betrayal.
People feel let down by a government – and a Prime Minister who promised so much, and have delivered so little.
The Labour government came to office with no plan, and the Prime Minister simply does not have the backbone to stand up to his left-wing backbenches.
The government is riddled with scandal and chaos. The Transport Secretary resigned for fraud. The anti-corruption Minister had to go after facing corruption allegations. The Homelessness Minister was forced out after making her tenants homeless. The Deputy Prime Minister quit after being caught evading tax. The list is endless.
Labour won the 2024 general election in Parliament with an overwhelming majority.
They have the most MPs in Parliament, but they have lost the support of the country.
This debate should give the government cause for reflection, to think about the choices they are making, and do things differently.
Our country deserves so much better than broken promises, higher taxes, and a government in chaos. We need a leader with a backbone, competence, and a government that keeps its word to those who vote for it.
