Weds 26/3/25 Spring Statement (Emergency Budget) 12:30PM

[arista]

Labour says this is a Spring Statement
this time next week.

Many say it is an Emergency Budget
with Cuts.


Rachel Reeves MP
will be there.

[Vanessa]

How about cutting their own overinflated wages and money their spend for the most ridiculous things?

[arista]

How about cutting their own overinflated wages and money their spend for the most ridiculous things?


No sadly,
MP wages got a new increase
yesterday

[arista]

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[arista]

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[arista]

7AM Inflation Fell to 2.8%


It was 3%

[arista]

BBC1HD

Live in the Sheffield University Cafe
With a Group of seated public
including old folks

Their Reporter is moving
round the tables

[bots]

there are going to be far deeper cuts to welfare than were announced last week. Apparently, it wont affect the poor, let's see how that pans out

[arista]

there are going to be far deeper cuts to welfare than were announced last week. Apparently, it wont affect the poor, let's see how that pans out


Yes, many are saying the poor are doomed
with Labour.

[Beso]

More Political Ponerology

[Livia]

I'm hoping to hear they're closing migrant hotels and housing them in tents now the summer's coming, in a cost-cutting measure. But then I'm quite the optimist.

[arista]

Live now

[arista]

She is blaming the Conservatives
for making the debt double

[Crimson Dynamo]

Rachel Reeves mini budget bingo card.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gm9VbAnXYAAdVDT?format=jpg&name=small

[arista]

She keeps saying
"The world is changing."


We know that,

[arista]

PM Starmer
Touched her shoulder
as she sat down.

[arista]

Now Conservative Mel Stride MP
saying she has not helped people
With Her Choices

[arista]

ITV1HDnews
Live going through what she has said.

They are skipping the Mel.

[Beso]

PM Starmer
Touched her shoulder
as she sat down.

Boak.

[bots]

i had to laugh when reeves said growth figures had been upgraded for future years. We don't know what the world will be like next week let alone 3 or 4 years time

[arista]

In Burnley,
On BBC2HD Extended Politics Live

A Pastor
said he now accepts more suicides.

[Cherie]

So as far as I can see there was nothing in her Spring Statement that had not already be trailed, apart from the fine tuning of how she is going to squeeze the Pips out of people on PiP.

Is that a good summary, I was getting my hair done so didn't hear her live but I think that is the gist?

[Livia]

The sick and disabled punished.

Illegal immigrants, no change... they'll still be looked after like kings.

[arista]

So as far as I can see there was nothing in her Spring Statement that had not already be trailed, apart from the fine tuning of how she is going to squeeze the Pips out of people on PiP.

Is that a good summary, I was getting my hair done so didn't hear her live but I think that is the gist?


Yes, a nice old lady in Burnley
seated at an indoor cafe
said "Get Labour Out"

[Cherie]

So Rachel got her original figures wrong and the OBR estimated her original welfare cuts would bring in 3.5 billion rather than the 5 she estimated so hence the further swinging cuts, as one Labour MP put it, balancing the books on broken backs


I am sure Liam will be along shortly to say this is great as the disabled will be able to try to work...good luck with them getting a job though

[Cherie]

250,000 people including 50 thousand children will be pushed into poverty by the end of Parliament ...and this is a Labour government, the Country is fecked

[arista]

Labour MP Clive Lewis
said he will not vote for this.

He is worried about his disabled folks
in his constituency.

Just spoke on SkyNewsHD

[arista]

She is now Live
all media.


From Downing Street
media room.

[arista]

Reeves MP

Now taking Questions.

[Cherie]

Families will be 500.00 better off by the end of Parliament :joker: they are trolling us for real, this is almost as good as a penny off a pint off beer....

[arista]

Ch5HDnews
In a community hub
Birkenhead,
The manager stated that a nice old lady
can not afford her heating.
So she stays on buses all day.

