‘Reeves’ budget has made things even worse – I will never vote Labor again’

PAitor Cripps voted for Labor in the last general election because he was desperate to get rid of the Conservatives. But he will not vote for the party again, at least not after Chancellor Make or break the budget on Wednesday.

The 76-year-old told the news as he sat outside his shop Cars, Home & Garden in Sheerness, on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent. Independent: “I’ve been living on the island for 50 years, this is the worst it’s ever been and this budget is not going to change that situation.”

Rachel Reeves reported in her financial statement on Wednesday, Tax rises worth £26bn unveiled in attempt to plug gaps in public financesThe Chancellor’s tax rises will be met by freezing the border, which will lead to millions of people paying higher taxes, and Host of other measuresThat includes a new “mansion tax” on properties worth more than £2m and a new levy on landlords.

He also announced the government Remove the two-child benefit limit and raise the minimum wage in an effort to ease the pressure of the cost of living crisis.

Labor will need a budget that will be well received by swing voters in places like Sheerness if the party is to turn around the opinion polls and have a chance of retaining power at the next general election.

The constituency of Port Towns, Sittingbourne and Sheppey, favored the Labor Party at the last election, with Kevin McKenna defeating Conservative candidate Aisha Cuthbart by a margin of 355 votes, while Reform UK came third.

Mr Cripps wanted the change because he felt his town’s high street had declined, and he hoped Labor would take notice. But now, they feel that the government has let them down and they do not trust it to grow the economy.

He explained: “They (Labour) have come in, and they have made it even worse. I will definitely not vote for them again.”

Asked why, he said: “I think this country is in such disarray. We need jobs, we need manufacturing. On this island, we used to have a steelworks – gone, toilet factory – gone, we had the docks. It’s all gone. We have no manufacturing. That won’t change until we get jobs.”

Although Mr Cripps liked some of the budget measures – he was pleased Ms Reeves decided to scrap the two-child benefit cap – he is concerned about the increase in the minimum wage. He said this is something that a business like his cannot afford.

Similarly unimpressed by the budget was Stanley Ward, 68, who runs butcher shop Kent Fresh Food and is a landlord with three residential properties.

“I’m worried about the landlord’s taxes because they’re going to take the money out,” he said. Independent“You don’t want to raise the rent because it’s not fair to the tenant,

“I’ve got good tenants, and I don’t want to upset them by raising taxes. But I think it could have the opposite effect, I think a lot of landlords would sell because it’s ridiculous what they keep doing to us.”

‘As a business owner, it’s all magnified’

Like Sittingbourne and Sheppey, Ilford North is one of Labour’s thinnest marginal seats – the constituency has rotated between Labor and the Conservatives since it was established in 1945.

Wes Streeting has been its MP since 2015, but the health secretary survived a scare to retain his seat in last year’s general election as he defeated independent candidate Leanne Mohammed by just 528 votes.

But the vote Mr Streeting can’t count on is that of Stephen Laycock, 64, who owns a high-tide chip shop on the High Street in Barkingside and described the budget as “terrible”.

he told Independent: “I voted for the Conservative Party at the last election. I have never voted for Labor and never will. I don’t think they are helping the people they should be helping.”

He used his own business as an example, saying: “I don’t classify myself as a high-end business business-wise. We’re just a family business; we’ve been here for 54 years, and we certainly won’t be here for 54 years.

“It’s not just the budget, although I think it was disgusting, I think everything is taxes, taxes, taxes.”

Like Mr Cripps, Mr Laycock is also concerned about how he will cover the increase in the minimum wage, which Ms Reeves introduced so that “low-income people are fairly rewarded for their hard work.”

He said: “I’m not getting an audience, no one has any money. National Insurance went up last time. As a business owner, it’s all gone up.

“We used to pay £74 for a tin of cod, now they’re £400. How do I make money on that? Without tax relief, there would be nothing. Potatoes should be £7 a bag but they’re getting £24. You can’t absorb that.”

About 20 miles away, in London’s Kensington and Bayswater constituency, Ms Reeves’ mansion tax was a cause for concern. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, a quarter of the properties hit by the tax are in just three London council boroughs; Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster and Camden.

Kensington and Bayswater is another parliamentary seat with a reduced majority – the new constituency was won by Labour’s Joe Powell in 2024. Kensington residents Caroline were concerned about the tax, calling it an example of Labour’s approach to the rich.

he told Independent: “Thank God my estate isn’t even worth half of the £2 million. They’ve already driven away most of the non-doms and, well, everyone else who is rich, which I’m not sure is smart. Taxing the rich even more is smart. They’ll just disappear.

“It’s an old-fashioned Labor thing, just spend, spend, spend and tax.”

According to fellow Kensington local Helen, the tax threshold is very low. She said: “£2 million can’t buy you much here. I’ve lived here for 40 years, and prices have gone up, but why should I give up my house? Because I can’t pay the property tax.

“I think let’s get people back to work. Our youth are leaving in droves because there is no future for hard-working professionals.”

Richard and Jean Whitehead in Ilford North were more enthusiastic about the budget. Both retirees are Labor voters and believe Sir Keir Starmer’s government needs to be given more time to turn the country’s fortunes around.

Jean said: “I think this Budget will put some money in people’s pockets. The two-child benefit limit is really important to some people and an increase in the minimum wage will be beneficial to a lot of people.”

“But on the other hand, say for hospitality, if they have to pay an increased minimum wage, they may not hire that person because they can’t afford it.”

Richard is concerned about the impact of freezing the tax border and the resulting fiscal pressures, but he is prepared to wait and see how the policies outlined in the budget play out,

He said: “They can’t turn the situation around in a year or a little bit. It will take at least two terms to start turning the situation around. At first it’s going to be hard and I don’t think anyone thought it wasn’t going to happen.”

Sir Keir said on Thursday the Budget “asks everyone to contribute” to protect public services and help people struggling with the cost of living.

Regarding the tax burden, the Prime Minister argued that his government has done “as little as possible” to impact people and has done it in a “fair manner”.

Independent The Treasury has been contacted for comment.