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

I suggest if you are going to come on here and say things like "I would be happy to pay more tax" but you fail to take the option when presented to so then you are either:

A) Insincere
B) Hypocrite
C) Liar
D) All of the above

Take your pick.

If you say you are happy to pay more tax, do so, otherwise don't go round saying how eager you are to pay more tax for better services.

There could certainly be some streamlining of the planning system.

Pp below are mad to think this is good.

Because they are net tax payers! Who will pay for all the services if the actual net tax payers leave the country? Your view is very naieve.

Because many aren’t. The majority aren’t. Millennials tend to be left wing as to Zeds.

I know lots who are definitely not going.

I don't think people done want to pay tax.. And I believe most people understand that if they want services then they must pay tax.
I think the problem is how it is spent... it's not fairly spent - Local authorities are held over a barrel by care homes, special schools, asylum hotels, private transport etc.. etc...

If greedy business owners want a healthy, educated workforce they should pay the tax that it costs to provide it. If they want their business to rely on a stable, fast internet infrastructure... If they want to move their goods around the country on publicly funded roads, motorways or railways… If they need clean water, heating, flushing toilets, electricity in their workplaces… I could go on.

And they have the brass neck to accuse others of ‘wanting everything for nothing’. No business can run without relying heavily on tax-funded public infrastructure.

Luckily we dont all think alike otherwise this democracy thing would be pretty boring eh?

Is this your first time on mumsnet?

I didn’t say the U.K. is cheap to buy in
just that home ownership is lower in a lot of European countries
and
Young adults live at home for longer than they do in the U.K. and so can save to buy.

They want to leave because this country is asking them to pay so much tax with such high housing costs that they cannot make it work. There are plenty of left leaning countries where work pays because they don’t have high housing costs and they don’t have so many people unwilling to go out and work. Many parts of Scandinavia for instance. Why would they stay? Left wing politics aren’t working in the UK due to the poor work ethic and ‘entitlement’ to benefits displayed by so many here. And you blame them for leaving?

Like Jeremy Clarkson? He was bleating on about leaving Wish he would.

There is no evidence of the brain drain you are trying to imply. There’s plenty of people who will pay tax. Crap citizens who leave because the can’t sustain their greed in this country. I’d be glad to kick them out.

This is our system. We vote in a party, not a prime minister. See the revolving door of last 10 years. None of us voted in the utter fuckwit Liz Truss and her lurch to the right.

Left wing politics aren’t working in the UK due to the poor work ethic and ‘entitlement’ to benefits displayed by so many here. And you blame them for leaving?

Are you even aware the UK hasn't had anything approaching a "left wing" government since the 1970s?

Who, precisely, is overseeing all these "left wing politics" you are adamant aren't working in the UK?

Endless disability benefits not being tackled. Totally unaffordable triple lock pensions to start with. These things need to be addressed and aren’t being. Don’t worry, Reform will get in soon if Labour keep sitting on their hands here, and then we’ll all be fucked.

The drain from the country at the moment is educated professionals. But as you say good riddance to the Doctors, Engineers and Scientists.

I think the government has gone for the wrong taxes. The employers NIC has caused job losses and salary freezes. Business can't absorb the increased costs alongside high energy and rates bills without it affecting their workforce.

I wouldn't mind paying 1p more income tax if it meant thresholds could be raised and lower earners and state pensioners might be kept out of tax altogether.

That just feels more honest to me than hammering struggling small businesses and trying and failing to cut winter fuel payments etc.

But they stitched themselves up with their election promise not to raise taxes on 'working people'. Rather than Starmer resigning I think he should replace Reeves. She's out of her depth and out of ideas.

Of course we don't all think alike but we are supposed to be democratic. Majority rules. I would argue that if you want to implement a new policy that wasn't in your manifesto only a year after you got into power then unless there is an emergency situation then the government should at least try and make sure there is general support for the policy. Only 25% of the population supported lifting the cap and the majority wanted it to remain. If Labour were so sure it was the right thing to do then why couldn't they make the argument and put it in their manifesto? They must have known they always wanted to do it. Instead they intentionally misled the public and even openly suggested that they wouldn't lift the cap if they got into power.

Crazy stuff. We need people paying in more not taking out of the state more.

If don't count 50% of the population being dependant on the welfare state as being a left wing - god help us all.

Statistics speak volumes and are more of an accurate insight than people you don’t know

Roughly 693,000 people left the UK in the 12 months to June 2025, the highest number in a century, with Gen Z and Millennials making up a large portion of this, ( The Independent )

Net migration
While 143,000 British nationals returned to the UK, the net migration for younger age groups is deeply negative, meaning more are leaving than arriving.

Demographics
In the year ending June 2025, around 76% of British nationals emigrating were under 35, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

God I wish. It would be amazing to have a party I actually felt comfortable voting for.

I know these types of people. None of them are leaving. And if the ones you know are then they’ll be plenty of vacancies for the ones who want to stay

Taxes for higher earners are similar to other countries except places like the ME which doesn’t suit everyone and we can’t compete with that anyway. What we do need to do is make younger workers feel they are getting something out of the system.

Housing costs have fucked things.

Re-educated people lean even further left.