Funding the Future

We need clean air

By law we are meant to enjoy clean water and safe food, but air quality is very largely ignored in law. This is absurd because improved air quality in this country would save hundreds of thousands of lives, save the NHS a fortune and massively improve productivity. The gains would massively outweigh any costs. Labour should be delivering it.

Labour could make business publish what it pays

Big business pays a large proportion of the UK’s taxes. They should be detailing exactly how much in their accounts. If Labour wants to hold business to account, this is a chance for them to do so.

Let’s talk pensions….

Pensions are in the news because they very obviously are not working for people in the UK. The trouble is, the solutions assume a bit of financial engineering, and pouring some more money into the bottomless pit of the City of London will solve the problems. As I explain in this video, that’s definitely not true.

Labour should be capping rent increases

Millions of people living in private rented accommodation are still facing well over inflation-rate rent increases when increases in wages are falling dramatically as most inflation does as well. This penalises those living in that accommodation in a grossly unfair way. Labour could cap rent rises so they must be less than the rate of inflation to control this. It’s time it did.

Labour could start believing in government

We have lived through a forty-year period when just about every government minister has believed that nothing government can do is as good as what the private sector does. There is, however, no evidence to support this claim. It really is time politicians believed in the ability of government itself.

Labour could end no-fault evictions

The Tories said they would end no-fault evictions from private sector accommodation but failed to deliver. Labour could deliver this reform now, and end this threat hanging over millions of people.

Labour could introduce PR for English local elections

Scotland already has proportional representation for its local authority elections. England needs it, and Labour would win as a result. If we’re to have a pathway to better democracy in the UK as a whole, this is a place to start it. It’s time Labour gave us PR in local elections.

Labour could increase the minimum wages for non-standard working hours

Vast numbers of people are paid the minimum wage, but it makes no allowance for out-of-hours working or weekend and night working. It really should, and Labour could deliver that change to improve the well-being of all who work in this way at very little cost to it.

Labour could ban big donations to political parties

Politics in the UK is blighted by the influence of big political donors, all of whom are seeking to influence how our politicians behave to advantage themselves. That influence is malign. We need clean politics and Labour could deliver that by ending large donations, for good.

Labour could take action against tax havens

Labour could end the curse that the UK's tax havens represent to this country's tax revenues - and to those of other countries. It demanded action on tax havens when in opposition. Now it is time for it to deliver to open up the secrecy that lets these places operate, once and for all.