Backing Sunak's Plan
Labour has announced its support for Chancellor Rishi Sunak's proposal to ban young people from smoking, according to Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Speaking at the Labour conference in Liverpool, Reeves praised the Tories' idea to outlaw cigarettes as the "one sensible thing" that came out of their recent annual meeting in Manchester. She also joked about the Conservative Party's potential struggle to draft new policies without cigarette packets.
Crackdown on Private Schools
Reeves risked starting a class war as she unveiled plans to tighten regulations on private schools. These measures include cutting tax breaks for private education and adding an additional 20% to parents' fees. She responded to Sunak's comments by challenging him to a fight about who has the most ambition for the future of children.
Travel and Fiscal Responsibility
The Shadow Chancellor pledged to ban ministers from using private jets and restrict Whitehall's spending on expensive consultants unless they can demonstrate value for money. She also announced a new fiscal law that would require any government implementing "permanent and significant tax and spending changes" to seek independent forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility.
National Wealth Fund and Healthcare
Reeves promised to create a National Wealth Fund, leveraging £3 of investment for each £1 of taxpayer money. She emphasized the importance of responsible financial decisions and vowed to invest in British industry to lower costs and create jobs. Additionally, she reiterated Labour's commitment to abolish non-dom tax status and use the resulting revenue to increase the number of healthcare professionals in the NHS.
Housing and Whitehall Waste
The Shadow Chancellor outlined Labour's goals to ensure 70% of British households become homeowners. To fund the construction of affordable homes, she intends to raise stamp duty charges for foreign buyers. Reeves also announced plans to tackle wasteful spending in Whitehall and establish a "Covid Corruption Commissioner" to review pandemic procurement contracts in detail.
Overall, Rachel Reeves used her speech at the Labour conference to outline Labour's support for the smoking ban and unveil a range of policies aimed at improving housing, healthcare, and government accountability.
