It has been an exciting few weeks in Parliament, as just two weeks ago, I watched Britain’s first female Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, deliver Labour’s first budget in Government in 14 years. The Budget enables us to deliver on our commitments of improving the lives of working people and investing in our public services, whilst also fixing the foundations of our economy and grappling with the damage that 14 years of Conservative Government have inflicted.

It was incredibly troubling to hear, as the Chancellor described in depth, the scale of the blackhole that the Tories have left us with. Money had been committed and projects had been announced, that the Conservatives knew they could not deliver on. Disgracefully, this included funding for victims of the horrific injustices of the infected blood and Horizon scandals. It was only right that Labour have set aside the money, to ensure we can provide some justice for these victims.

At the heart of our Budget was a commitment that the payslips of working people should be protected, and I am delighted that this Labour Government raised the minimum wage, reflecting the impact of the cost of living crisis. This is really important, as last year the Local Government Association reported that sixty-one percent of working-age adults in poverty lived in a household where at least one adult was in work. Worryingly, over 22% of children aged 0 to 15 in Calderdale live in poverty with rates varying between wards from 10% to 54%.

I was particularly pleased that this budget addressed concerns that have been consistently raised by constituents in Halifax. We are making good on our commitment to invest in our NHS and bring down waiting times, with the biggest financial boost to our NHS since 2010, outside of covid. We know that our social care system is broken, and as part of providing better support to carers, the Budget also announced an increase to the Carer’s Allowance earnings threshold.

Transport in the north needs so much more investment too, so it was brilliant to hear the Chancellor announce £500m to fix 1 million potholes a year, a freeze in fuel duty and the Transpennine Route upgrade. The to do list is so long, but I am proud we have wasted no time and have hit the ground running.

Whilst we fix our economy, we have also enacted measures to help level the burden. So, whilst we raise money to invest in our public services, by introducing VAT on private schools, increasing the rates of Air Passenger Duty and getting rid of the non-dom tax status, we have also provided help for those who need it, for example by increasing the Employment Allowance to support our small businesses. This Labour government has also extended vital commitments, that would’ve come to an end under Conservative plans this December, including business rates relief and the bus fare cap.

The announcements made in this Budget show just some of the difference a Labour Government can make. Whilst we have so much more to do, this Budget was a vital step in enabling this Labour Government to get on with living up to the promises we were elected on and delivering for the people of Halifax.