29/10/2026
🚨 BREATHING SPACE FOR WHO? CERTAINLY NOT ORDINARY WORKING FAMILIES!
Yesterday, Labour Chancellor John Healey delivered his Autumn Budget, promising families across Britain some much-needed breathing space.
But after looking at the announcements and the economic forecasts, I have to ask one simple question:
Where exactly is this breathing space?
Across Sandwell and the rest of the country, families are struggling. People are working harder than ever, yet finding themselves with less money left at the end of the month.
The cost of heating our homes, putting food on the table, filling our cars and simply getting through everyday life has become a real struggle.
Residents were hoping for meaningful relief. Unfortunately, I believe this Budget falls well short.
📌 Let's look at the facts:
🔴 £100 towards energy bills — Labour has announced a £100 payment for eligible households. But with energy prices forecast to rise by around 27% in January, that £100 could be swallowed up by the additional cost of energy over just three winter months!
🔴 Standing charges — Labour talks about removing gas standing charges. What they don't make clear enough is that these costs are expected to be transferred onto the price of gas itself. Moving a charge from one part of your bill to another is not necessarily saving you money!
🔴 Living standards — The Resolution Foundation warns that household incomes may not recover from the losses of the past two years until mid-2029. How is that supposed to give people confidence?
🔴 Economic growth — The official forecast for growth in 2027 has been downgraded to just 1%. Where is the ambitious plan to get Britain growing again?
🔴 Tax pressure — Working people are still facing frozen income-tax thresholds, while the overall tax burden is forecast to reach record levels.
Labour calls this breathing space. I call it nowhere near enough.
I welcome genuine help for struggling households, regardless of which political party introduces it. But families need more than temporary payments while the underlying cost of living continues to squeeze them.
We have pensioners worried about turning their heating on, parents struggling to afford the weekly food shop and hard-working people wondering why, despite doing everything right, they still cannot get ahead.
These aren't just figures on a spreadsheet. These are real people, real families and real struggles.
People shouldn't have to choose between heating their homes and feeding their families in 21st-century Britain.
I believe we must put ordinary working people, pensioners, small businesses and British families at the heart of every financial decision.
We need meaningful reductions in household costs, a stronger economy, fairer taxation and policies that reward hard work.
The British public don't need more political slogans. They need to see more money left in their pockets at the end of every month.
Labour promised breathing space.
The question is: will families actually feel any better off?
For too many households, I fear the answer is no.
🇬🇧 RESIDENTS FIRST. ALWAYS.
