The new Labour Government at Westminster has had a poor start with three own goals. First, the restriction of the Winter Fuel Allowance to those on benefits only. Once many of those hundreds of thousands of pensioners who could have signed up for benefits but had not previously done so now do so, in order to claim both the benefit and the Winter Fuel Allowance, the result will quite probably be, despite all the trouble it has caused, little or no saving at all.
Second, squandering the opportunity to be a clean Government contrasting with the Conservatives who the voters came to believe were just in it for themselves. How could the Labour top team not have the foresight to realise accepting personal gifts of clothes and accommodation just looks grubby and wrong? Third, a lack of understanding that the tone the Government sets has implications for the real economy - jobs, investment and activity. The constant moaning about the difficult legacy the Conservatives left is not just self-serving but has created a downbeat feeling in consumers and businesses.
We need more confidence not less and Labour’s doom and gloom message may seem like smart politics but it is dumb economics. Read more Labour must quickly learn from its rocky start in government ScotRail peak fares criticism of SNP by Labour is ridiculous At the end of this month, Rachel Reeves will present a budget which gives the Labour Government the chance to re-set its purpose and sense of mission. Keir Starmer says he wa.