Now is not the time for a reckless gamble with Britain’s future, says ANGELA RAYNER | Express Comment | Comment


This week a new Prime Minister had a unique opportunity to build on the best of Britain, bring people together and outline a plan for national revitalization. But instead of bringing people together, we see the seed division and a recipe for decline.

After the Tories had been in power for more than a decade, the new prime minister was given an opportunity to change course. But the omens are not good.

While she might try to present herself as the new broomstick, Liz Truss has sat at the cabinet table for nearly a decade, nodding through damaging policies and building a track record of poor judgment. Her track record of making the wrong decisions and getting the big decisions wrong should have made her think twice.

It was Liz Truss, as Environment Secretary, who was responsible for cutting millions of dollars from the Environment Agency’s funds that could have been used to tackle water pollution well before this summer’s sewage scandal.

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It was Liz Truss, as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, who signed off on the closure of Britain’s largest gas storage facility, leaving our country with depleted energy reserves before the bill crunch.

It was Liz Truss, as international trade secretary, who two years ago pledged a trade deal with the US that she has now – just this week – admitted there is no prospect of a deal.

Just a month ago the new Prime Minister said she didn’t need an ethics adviser at Downing Street because she had always acted with integrity.

Now the chief of staff, whom she appointed less than two weeks ago, is reportedly being questioned as a witness in a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe into alleged bribery in Puerto Rico. It should give her something to think about.

But if the reports are to be believed, their recent priorities are removing the cap on bankers’ bonuses, abandoning the obesity strategy, scrapping animal welfare standards and jeopardizing hard-won rights.

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Instead of making oil and gas producers pay for household support out of their staggering profits, it will force UK taxpayers to subsidize these excesses and leave our children and grandchildren in debt for decades to come. But that’s all Liz Truss. She showed that she wasn’t listening.

She has the wrong priorities, she makes the wrong decisions, and she chooses the wrong side. As much as she hides behind the mandate of the 2019 Conservative election, the new prime minister is also quietly abandoning the policies she once stood for.

Fracking is a dangerous fantasy — it wouldn’t reduce energy costs, costs more than renewable energy, and is unsafe.

The Tories have broken another promise because they are more interested in lobbying for fossil fuels than the British people.

The promise to make Britain the best place to work in the world, meanwhile, looks like a pie in the sky as this Prime Minister favors furloughs and rights at work for the chop.

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There is no doubt that our country is at a crossroads, but Liz Truss’ prescription for Britain is a far cry from the wonderful medicine our country needs now.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. What we need is an ambitious plan for our country that addresses the challenges openly.

Only we don’t have that. Liz Truss wants to repeat the same old failed experiments.

This is not a Prime Minister who believes in Britain’s future, but one who belittles us and shows contempt for working people.

If we need a timely plan for the future and a serious government committed to building on the best of Britain, the new Prime Minister is playing recklessly not only with her own future but with that of all of us.

Now is not the time for reckless players.





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