Got a question for Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves?

[RhiannonEMumsnet]

Hi all,

We’re pleased to tell you that later this week Justine will be sitting down with Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves to ask her Mumsnet users’ questions.

If you have a question you'd like answering, you can post it below. Please stick to the usual guidelines - one question per user, keep it civil, and if one topic is dominating, please don't continue to post what's effectively the same question or point (we'll be deleting questions that are repeated multiple times). We'll be quite limited for time so do keep questions as short as possible so that we’re able to ask more of them - as always, we'll try to make sure we cover the topics that we know are important to Mumsnet users.

We'll be closing this thread at 1pm tomorrow, so please do get your questions in before that - and watch this space to hear the responses. If you'd like a reminder of the format you can see our interview with Keir Starmer here.

Thanks,
MNHQ

Will you commit to not changing the terms of student loans after students have commenced their course? The system is ludicrous anyway.

Rachel what will Labour do about the police inadequately policing muslim fundamentalist terrorism? The recent case of the police participating in a meeting at which death threats to a 14 year old boy (IE terrorism) were mentioned as if they were a minor detail, while damaging a copy of his own book (the Koran) was accepted as a crime, was one of the most frightening things I've ever witnessed. Will we have more of that approach to terrorism to look forward to under a Labour government or will you protect Enlightenment and secular values by making the connection between pandering to disproportionate offence and radicalisation and tackling it?

What is a woman?

Why should men allowed to pretend to be women to gain access to women’s spaces

What are Labour plans to improve preschool/nursery funding, increase the number of funded places/hours ? How will you help parents who need childcare to work, and help disadvantaged little kids get early learning skills to help reduce social inequality ?

What is your plan to sort out social care?

If you introduce VAT onto private school fees, I will have to withdraw my children from their school, I don't have an extra 20% of fees just sloshing around.... Where are they going to go? The state primaries are full. And why are you penalising families like mine who work hard (both parents in full time employment, both paying 40% tax rate) to ensure they can send their children to private school, as we believe this is the best option for our children and are willing to sacrifice lifestyle to afford it.

Hello! You may well have seen the APPG on vulnerable groups in the pandemic report. Report is here

Would Labour commit to funding new treatments for those of us with no response to the covid vaccines? 32 countries use Evusheld for their vulnerable groups and yet here, it’s not been rolled out? There are over half a million of us voters on this situation feeling very let down right now and we would like an election promise that we won’t be utterly forgotten and treated as disposable again. Essentially, as vulnerable patients are 7x more likely to die if they get covid, what will labour do to stop our bodies piling high?

Would Labour also commit to improving access to education for clinically vulnerable families? As barrister Adam Wagner pointed out in his covid inquiry submissions, those families are still waiting for freedom day.

What will Labour do to stop the small boats crossing the Channel - the Labour MP interviewed on the Today programme this morning said Labour would stop the gangs of traffickers - unfortunately he wasn't quizzed on how that would be done. Can you explain how you would stop the people trafficking gangs?
If Labour do not have a feasible plan I will be forced to vote for Conservatives again.

David Blunkett suggested Uk pay France to implement a scheme where all small boat owners in France would be licensed. somehow this would sort the small boats channel crossing crisis (says Blunkett)?

Would it?! does Labour have any other ideas?

Do you think polls show that people would like to join the Single Market or do you stand by the statement made by Starmer on not doing so?

What rate of corporation tax are you proposing?

It’s like to be a damp squib like the last Labour one with just waffle back but worth a question I suppose

Will we ever see a Universal Basic Income trial in England like is happening under the Welsh Labour Government?

What do shadow ministers actually do? That can't be done by any think tank or policy institution of similar political leanings?

I live in Saffron Walden. Should I vote for Kemi Badanoch whose views on the economy are far apart from my own, but who I trust to hold the line on women's rights?

And if you think I should vote for your party, what reassurance can you give me on my rights vans those of my daughters?

Will.labour do anything to make secondary school's more child friendly? The rise of the academy model has meant that many schools are led by people who have little knowledge about child development and some schools are now almost like prisons with sanctions for every tiny transgression. instead of nurturing places where children are encouraged to love learning and develop into rounded people.

Do you agree with inheritance tax?

Rich people pay someone to help them avoid it, which seems to defeat the object.

What are Labour going to do about the massive disparity between rich and poor.

Do they have any way realistic of tackling the super rich and ensuring resources are more equitably distributed.

What economic policies will they implement to tackle the north south divide?

Will Labour admit to the massive mistake that was brexit and the huge financial impact it has had and subsequently reopen dialogue on undoing this mistake?

What are Labour's plans to grow the economy? I know that's a basic question but this is a big issue for the country. I'm of the view we need to invest more in our infrastructure as other comparable countries have done, but appreciate we need to be able to afford it (and Labour are held to a much higher standard on this!).

I live in a marginal, bellweather constituency. I have no political loyalty. I am exactly the sort of voter you need to win over, but even with this shit show of a government I can’t vote Labour because I don’t trust you with women’s rights. Have you got that? I don’t trust you not to give away the rights of my elderly mother to request and get a female carer, I don’t trust you to keep my daughter safe when she’s showering after swimming.

do Labour care that they’ve lost the trust and votes of thousands of women?

Do you think surrogacy laws should be liberalised to enable commissioning parents to become legal parents at birth?

The current minister for women and equalities ( kemi badenoch) shown recently she has little support or understanding for women affected by menopause. Will you show better support for women affected by menopause both in access to healthcare and through good understanding in the workplace?

This one

As the MP for Leeds West you must be very aware of the lacks of special school places for children with SEND. What would a Labour government do to address the SEND crisis in schools?

Hello

I’m female, and a parent, and my child is at private school because state school failed her.

Labour has made it clear that you will not stand up for women’s rights, or for children’s safeguarding, and that you’ll add 20% to the cost of private school, thus punishing thousands of children who have been failed by the state sector.

How can you expect me to vote Labour? I like the people, but the policies are terrible.

Do you not think it unethical to tax education? In Europe that’s illegal and some countries give tax rebates to parents who don’t burden the state education system. The cost to the state will be more than the tax gained, it’s been costed before. But Labour doesn’t seem interested in facts, only ideologies and whipping up class hatred 🤨

I doubt if Rachel Reeves is going to tell you how to vote.