James Wild has criticised the government’s plan for action for dropping pledges including on economic growth and cutting energy bills by £300. He also highlighted the lack of metrics, implementation plan, or clear accountability for ministers if targets are not met.
The Prime Minister announced yesterday his six priorities for government in a "plan for change" speech. The targets include building 1.5 million homes, fixing the NHS and delivering clean power by 2030. He also pledged higher living standards, safer streets and ensuring more five-year-olds enter school “ready to learn”.
The launch of the government plan comes in a week where MPs debated Labour’s planned changes to Agricultural Property Relief and a £25 billion increase in National Insurance. Conservative MPs voted against what has been dubbed a Family Farm Tax and the NI which will hit businesses, charities, and other organisations and lead to fewer jobs and lower wages.
Following the launch of the government plan, Leader of the Opposition, Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP said:
The Prime Minister's emergency reset confirms that Labour had 14 years in opposition and still weren’t ready for government: Nothing concrete on immigration - because Labour have no plan to control numbers Fastest growth in the G7 in this Parliament dropped - because of the hit to the economy from the Budget Costly plans for energy decarbonisation watered-down - while poor pensioners lose their winter fuel payments And fewer than a third of Labour’s 13,000 neighbourhood police are actually new police officers This relaunch can't hide the reality of a government that doesn’t know what it is doing.
Speaking on the government plan, James Wild said:
In the document, the Government have downgraded their pledge to have the fastest-growing economy in the G7 and junked their pledge to cut energy bills by £300, breaking two promises to the British people. Of the milestones they are keeping, who is accountable for each one, what are the detailed metrics, where are the implementation plans and will Ministers take responsibility if they fail to meet them?