There has been a lot of change in politics over the last fortnight, but it is the change for the country that really matters.
Andy Burnham gets the pressure people across Yorkshire have been facing and he’s determined this Labour Government will be on people’s side. He came into Downing Street as Prime Minister promising to give people some breathing space from the pressures of daily life, but also to tackle some of the biggest challenges that have affected our country for decades.
In his first week, he announced that VAT would be removed from household energy bills from this October. Something Boris Johnson promised and failed to do ten years ago after Brexit, but which now this Labour government is delivering.
Next, Andy announced a £2 cap across the country on all bus fares. Our Labour Mayor in West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, had already capped fares at £2.50, when the national cap was £3. But this change will add up for commuters and day trippers when the change comes into effect in the new year.
And third, there was the announcement from Andy and our new Chancellor, and fellow Yorkshire MP, John Healey, that business rates for pubs and clubs would be cut by 20% from the next financial year – a crucial step to support those businesses right at the heart of our towns.
In his second week, the new PM was true to his word about facing up to some of the biggest challenges facing our country, and ones that many previous governments have found too hard to tackle.
One of the toughest challenges of all that Andy is determined to fix is social care. I joined the new Prime Minister at a care home on Wednesday to talk to residents, carers, volunteers and campaigners about how the current system isn’t working and what needs to change.
My mother in law has dementia and I know the amazing work carers and careworkers do across the country – too often undervalued or underpaid. All of us also know that a broken system can let down families and put much more pressure on our NHS.
Since I became an MP, there have been 22 attempts to tackle this issue but the problems have just got worse. We badly need a system that gives people the dignity, support and security they deserve.
So it is an honour for me to be asked by Andy to be the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, working not just on reforming social care but on rebuilding our NHS which was so badly damaged and run down during the Tory years.
All of us depend on our NHS and people round here could never afford the private health care system that some right wing politicians have called for instead. That’s why Labour has to rebuild our NHS for everyone and I’m looking forward to working with the dedicated NHS staff, carers, healthcare professionals and volunteers urgently to improve maternity services, cancer treatments, and mental health support. Over the last two years we’ve significantly increased NHS appointments and started bringing waiting lists down. But there’s lots to do. And I will always do everything I can to support our National Health Service, Labour’s proudest achievement.
From health to jobs to the cost of living, we need to pull together to make sure the energy that the new Prime Minister has brought into Downing Street delivers real change that we can all feel in our lives.
