Labour Campaign to End Child Poverty

I welcome many of the announcements made by the Chancellor in the Spring Statement, particularly the renewed commitment to tackling tax avoidance, £2 billion investment to expand affordable housing and £1 billion a year investment in an Employment Support Scheme. However, I am deeply disappointed by the decision to proceed with £5 billion in cuts to welfare spending. As a GP, I see first-hand the positive impact that work can have on people’s mental and physical health, self-esteem, and communities — not to mention the financial benefits. Getting people back into work is a good thing. But I also know the negative effects of austerity; shortened healthy life expectancy, increased mental health issues, and limited social mobility. The government’s own impact assessment makes it clear: these welfare reforms will push 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, into poverty. I did not come into politics to make life harder for those already struggling. I will be voting against these proposals when they come before Parliament. I have written to both the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, urging them to reconsider these cuts and instead explore a 2% wealth tax on assets over £10 million — a fairer alternative that could raise up to £24 billion. Fiscal responsibility is important, but we must not balance the books on the backs of the poorest in society.

Rachael Maskell with text overlaid that reads 'Spring Statement Response'.

The super-rich should be paying their way through a wealth tax, As little as a 2% tax on wealth over £10 million would raise £24 billion every year. Money that will go to our NHS, our social care services, our buses and our schools. My full response,🔗in comments 👇
#York #WealthTax #SpringStatement

However, it cannot be right that at the same time they’re pushing through welfare cuts that risk 3.2 million families losing an average of £1,720, including an additional 50,000 children who face being pushed into relative poverty.

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Liz Kendall rightly said “child poverty is a scar on our society. It harms children’s life chances and our country as a whole.”

The government has rightly committed to tackling child poverty head on through its Child Poverty Taskforce…

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The cuts to welfare announced in this week’s spring statement risk driving thousands of children into poverty, the polar opposite of what a Labour government should do.

We strongly urge the Chancellor to reconsider these cuts.

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If you believe in a strong welfare state that works to ensure no child grows up in poverty, give @labagainstpoverty.bsky.social a follow. There is work to be done!