[Cherie]

From what I can see, it will be people with mental health issues that will lose their PIP as they wont reach the 4 point threshold on some of the questions, most will reach 2 but that will not be enough

800,000 PIP claimants are set to see benefit cuts as Rachel Reeves commits to a Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) change. The DWP and Labour Party government has introduced stricter eligibility criteria for those claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

According to the OBR’s March 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, around 800,000 people are expected to lose eligibility for the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) due to the new threshold that requires scoring at least 4 points in a single daily living activity.

Birmingham Live

[Cherie]

My other question is the tailored support to get people back to work, exactly what is it apart from sounding good?

[Cherie]

Ch5HDnews
In a community hub
Birkenhead,
The manager stated that a nice old lady
can not afford her heating.
So she stays on buses all day.

Remember when Starmer pretended he cared ....pre election of course

He gets no freebies from the poor

[joeysteele]

As it stands..
If I was in parliament there's no way I could support this, not the changes to pip particularly.
I've battled for the sick and disabled for many years now.

I'm all for any sick or disabled helped to find work IF they can work and more to the point THEY feel they can.
I've read lots and also on here over the years, when the Cons were in, moaning about the sick and disabled getting this or that.
While yes, there's some who take advantage of the system, it's not a great number.
Even conditions like diabetes, some scoff at that.
I've seen the dangers of it, plus while some can have it controlled, others don't.
The debilitating condition it is with its many complications can even as to that, make it difficult to work.

I've also attended with others, these awful re-assessnents of claimants as to DLA, and PIP and also ESA too.
With NOT a Doctor doing them at all but a probably commission paid so called health professional, who really are nothing more than box tickers with the view of reducing or stopping benefits.

I've been with people left near suicidal after such assessments.
There's next to no compassion.

I couldn't then support these plans as they are.
The changing of the criteria to qualify for PIP.
The current criteria was too heartless in my view, raising the points level in these new plans are absolutely wrong.

This isn't clear enough as to the plans.
If things were stronger economically and you had the necessary things in place to really assist as to work.
Then that would be much more acceptable.
However someone sick and disabled are the ones who really KNOW if they can do work.
They know their bodies, they know how they feel.

Who knows as to someone sick and disabled just how much the added stress of having to work will add to the already limits from their conditions.
Certainly NOT ANY political Party.
Certainly NOT a government either.
Certainly NOT those box tickers doing re-assessing.

I don't like one bit these plans.
Not one bit at all.
I hope Labour backbenchers will think hard on them, however the sad thing is most other Parties would be looking at doing similar.
I never though expected this from this government,no way.

[Livia]

From what I can see, it will be people with mental health issues that will lose their PIP as they wont reach the 4 point threshold on some of the questions, most will reach 2 but that will not be enough

800,000 PIP claimants are set to see benefit cuts as Rachel Reeves commits to a Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) change. The DWP and Labour Party government has introduced stricter eligibility criteria for those claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

According to the OBR’s March 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, around 800,000 people are expected to lose eligibility for the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) due to the new threshold that requires scoring at least 4 points in a single daily living activity.

Birmingham Live

Have they just arrived on a dinghy? No? **** 'em then.

[Crimson Dynamo]

she is so out her depth

its staggering

[Beso]

Worst thing is, in 4 years time there no point changing cause the merry go round will just go round again. Keep labour in, its enjoyable having them to blame for a change.

[arista]

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[arista]

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[arista]

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[arista]

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[arista]

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[arista]

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[arista]

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[arista]

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[arista]

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[user104658]

Worst thing is, in 4 years time there no point changing cause the merry go round will just go round again. Keep labour in, its enjoyable having them to blame for a change.

I agree with that, the last year has proven that there's very little meaningful democracy left in the UK (or the US but in a very different way here). We're just picking slightly different versions of identical politics.

Some naively think that Reform would be "the answer" and change up everything but I just don't think they would. It would be again a slight variation on exactly the same thing. We don't get to "choose".

