Rayner couldn’t explain what Labour meant by “working people” at Deputy Prime Minister’s Questions today. Helpfully, Science Minister Chris Bryant has just come up with a new line on what it means: those badly affected during the cost of living crisis. Bryant clarified on Politics Live just now:
“[Working people] has become a shorthand in political circles for the people who were particularly disadvantaged in the cost of living crisis…that suddenly meant that people had to find an extra £300 a month for their mortgages so those are the people that we didn’t want to hit, so we wanted to say in the general election we don’t want to take more tax from you and that’s what we said.”
Last week, Labour MP Dan Tomlinson claimed that a rise in employer NICs would constitute a new tax on “working people” because someone who owns and runs a business is obviously a “working person.” On Monday, Care Minister Stephen Kinnock was asked whether six-figure earners were working people, to which he refused to answer six times, then conceding that Labour hadn’t worked out what a “working person” was yet. Labour continue to waffle and contradict each other over what “working people” means. Opening the door to tax hikes for all..
The SNP’s Stephen Flynn used his question at PMQs to dig at Rayner over Labour’s USA campaining trip:
“In today’s spirit of cross party working, will the Deputy Prime Minister join me in applauding the brave Labour staff members who’ve travelled across the Atlantic to campaign against Donald Trump?”
In response Rayner issued the Labour line verbatim: “People in their own time often go and campaign and that’s what we’ve seen. It happens in all political parties – people go and campaign and they do what they want to do in their own time with their own money.“ While housed by Dems…
It’s the battle of the deputies today as Dowden and Rayner trade blows in the Commons while Starmer flies to Samoa. Dowden jumped in with a simple question: “What is the Deputy Prime Minister’s definition of working people?”
Rayner swerved in response:
“The definition of working people are the people that the Tory party have failed for the last fourteen years.”
Dowden pressed on: Are the 5 million small business owners in Britain working people? Again Rayner dodged the question…
Rachel Reeves made it clear and public what the party’s definition of working people was during the election campaign: “Working people are people who get their income from going out to work everyday, and also pensioners that have worked all their lives and are now in retirement.” The upcoming budget has had quite the effect on the Cabinet’s memories…
The Lords Commissioner Standards has completed an investigation into Lord Alli’s potential breaches of conduct. It concludes there are four breaches:
“Finally, while I consider each individual breach of the Code to be minor, I have found there to be four breaches in total, and have therefore recommended that Lord Alli write a letter of apology to the Chair of the Conduct Committee, Baroness Manningham-Buller.”
Lord Alli’s apology:
“I am writing to you today to offer my apology for my breach of conduct by not registering my interests correctly. I will endeavour to keep to the Code of Conduct at all times to avoid such circumstances again.”
The breaches are explained:
Read the full report below:
Number 10 is frantically fire-fighting the fallout after Trump accused Labour of election interference last night. Starmer’s crows that this won’t ruin his relationship with Trump is falling flat. His cabinet is full of Trump-bashing ministers, who’ve not shied away from voicing their hatred of the former President. Guido thought he’d do a timeline of Labour figures’ thoughts on the potential new President:
This latest saga could be the final straw for Trump…
