Joe Morris is the newly elected Labour MP for Hexham. One of his posts appeared in my Facebook feed this morning, praising the first 100 days of the Labour government.
I don’t mind politicians being a bit selective. He was hardly going to focus on the sleaze. But Labour have been truly appalling.
Mr Morris – I hereby challenge you to a public debate in your constituency. Hexham, Prudhoe, wherever. You choose, I’ll do all the work booking the venue.
I’ll even give you a head start – here’s my verdict on your list of achievements from the first 100 days.
“Introduced our Make Work Pay package”
The flagship is the Employment Rights Bill. This is a reduced version of the New Deal for Working People Green Paper that was produced by Andy McDonald MP.
It requires zero hours contracts to provide minimum regular hours – long overdue. It tidies up some inequalities on paternal leave. It gives people statutory sick pay from day 1. All good things.
What’s missing is full employment rights from day 1. Employers can still fire someone in their first nine months. They just have to give a reason why. Ministers have used the phrase, “It’s just not working out.” That’s not job security.
Also not included is a single status for all workers, so those in bogus self-employment in the gig economy will remain without any protection whatsoever.
Verdict – 6/10.
“Set up GB Energy”
All governments invest in research and development. GB Energy (not to be confused with GB News) shunts all this into a quango – fair enough. It is not a publicly owned electricity generating company.
Sir Keir said on TV that GB Energy would “drive down bills.”
Yet last week the Chair of GB Energy appeared before the Energy Security and Net Zero select committee last week.
Stephen Flynn MP asked him, “When do you expect GB energy to bring down energy bills as promised?” Prof Maier’s answer: “That is not the scope of Great British Energy”.
Last week the government announced it would use £21.7 billion of our money to subsidise global oil giants BP, Eni and Equinor to continue to use fossil fuels for decades as part of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects. All the published documents were written by Rishi Sunak’s government.
Will this fulfil Labour’s promise for 100% clean energy generation by 2030? Not a hope in hell.
Verdict – 0/10.
“Established a child poverty task force”
We don’t need a “task force” we need you to repeal the 2 child benefit cap. This keeps 45,000 North East children in poverty.
On 23rd July 2024, Joe Morris MP voted down the amendment to the King’s speech that would have repealed the two child benefit cap. Joe Morris voted to keep 45,000 North East children in poverty. Labour suspended the 7 MPs who voted against the cap.
Verdict – 0/10.
“Introduced the Renters Rights Bill” (sic)
This will end no-fault evictions, which is long overdue. It also prevents in-year rent increases and bidding wars, and other good measures. It introduces a new “decent homes standard”. Lots of landlords support this bill, and most One Nation Conservatives. Michael Gove wanted to ban no-fault evictions.
It’s a good piece of legislation, but lacks ambition. The Labour Government has no plans to end right-to-buy, which has seen the end of council housing for millions. There are no plans for rent controls. No funding for Local Authorities. Housing will still remain unaffordable for millions.
Verdict – 5/10.
“Begun reform of the House of Lords”
The 2022 Brown Review, commissioned by Keir Starmer, planned to abolish the unelected Lords and replace it with an elected second chamber. This has been ditched. “Reform” of the Lords is now limited to party leaders saying why they are giving someone a peerage. This is not an advance of democracy.
Verdict – 1/10
“Ended the ban on onshore wind”
Let’s be accurate – there was never a legal ban. Since 2015 the planning rules were so strict that a single objection would stop a project – described as a “de facto ban”. The Tories lifted the “ban” last September, saying Local Authorities should consider the views of the whole community. Scotland never had a ban.
In July, the new government removed the original 2015 changes. Wind farms will now be treated like any other planning proposal. A sensible change, but the Tories had already changed it last year.
Missing is any credible plan to fulfil Labour’s promise of 100% clean energy by 2030.
Verdict – 5/10
“Scrapped the Rwanda scheme”
This is a very low bar. The Rwanda scheme was bonkers, illegal, and expensive. And no one was ever deported. Yet Labour has still not done anything on immigration or asylum. Except open more detention centres – including Campsfield House in Oxfordshire, and Haslar in Gosport. And look at the Italian scheme to offshore asylum applicants in Albania. There are still no safe and legal routes. A dereliction of duty and failure to meet obligations under UN treaties.
Verdict 2/10.
“Kickstarted work to build 1.5 million homes”
You cannot claim “kickstarted” as an achievement. There’s no budget allocated, and no legislation tabled. And why does every government statement now have “kickstarting” in it. Can somebody please buy them a thesaurus?
Verdict – unrated.
“Introduced a Bill to return rail to public ownership”
No, they haven’t. They will wait until current private franchises expire and not renew them. The Tories took LNER, Northern, and Transpennine Express into public ownership because they were failing. The Bill will not take publics ownership of the rolling stock companies that make £100s of million a year leasing the trains – PFI on wheels. That money should go into improving the network.
Yet again, it’s nationalise the losses, privatise the profits.
Labour have also cancelled investment in new railway lines, including the Leamside Line in the North East.
Verdict 1/10
Mr Morris has missed a few things off his list…
End Winter Fuel Payment for 9.4 million pensioners.
The Treasury has not even done an impact assessment on how much more this will cost in terms of ill health and hospital admissions. I’ll not re-litigate all the reasons this is a bad policy. Except to add that pensioners paid their NI contributions for decades.
Verdict – 0/10
WASPI women’s pensions
3.6 million women born in the 1950s had their pensions delayed by years. In March this year the Parliamentary and Health Ombudsman said the women should receive between £1000 and £2,950 in compensation. The Labour Government has refused to take any action so far.
Verdict – 0/10
Genocide
Sir Keir Starmer and his government have continued to stand by while genocide is committed in Gaza. Britain is still sending arms used to bomb hospitals, to kill children, kill British aid workers, and kill UN Peacekeepers.
Verdict – 0/10
Local Authority Funding
Councils are going bankrupt across the country. Action? Nothing. Zilch. Nada.
Verdict 0/10.
NHS Review
Labour commissioned Lord Darzi to do a review AFTER coming to power. What were they doing) for the previous 4 years? They then ignored Lord Darzi’s key finding of a £37 billion capital shortfall.
Junior doctors have received a settlement, but nurses have voted for strike action, GPs are taking ongoing industrial action.
Verdict 1/10
Sleaze
It’s bad enough they take freebies. The pathetic excuses add insult to injury. Why does a 40 year old even need a £14,000 birthday party?
And the lies – Sir Keir justified moving to an £18 million penthouse because of his son’s GCSEs. But they stayed there from 29th May to 13th July. But the English national GCSE calendar ran from 9th May to 19th June. The dates don’t add up.
Mr Morris himself was determined to hit the ground running – accepting £1,660 tickets to see Taylor Swift during the election campaign. Sir Keir has paid back £6,000 of his £100,000 plus freebies. I suppose 6% is a start. Will Joe Morris repay all £1,660? Or just £99.60?
Verdict – 0/10
Verdict 21/140.
Under your new Employment Rights Bill, can we let you go after your 9 months probationary period?
