I was at the launch of Labour’s local election campaign in Wolverhampton last Monday where the Prime Minister was clear that this is not our war, and whatever the pressure he is under, he will now allow the UK to be dragged into it. The Labour Party has learned the lessons of the Iraq War and never again should the UK follow the US into a conflict which is not in Britain’s national interests and which risks major regional instability. And it is important to be clear about where the other political parties stand on this. Both Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch were originally gung ho, goading the PM for not signing the UK up to Trump’s every whim. Judgment matters. And the two of them have shown themselves to be unserious at a time which requires values-driven and statesperson-like leadership. By the same token Zack Polanksi’s Green Party is clueless on international affairs – one minute pledging to pull the UK out of NATO, the next to negotiate nuclear disarmament with Putin who is four years in to a horrific, unprovoked war in Ukraine that has killed thousands of innocents and injured a million more. In these times I am glad that it is the Labour Party in Number 10, taking decisions in the national interest.
Our party’s values are also evident in a raft of changes just coming in to force. At the launch of the local election campaign last week we were able to point to a hike in the national living wage, which will rise to £12.71 an hour for 2.4 million people, including 310, 000 across the South East including thousands of people in Brighton and Hove, meaning a £900 boost to incomes for full time workers. Our Labour Government is also hiking the national minimum wage for young people meaning a boost of £1,500 to incomes of full time workers between 18-20. This is at the same time as the coming into force of our new Employment Rights Act which means, among other things, day one paternity rights and statutory sick pay. And of course we are lifting thousands of children out of poverty across the city through scrapping the two child benefit cap. Because we are the party of equality and fairness and we are the only political party to extend the rights of working people and trade unions every time we are in office.
We are also cutting energy bills by £117 a year on average because of Labour’s choice to remove levies – with the cut locked in until the end of June and we have frozen prescription charges and rail fares – measures that are even more important in a city like ours where the cost of living was already high before the Brexit/Covid and international shocks of recent years. And at the same time we are staying resolute in our mission for a just transition to clean energy and energy independence, all the more necessary in troubled global times. While the Greens oppose nuclear, we understand that the climate crisis requires leadership and strategic thinking, not warm words and sloganizing.
Locally we are razor-focussed on investment in public services and seeking to undo the damage of the Tory years. At Cabinet recently we approved nearly £2 million for early years investment including our new Best Start in Life strategy. We know that investment in early years is critical to support children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds to ensure that the circumstances of their birth are not baked into their life outcomes.
And I’m proud of our recent capital investments in local schools too – your Labour Cabinet recently voted to approve over £3.3mil worth of investment: Overall, 19 schools will receive investment, including Longhill High which will get over £1million. Alongside this, other facilities will receive funding too worth £5.5mil including the Brighton Centre, Volks Railway, Prince Regent Swimming Complex, Brighton Dome, three community centres and six of our family hubs. Some people may say this isn’t political – but choosing to invest in council facilities for the benefit of residents is a political choice. Your Labour council is protecting and improving the services that matter most.
Bella Sankey is the Labour Leader of Brighton and Hove City Council