As budget nears, faith in government ‘on a knife edge’ – even in Preston, a Labour stronghold
The dramatic iron canopy over Preston Market has been sheltering shoppers for nearly 150 years.
Even inside the stylish indoor market, which opened six years ago, the trading history of this Lancashire city is palpable.
Old posters remember the Christmas markets of 1902.
Derek Cheetham says the UK is ‘on a knife edge’
“A lot of people have been coming here for a long time,” says Derek Cheetham, owner of the market’s Cherry Pie Coffee & Co.
“It is a religious thing for them to do, to go to Preston Market.”
They have seen plenty of budgets come and go here but, in a seat that has been safe Labour territory since the end of the Second World War, the party’s first budget in recent memory is a significant moment.
“I think it’ll make or break them,” says Valerie Sergeant, owner of Wise Buys Hair and Beauty, adding, “they have to help the middle classes.”
For traders and shoppers alike, the government’s controversial decision to change the winter fuel allowance for pensioners has made many wary of what new economic pain might lie ahead.
“I think we’re on a bit of a knife edge,” Mr Cheetham said.
Preston Market
“They’ve obviously got issues to solve, I think everybody knew that. They’ve tried to make it sound worse than we all thought it might be, probably so that when they make tough decisions, they’ve got a good excuse for it. I don’t think everyone’s buying that, to be honest.”
Preston Market has been serving shoppers for nearly 150 years
Like many of the small business owners in the market, he is concerned about the prospect of an increase in national insurance contributions for employers and changes to pensions.
“Most small businesses are not making huge amounts of money. Every time the government puts another cost implication in there the only people it hurts generally is the workers.”
Salman Ahmed, who switched from selling fashion to joining his brother’s Indian food stall Chacha’s, agrees.
Valerie Sergeant says ministers ‘have to help the middle classes’
“We’re not struggling, we’re coping, we’re alright, we pay the bills and take some money out for us. This budget looks like it is going to be financially a burden on the employers and this is going to be more pressure and we’ll feel it.”
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Why are businesses nervous about the budget?
By the Halloween display, a queue forms for the nearby bakery.
Some people offer a brusque “no comment” when asked about what they want from the budget.
They are similarly dismissive of Labour’s first months in office.
“It is heartbreaking to see that old fella there saving up his 1p and 2p coins so he can buy his grandson something for Christmas. He’s going to get nowt in the budget,” says one frustrated woman.
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David Maudsley, owner of Sheridan’s Bags and Bags, said: “I think the country is in limbo at the moment.
“Can it be as bad as they have really portrayed? Hopefully not. But there’s no light at the end of the tunnel until after the budget.
“In a nutshell, people are saying, ‘this is not what we voted for’. A number of people have said exactly the same to me. We didn’t vote for this and I’m not sure what we were voting for exactly.”
At Bossy Boots shoe stall, Peter Walls is even more blunt. Since the election, he says, the country “has been a mess”.
As for the budget, he says, “there’s a lot of fear, there’s a lot of worry out there.”
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In this staunchly Labour area there are plenty who want to give the government time on the economy but, even here, the challenges of everyday life mean patience is short.
In his 70s, Adrian Livesey is still running the butchers he started four decades ago. I asked him if the people of Preston still have faith in the Labour government.
“They have but it is waning. We get people in here all the time saying ‘hey, it’s not took them long, has it? It’s not took them long to go back on their pledges’.”
A woman who was stabbed to death in north London has been named by police – as a man was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Pamela Munro, 45, was found with a stab wound and died at the scene in Ayley Croft, Enfield, on Saturday evening, the Metropolitan Police said.
A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder on Monday and is in custody, the force added.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil John said: “Investigating officers have worked relentlessly across the weekend to investigate the circumstances around Pamela’s death.
“We continue to support her family who are understandably devastated.”
Police at the scene at Ayley Croft in Enfield
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The Met Police has asked anyone with information or who was driving through Ayley Court between 6.30pm and 7.30pm on Saturday and may have dashcam footage to contact the force.
A “British man” has died after being beaten and set on fire by a mob in Ecuador, according to reports by media in the South American country.
According to reports, the man – who has not been officially identified – had been detained by police after being accused of being involved in a fatal shooting.
Ecuadorian news outlet Ecuavisa reported that the man had been taken to a police station Playas del Cuyabeno, a remote village in the Amazon rainforest.
While there, a group broke into the station and took the man away. He was then set on fire in the street, it is reported, and died from his burns.
The incident reportedly happened in the Playas del Cuyabeno area of Sucumbios province
Another local report, from EXTRA.ec, said that specialist police units had been slow to arrive due to the geographical conditions of the area – which is accessible by river.
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According to reports, police officers at the station apparently decided they could not intervene when the mob arrived out of concerns for their own safety.
It is understood the UK Foreign Office is following up reports about the incident and working with local authorities to confirm the details.
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