11 hours ago
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Letter: Prime Minister has misled voters since his election
All politicians stretch the truth, but few do it with the frequency and shamelessness of Keir Starmer.
He came to power promising 'honesty and integrity', a pledge that may turn out to be his most misleading of all.
From the moment he ran for Labour leader, Starmer misled the public.
He pledged to uphold Jeremy Corbyn's policies, abolishing tuition fees, lifting the two-child benefit cap, and nationalising key services.
All were swiftly abandoned once he secured the leadership. It seems this has worked for him, so he's made it a habit.
During the election campaign, Starmer gave the impression that Winter Fuel Payments and a cap on social care costs would be safe.
Both have now been dropped.
He said taxes wouldn't rise for working people, yet his Budget hits them through higher prices and lower wages, thanks to a £25 billion national insurance hike.
He promised swift compensation for 1950s-born Waspi women. That too has vanished.
Farmers were told they'd get certainty, instead, they've been hit with new inheritance taxes. Even his touted EU deal lacks detail, with vague claims and no transparency about what the UK is giving up, including 12 more years of access to British fishing waters.
As the Institute for Fiscal Studies noted, the £22 billion black hole in Labour's Budget 'was obvious to anyone who dared to look.' But Starmer and his Chancellor pretended not to see it.
Voters aren't fooled. When leaders routinely tell us things we know aren't true, and do so with utter confidence, it's not just dishonest, it's corrosive.
Britain deserves better than this calculated deceit.
Roman Jones
