Time to drain this Tory cocktail of disaster for working people in 2023 - Ian Murray

The ringing of the bells at midnight and the choruses of Auld Lang Syne normally signify a farewell to the past and an optimism about the year ahead.
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Sadly, for most, not this year. As we all looked to 2023 we were subjected to a dire outlook from the very people that got us into this mess – the Tory government.

And while ministers repeat that the next 12 months will be tough, we must remember that it was these very people who crashed the economy and who made the decisions that have got us here.

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It was the Conservative government of David Cameron and George Osborne that first asked the public sector and other lower to average paid workers to take the strain of cuts and austerity.

Over a decade later, the same Conservative government is asking all of us to do the same again – to dig out the architects of this financial hole of their own making. That is the main cause of millions of workers withdrawing their labour and striking – in the case of the Royal College of Nursing, the first time in their 107-year history.

Inflation is at a 40-year high, with food inflation at a record 13.3 per cent, and that demands a reflection in fair pay for workers. The reason that inflation is such an acute problem at the moment is the fact that wages, and particularly public sector wages, have been stagnant since 2010. In fact, average wage levels today are worth the equivalent to 15 years ago.

New analysis this week reveals the Conservatives’ utter failure to grow the economy and to provide wage growth means that real wages are lower now than when they came to power in 2010 in every region and nation of Britain. Across the country as a whole, wages are down by an average of 5 per cent, leaving people £1,600 a year worse off.

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In my Edinburgh South constituency, salaries have fallen by over 14% since 2010, resulting in a £6,000 real-term pay cut. In Edinburgh it’s a near 8 per cent % and £3,500 on average per person.

Working people face a "cocktail of disaster" as wages shrink in real terms and costs rise due to spiralling inflation, writes Ian Murray MP. PIC: PA.Working people face a "cocktail of disaster" as wages shrink in real terms and costs rise due to spiralling inflation, writes Ian Murray MP. PIC: PA.
Working people face a "cocktail of disaster" as wages shrink in real terms and costs rise due to spiralling inflation, writes Ian Murray MP. PIC: PA.

This is a complete failure of the government and shows the devastating impact on pay packets across the country. It also means that when an inflation crisis hits there is no money left in the pot and workers, rightly, demand that their pay reflects the situation.

On top of all of this are the decisions made by the very same government that has taken the tax burden on working people to its highest in 80 years and the largest fall in living standards since records began in the 1950s.

It’s no surprise that disposable income has also suffered its largest fall on record as more and more is paid out in rent, mortgage repayments or bills.

It’s a cocktail of disaster for working people.

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What we need is a fresh start for the country with a Labour Government committed to growth for everyone that unleashes the talents of every part of the country and shares the benefits with higher wages and a better standard of living.

So, as we remember auld acquaintances, let’s never forget the mess this government has got the country into and resolve to kick the Tories out of office.

Ian Murray is the Labour MP for Edinburgh South