[Cherie]

Wonder how James O Blob will spin this into a positive this morning, so far he has managed to support Labour on everything...even Starmers glasses and new suits

[bots]

I agree with that, the last year has proven that there's very little meaningful democracy left in the UK (or the US but in a very different way here). We're just picking slightly different versions of identical politics.

Some naively think that Reform would be "the answer" and change up everything but I just don't think they would. It would be again a slight variation on exactly the same thing. We don't get to "choose".


Changing the government just changes who gets the corrupt cash at the lower levels. The constant winners are the party donors who pick a party to donate to depending on how much they want to F things up, but they always make the money

[bots]

the other thing i want to know, because it makes no economic sense, is, why is Starmer chasing a trade deal with the USA when the first countries he ****ed up were Canada and Mexico, who both have trade deals

[user104658]

Wonder how James O Blob will spin this into a positive this morning, so far he has managed to support Labour on everything...even Starmers glasses and new suits

It is frustrating that people seem unable to admit a mistake or deviate from one, cognitive dissonance I expect. Flipping my vote to Labour at the last GE is one of the daftest things I've done in recent memory and it'll be flipping straight back to SNP at the next election -- as polling suggests is the case for a huge number in Scotland. They can have as many campervans as they want. I don't like some of their "progressive" (sic) policies but I'll accept them over trying to balance the books by stripping money away from disabled people :facepalm:. Politics is so grim currently.

That said - I still maintain that the only thing after than sticking to one's guns with unwavering excuses for Labour, is deciding that flipping to bloody Reform will fix things. People will find out but they'll never learn.

[user104658]

the other thing i want to know, because it makes no economic sense, is, why is Starmer chasing a trade deal with the USA when the first countries he ****ed up were Canada and Mexico, who both have trade deals

That's the issue the US is creating for itself at the moment - how can anyone make a viable trade deal with them when they know they'll tear them up on a whim? They're that pal you'd never lend a tenner to because you know they're a liability and their promises aren't worth the breath they used to make them.

[Cherie]

It is frustrating that people seem unable to admit a mistake or deviate from one, cognitive dissonance I expect. Flipping my vote to Labour at the last GE is one of the daftest things I've done in recent memory and it'll be flipping straight back to SNP at the next election -- as polling suggests is the case for a huge number in Scotland. They can have as many campervans as they want. I don't like some of their "progressive" (sic) policies but I'll accept them over trying to balance the books by stripping money away from disabled people :facepalm:. Politics is so grim currently.

That said - I still maintain that the only thing after than sticking to one's guns with unwavering excuses for Labour, is deciding that flipping to bloody Reform will fix things. People will find out but they'll never learn.

Unfortunately you are right, we are in an era of career politicians, I can point at Boris who only came down on the side of Brexit to further his own career, Farage et al are the same, Starmer said all the right things until he came into power, one of the most stand outs is him sitting saying it was unacceptable that someone would have to ride around on a bus to avoid being in a cold home, but that seems to have suddenly become acceptable, anyone who saw his reaction to Reeves after she had delivered her speech cutting benefits to the most needy by patting her shoulder and smiling and laughing should take note.... the majority of the people in government now are not in it ...to turn the page...serve the country....they are in it for what they can get for themselves...hard to see how we can turn that round at this stage

[Cherie]

Snout firmly in the trough

Rachel Reeves accepted theatre tickets worth £276 over the Christmas period, according to reports.

The Chancellor, who is paid £67,505 on top of her £91,346 MP’s salary, declared that she had received free tickets for Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest and an adaptation of Neil Streatfield’s Ballet Shoes at the National Theatre on December 27, according to the Daily Mail.

It comes days after it emerged she had accepted free tickets to watch Sabrina Carpenter earlier this month.

[user104658]

I'm not particularly bothered by "freebies" that don't some from the taxpayer to be fair, it's not a particularly unusual thing in normal business and the cost is misleading (yes the tickets sold may cost £250+, but that doesn't mean giving them away free actually costs £250+, if that makes sense).

