Labour pledges to ‘rebuild safety on Britain’s streets’ – as Tories go on VAT attack

Published

6 months ago

May 30, 2024

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Labour will promise to “get police back out in the community” as they focus their campaigning on tackling crime.

Speaking on Thursday, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper will reiterate the party’s pledge to put 13,000 neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs “back on the beat in communities across the country”, saying there will be “guaranteed neighbourhood patrols” to ensure their presence is visible to deter crime, as well as being able to catch criminals.

She will also vow to run a “hands-on Home Office” to regularly assess the department’s progress against Labour’s “missions” for government – which include cracking down on anti-social behaviour.

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Ms Cooper said: “On Rishi Sunak’s watch, 90% of crimes are going unsolved and knife-wielding muggers, phone thieves and pickpockets can get away with menacing our town centres and neighbourhoods.

“Ministers have done nothing to tackle the new organised crime wave that is hitting local shops and streets. That is the Tory legacy on law and order, and our communities are paying the price.

“Enough is enough. Labour will rebuild safety on Britain’s streets and take back our town centres from thugs and thieves, with 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs back on the beat in our communities, tough new powers to crackdown on those who cause havoc on our high streets, and a mission to reverse the collapse in the number of crimes being solved.

“Labour will put an end to Tory chaos and be a government of law and order, putting the safety and security of our communities at its heart and taking back our streets”.

But policing minister Chris Philp said the policy “isn’t worth the paper it’s written on”, adding: “Only 3,000 of their proposed new officers would be full time officers with the power of arrest and 3,000 of them are officers this government has already recruited.

“Contrast that with the Conservatives who have recruited record police numbers with 20,000 more since 2019.

“The choice is clear in this election, stick with the bold action and clear plan under Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives that has driven crime down by 54% since 2010, or go back to square one with Labour.”

On day eight of the election campaign, the Conservatives will go on the attack – aiming their punches at Labour’s “chaotic” economic policy.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt accused his opposite number, Rachel Reeves, of “buckling under pressure” to rule out raising VAT in the next parliament, having “carefully and deliberately” avoided doing so all week – including in an interview with Sky News’ Sam Coates.

After the minister wrote in the Telegraph that Labour would “raid” VAT to pay for its policies, Ms Reeves released a statement calling it “absolute nonsense”, adding: “Labour will not be increasing income tax, national insurance, or VAT.”

Mr Hunt then accused her of “flip-flopping” and saying what he believed was a change in policy “demonstrates that Labour don’t have a plan for the economy”.

Meanwhile, the SNP will appeal to young people out on the campaign trail on Thursday, with First Minister John Swinney saying “an entire generation has been robbed of opportunity” because of austerity, Brexit and the cost of living crisis.

And the Liberal Democrats will be calling for a mental health professional in every primary and secondary school, with party leader Sir Ed Davey claiming the Tories had “abandoned parents and children”.

Politics

Crypto scam launderer pleads guilty to role in $73M scheme

Published

5 hours ago

November 13, 2024

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Crypto scam launderer pleads guilty to role in M scheme

Daren Li is looking at a maximum of 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to his role in laundering crypto in a $73 million scam.

Politics

NHS league tables and cancelled pay rises for managers among government health reforms

Published

8 hours ago

November 13, 2024

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NHS league tables and cancelled pay rises for managers among government health reforms

NHS league tables revealing failing NHS trusts and cancelled pay rises or dismissal for managers who don’t turn things around are to form part of the government’s plans to improve the health service.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting is confirming new measures he hopes will boost failing hospital trusts and encourage successful ones.

The changes form part of the Labour government’s strategy to reduce waiting lists “from 18 months to 18 weeks”.

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Health and the state of the NHS were consistently among the most important issues for voters at this year’s general election – with Labour blaming the Conservatives for “breaking” it.

As health is a devolved area, any reforms proposed in Westminster would only apply to England.

Chief among Mr Streeting’s proposals is a “league table” for NHS trusts.

An announcement from the Department for Health and Social Care said: “NHS England will carry out a no-holds-barred sweeping review of NHS performance across the entire country, with providers to be placed into a league table.

“This will be made public and regularly updated to ensure leaders, policy-makers and patients know which improvements need to be prioritised.”

It also promises to replace “persistently failing managers” – with “turn around teams” being sent in to improve trusts running sizeable deficits or offering poor service to patients.

The government says “senior managers” who fail to make progress will not be eligible for pay rises.

There will be “financial implications” for more senior figures such as chief executives if their trust does not improve.

On the flip-side, those trusts that are deemed to be “high-performing” will get “greater freedom over funding and flexibility”.

Senior leaders at these trusts will also be “rewarded”.

The government says the current system is not incentivising trusts to run a budget surplus, as they cannot benefit from it.

Mr Streeting said: “The budget showed this government prioritises the NHS, providing the investment needed to rebuild the health service.

“Today we are announcing the reforms to make sure every penny of extra investment is well spent and cuts waiting times for patients.

“There’ll be no more turning a blind eye to failure. We will drive the health service to improve, so patients get more out of it for what taxpayers put in.

“Our health service must attract top talent, be far more transparent to the public who pay for it, and run as efficiently as global businesses.

“With the combination of investment and reform, we will turn the NHS around and cut waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks.”

Concerns from health representatives

Amanda Pritchard, the chief executive of NHS England, said: “While NHS leaders welcome accountability, it is critical that responsibility comes with the necessary support and development.

“The extensive package of reforms, developed together with government, will empower all leaders working in the NHS and it will give them the tools they need to provide the best possible services for our patients.”

Further plans on how monitoring will be published by the start of the next financial year in April 2025, the government said.

Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation – a body that represents all NHS trusts – said healthcare leaders welcome the “government’s ambition”.

However, he said he was concerned league tables and reducing pay may “strip out” the nuance of what’s going on.

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Mr Taylor said: “NHS staff are doing their very best for patients under very challenging circumstances and we do not want them feeling like they are being named and shamed.

“League tables in themselves do not lead to improvement, trusts struggling with consistent performance issues – some of which reflect contextual issues such as underlying population heath and staff shortages – need to be identified and supported in order to recover.”