Happy faces, combative speeches, a less gloomy atmosphere than usual. The air is almost festive in Brighton, a large seaside town in the south of England, where the British Trade Union Confederation (TUC) is holding its annual meeting from 8 to 11 September. The first since the undisputed victory of the Labour Party in the general elections of 4 July. Since the Labour Party’s Keir Starmer became Prime Minister, after fourteen years of conservative power, “Hope has returned to politics,” exclaimed Paul Nowak, General Secretary of the TUC, during his opening speech on Monday 9 September.
However, unions are on their guard and have warned Keir Starmer and his Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, who have announced a draft budget. “painful” at the end of October to plug a £22bn (€26bn) hole in public finances, after rejecting a new round of austerity. “The British are fed up with austerity” said Mick Lynch, the charismatic general secretary of the RMT rail union.
Keir Starmer promised “rebuild the foundations” and restore its public services, weakened by decades of underinvestment. But he also promised to maintain the Conservatives’ fiscal discipline rules and reduce public debt. “Austerity is a political choice, not an economic imperative. This is the last thing we need if we want to get growth going again.” However, a history of the Labour left was provided by John McDonnell, a former Chancellor of the Exchequer in Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet, from Brighton.
The unions’ concern is centred on the “fuel allowance”, a subsidy paid each year to all pensioners to pay their energy bills. Rachel Reeves announced that it will now only be paid to small pensioners who are entitled to supplementary benefits, in order to save £1.4 billion. Ten million Britons will therefore lose this subsidy, including many elderly people who have not claimed their social assistance because the process is tedious and complex. This removal is “a historic mistake” of the Labour Party criticised Mick Lynch.
Downing Street promises
“I cannot vote for this impeachment when the housing crisis has never been so acute in London and the country, 2 million pensioners and 4 million children live in poverty,” added John McDonnell, MP for West London. The Conservative opposition got the House of Commons to vote on this budget cut on Tuesday, planning to oppose it. Up to 50 elected Labour officials could also vote against or abstain, depending on the Guardian. These decisions “difficult” are necessary, Keir Starmer reaffirmed on Monday. The day before, on the BBC set, he admitted that he was “unpopular” and said he was determined to “change” the country.
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