Itâs that time of year again where the different parties descend on various cities across the country to set out their platforms, dish out some freebies đ and, on paper anyway, engage with their memberships.
The Lib Dems kicked things off in Brighton a week and a half ago (there really wasnât much to report from that one) and Labour have just spent the last week in Liverpool, celebrating their first conference as the party in power in 15 years.
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On Monday, Rachel Reeves stepped up to the podium to give her first speech as chancellor of the exchequer. Despite her partyâs claim of âchangeâ what she said was very much what weâve all had to grow used to over the last few years: a long list of spending plans and warnings of tough choices (tax rises) to pay for it. John OâConnell, our chief executive, hit the nail on the head when he said: âLabour came in promising to step more lightly on peopleâs lives, but the change they are set to deliver looks likely to be yet another round of spending increases and tax hikes that only further damages household budgets while doing little to reform gravely underperforming public services.â Â
In an op-ed for City A.M., Elliot Keck, our head of campaigns, pulled no punches: âThereâs no doubt that Reeves was left with a difficult inheritance. The fact that the national debt has just hit 100 per cent of GDP is a case-in-point. But the high-tax, high-spend, reform-lite approach on offer is the same dish that has been endlessly reheated for us for years, just with a different, and already slightly wilted, garnish.â
When the prime minister took to the stage, he was clearly singing from the same hymn sheet as his chancellor but revealed more of his plans to exercise control over our lives. Embracing the ânanny knows bestâ philosophy, Starmer declared that his government will âtake back controlâ in areas like health, the economy, and the environment. Of course, reading through the lines, we know what he really meant and John summed it up perfectly when he told the Daily Express: âStarmer claims that he is building a Britain that belongs to the people but in reality heâs tapping up taxpayers to pay for the priorities of backroom bureaucrats, relentless regulators and prying public health lobbyists.â
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All this was in stark contrast to the hundreds of people we spoke to at the Reform UK conference in Birmingham the weekend before. We spoke to countless individuals and small business owners who simply want the government off their backs and out of their pockets. If youâre one of those who came over for a chat, welcome!Â
With this Labour government making no apologies about its commitment to a bigger state, you can rest assured that weâll be holding their feet to the fire and standing up for taxpayers every step of the way.Â
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This week, the TPA team are heading to Birmingham for this yearâs ThinkTent at the Conservative conference. As the Conservatives come to terms with their defeat at the general election, and candidates vie for the leadership, this yearâs ThinkTent promises to be one of the most important yet.
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Weâve got a packed line up with panels on tax (obviously), our lost liberties, productivity, and more. If youâre attending the conference, pop along and meet the TPA team, join discussions on the topics that matter to taxpayers, and enjoy some lively debates. You can find the full schedule of TPA events here. If youâre not in Birmingham, you can catch all of our panels on the ThinkTent website. You wonât want to miss out.
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
Making his TV debut, TPA researcher, Shimeon Lee, took to GB News to tackle the issue of rising sickness benefit claimants in the UK and what this means for taxpayers. From fraud and error to expansion of qualifying conditions, the benefits system is riddled with problems.Â
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Shimeon got straight to the point, explaining to viewers: â40 per cent of the new claims are due to mental health, and this is simply not what the system was designed to cope with.â Check out the full interview here.
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Who really decides UK immigration policy?
During the general election, former prime minister Rishi Sunak said that he would introduce a cap on immigration if re-elected. However, it was not the government who would decide on the cap, but the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), a little known or discussed quango. Thanks to the efforts of William Yarwood, our media campaign manager, we now know all about it!
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In the latest edition of Quango Watch for CapX, William goes from top to bottom highlighting the role, remit and budget of the MAC with insights into how this quango has grown over the years to become such a powerful voice in advising and deciding on immigration policy. Have a read of Williamâs article here.
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Weâre not out of the woods
With the rumour mill in overdrive that the chancellor might scrap the single-person council tax discount, we were pleased when Reeves ruled out including such a move in the upcoming budget. But as always, the devil is in the detail. In his latest op-ed for ConservativeHome, Elliot correctly reminds us that we arenât out of the woods yet.
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The trouble with Rachel Reevesâ comments is that the budget canât be used to impose the widowâs tax. As Elliot explains: âScrapping the single-person discount requires primary legislation and could not be enacted using this budget.â All the chancellor has done is rule out something she couldnât have done at the budget anyway. Weâll be keeping a close eye to make sure this cruel policy doesnât raise its ugly head again.
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Itâs raining money
British weather is known to be unpredictable, and Iâm sure we can all call to mind a recent time when the forecasters just got it completely wrong. It seemed to happen most days this week...While the weather may be unpredictable, one thing isnât - bonuses at the MET Office. A record ÂŁ6 million was doled out to staff last year. This comes after (and perhaps because) accuracy of predictions was removed as a factor when deciding bonus payments.
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Speaking to the Express, I told readers: âHaving scrapped the link to accurate forecasting, it shouldnât be a surprise bonuses are surging. Bosses should take the temperature of the public and link rewards to performance.â
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The energy windfall tax is economic self harm
This weekâs blog comes to us courtesy of Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser. The focus of Murdoâs ire is the energy profits levy (EPL).
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Murdo makes the case for scrapping the levy so that investment and jobs, especially in Aberdeen âthe beating heart of UK energyâ can be encouraged rather than jeopardised. Fraser also points out how the one-off windfall tax has now been extended to 2030, proving Milton Friedmanâs old line right that ânothing is so permanent as a temporary government programmeâ. Ainât that the truth!
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This week, Joanna Marchong, our investigations campaign manager, called out the hypocrisy of Labour's decision to cut the winter fuel payment for many pensioners but have taxpayers footing the bill for their own energy bills. Joanna wants to know your thoughts⌠|
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Benjamin Elks
Grassroots Development Manager
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