Paying for (and fuelling) unnecessary 2nd homes, unreasonably expensive daily expenses (£100 for lunch etc.) that come from govt. coffers is much more of a concern.

A theatre or venue (privately owned) choosing off their own back to give away tickets is their own business and a slippery slope to start scrutinising.

[bots]

I'm not particularly bothered by "freebies" that don't some from the taxpayer to be fair, it's not a particularly unusual thing in normal business and the cost is misleading (yes the tickets sold may cost £250+, but that doesn't mean giving them away free actually costs £250+, if that makes sense).

Paying for (and fuelling) unnecessary 2nd homes, unreasonably expensive daily expenses (£100 for lunch etc.) that come from govt. coffers is much more of a concern.

A theatre or venue (privately owned) choosing off their own back to give away tickets is their own business and a slippery slope to start scrutinising.

any private business i worked for had strict limits on what could be accepted as a gift, and it was generally in the few quid area, ie a token gift rather than being anything substantial. I don't think it's unreasonable for MP's to have similar guidelines

[user104658]

any private business i worked for had strict limits on what could be accepted as a gift, and it was generally in the few quid area, ie a token gift rather than being anything substantial. I don't think it's unreasonable for MP's to have similar guidelines

They do have guidelines, I believe it's £300 limit but the more important thing is whether or not the gift generates a conflict of interests (could amount to a bribe) -- the reason matters more than the value, e.g. if the politician receiving the gift has influence over, say, a venue being shut down or decreasing fees or red tape. If they don't it's less ethically murky. Again I'm not saying it's ideal but for me it's at the lesser end of "MP scandal" - way less concerning than 2nd homes and utilities (which often come well into 5-figures, never mind a few hundred quid).

[Cherie]

I'm not particularly bothered by "freebies" that don't some from the taxpayer to be fair, it's not a particularly unusual thing in normal business and the cost is misleading (yes the tickets sold may cost £250+, but that doesn't mean giving them away free actually costs £250+, if that makes sense).

Paying for (and fuelling) unnecessary 2nd homes, unreasonably expensive daily expenses (£100 for lunch etc.) that come from govt. coffers is much more of a concern.

A theatre or venue (privately owned) choosing off their own back to give away tickets is their own business and a slippery slope to start scrutinising.

I think in the current climate it is immoral, snatching money off the poor while indulging themselves, I agree with all the above though and I would add in the subsidised restaurant and bar in the commons all should be got rid of

[Crimson Dynamo]

I mean read the room Rachel

[bots]

By the time the next election is due, it's not inconceivable that we could be at war. If that happens, labour will be in power until it's over. We may need to buckle down for a long time

[user104658]

I think in the current climate it is immoral, snatching money off the poor while indulging themselves, I agree with all the above though and I would add in the subsidised restaurant and bar in the commons all should be got rid of

I agree it's definitely at the very least bad optics - I would much rather they keep their theatre trips and NOT strip down benefits for disabled people than the other way round, though.

[user104658]

By the time the next election is due, it's not inconceivable that we could be at war. If that happens, labour will be in power until it's over. We may need to buckle down for a long time

I just don't see us being at "that kind of" war - i.e. we'd have to be under direct attack for them to legally prolong parliament ... it happened during WW2 but isn't "the norm" for wartime, the justification has to be that it's a danger to the population or not possible to hold fair elections (risk of attack). It's not just a "convenience" and there are several newer pieces of legislation that would make it extremely difficult for them to do it.

And to be frank... if we're under that sort of direct attack, i.e. ordinance hitting UK cities, the world is ****ed and none of it really matters. It would effectively mean that the entirety of Western Europe has fallen lol.

[Cherie]

I agree it's definitely at the very least bad optics - I would much rather they keep their theatre trips and NOT strip down benefits for disabled people than the other way round, though.

Wouldn't it be nice just for once to have politicians say yes I accept your freebie but I will donate the cost to a food bank or a homeless shelter....just once....