We don't want the government to lurch to the left

[Bargepole45]

I am absolutely astounded that Labour think it's democratic to decide that they can lurch to the left despite being elected with a very clear promise to not tax and spend. I believe this is absolutely not what the general public want and I am really worried that the economy isn't going to survive this and we will end up with an IMF bailout that will lead to very painful spending cuts for our most vulnerable.

Please vote:
YABU :I want Labour to lurch to the left in order to increase taxation and spending
YANBU: I don't want Labour to lurch to the left and would be against further tax and spending rises

Pay more then, no one is stopping you

No, you can always call another election and get a new mandate. Obviously this isn't necessary for smaller policies but if you want a complete change of direction then of course that's what should happen.

Imagine a party doing the converse and getting in saying that they would tax people more and spend it on public services. They then lower taxes and drastically cut spending. Would this be democratic?

I think Burnham is very popular and charismatic with a good record of success and delivery. Why Labour aren’t crawling over broken glass to get him as leader is baffling. Rayner has the whiff of sleaze against her now.

Yep, more tax and spend works for me.

I also happen to like Andy Burnham. I liked him when he was an MP, and he’s done some really good things for Greater Manchester.

Nah. The IMF’s World Economic Outlook (Jan 2026) (decidedly NOT a left wing periodical) predicts that advanced economies like the UK are still projected to grow, albeit modestly. There is no indication of the UK losing the ability to borrow or facing a sudden-stop event. [imf.org] Also KPMG’s 2025–2026 forecasts expect UK interest rates to fall toward 3.25% in 2026, with inflation also cooling. This reduces the risk of a debt‑financing spiral. [kpmg.com]

Yes, Reform have literally been saying at today that they'd like to Trump-style withdraw funding from universities that criticise them, and that working from home shouldn't be allowed. They're just doing what their US billionaire paymasters want, regardless of what the UK government does

I think we need to cut spending in most areas to be honest. Obviously I would really rather not but I don't see what alternative we actually have. There is no magic money tree.

If it was only a tax burden at fault, you may have a valid reason to be really pissed off.
But.. why are businesses really struggling?

Austerity doesn't work as a general rule. It certainly didn't work under the tories did it? They broke everything and left us in more debt since the end of the war.. You need to invest into a country and it's people, not cut it to the bone imo.

Interest rates are less likely to be cut now due to the increased unemployment. GDP predictions are being downgraded

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/article-15532927/Cost-Labour-laid-bare-Bank-England-slashes-growth-outlook-holds-rates-warns-job-losses.html

Do have a listen to yourself.

Does your employer say the same? We must cut or freeze your pay or the markets will revolt and we'll have to lay you off...you meekly accept it of course? Crawl away so as not to be a burden?

The government spends 1.3 trillion a year. You don't think there are things that can be cut?

Perhaps amongst the 1.5m NHS workers there are opportunities to do things more cheaply and quickly and still achieve good patient outcomes.

Or maybe some of the extra 100,000 civil servants they have hired in the last 5 years aren't all necessary? Perhaps civil servants work hard on things which don't need doing and we can do without?

A lot is to do with taxation. Look at hospitality. Look at manufacturing businesses. If you think tax rises aren't having an impact then you're wrong. It's crippling then

I think the IMF coming in and sorting out this shit show would be the best thing those of us who work and pay taxes can hope for.

Invest with what money? We are heavily in debt as a nation.

My DP and I will probably leave the country if taxes go up anymore... so that's two £100k salaries gone elsewhere... I think a lot of people will do this.

Just get fed up of paying for everyone else after a while....

So you dont think we should tax those who can afford it more in order to improve services?

You think the services that are already on their knees should face further cuts ?

It's slightly ecomonially illiterate as tax cuts rarely generate enough growth to offset lost revenue and tends to slow growth.

Cutting services saves money today but raises costs tomorrow, which is bad fiscal management from a long-term perspective while failing to fix deficits.

You favour a return to Austerity? Well of course that worked so well for the Country last time didn’t it? I mean it truly fucked our public services but don’t worry about that 🤦‍♀️

I think the IMF is a rather more trustworthy and neutral source than a Daily Mail-owned website. Our financial position could be better admittedly (very much impacted by Brexit and US tariffs), but what really spooks the markets is unfunded commitments (see Liz Truss' mini-budget), not a modest growth in income tax.

The job warning and growth downgrade is from the Bank of England.

Read the content for goodness sake! It was the first article I found that state the current position outlined by the BoE. This supercedes the IMflF report from January

I never mentioned tax cuts.

@Dorisbonson You think the best place to cut money would be in the NHS? Do you use the NHS?

Do you think there is no waste in the NHS?

Christ, I’m beyond sick of people whingeing about paying tax.

If we want services we pay tax. End of.