In responding to the Labour Government's first Budget, Rachel said:
"I'm afraid Labour lied to you.
Their first Budget since 2010 was full of broken promises.
And the hard-working people and business owners of Redditch and the Villages are now going to pay the price for their lies.
I wasn't expecting much from Labour's first Budget, but their low growth, anti-business agenda really went further than I ever could have imagined.
But I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised when you remember there isn't a single member of the Cabinet who set-up a business and knows what it takes to run one.
Here's what we learnt in the Budget:
Taxes are going up, inflation will be higher, borrowing is up and debt is up too= same old Labour.
And remember that fictitious claim from the Chancellor and the Prime Minister about a £22 billion black hole? Well, the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, that Labour has shamefully tried to politicise, has rejected that figure.
So the choices made in the Budget are Labour's and Labour's alone. There is no one else to blame.
The £40 billion tax hike is Labour's choice. And I don't remember them talking about that before the election. In fact, they promised quite the opposite.
Tax as a share of GDP is set to rise to its highest level on record, reaching 38% of GDP by 2027-28 as a result of Labour's Budget.
The increase in employer's National Insurance contributions will hit businesses in Redditch hard. And as the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said, the National Insurance rise for employers will be paid for by workers.
Capital Gains Tax is going up, hitting working people with assets and investments to supplement their retirement.
And perhaps one of the biggest lies the Chancellor told during the election, she ruled out changing the debt target in their fiscal rules to allow more borrowing. So what did she announce at the Budget? She's fiddled the figures to allow tens of billions more borrowing every year when she promised she wouldn't. This will push up interest rates meaning misery for millions of mortgage holders."
Rachel has reacted to the announcement that Redditch could lose £5 million in Government investment following the Budget. Rachel said:
"In the Spring Budget earlier this year, I secured a £5 million investment from the previous Conservative government to be spent on arts and culture in Redditch. It appears that funding is now at risk under this Labour government. Is this really the change people voted for?"
It was also confirmed in the Budget that this Labour Government is punishing farmers with its Family Farm Tax.
"Labour have broken their promise to British farmers with the Family Farm Tax," Rachel added.
Their tax will stop farms from being passed on to the next generation of farmers which will threaten our food security, risk jobs and lead to food prices rising.
This disastrous decision will have an impact on our constituency. Family farms in the rural parts of our area will be hit by this tax, damaging our local economy and the rural way of life.
Labour have never and will never understand rural communities. And what is our new MP going to do about this? Probably nothing given he was cheering on the Chancellor during her Budget speech."
The Labour Government is proceeding with its cruel cuts to Winter Fuel Payments. Rachel said:
"In a lengthy letter, our Labour MP attempted to justify his shameful and heartless decision to vote to remove Winter Fuel Payments from 16,971 pensioners in Redditch and the Villages. But here’s the thing: there is simply no justification, and deep-down Chris knows that.
Despite knowing older people will be struggling to pay to heat their homes this winter – their own report said so – Chris and his Labour colleagues still decided to take this money away from pensioners.
In following the Labour whip, Chris has removed vital heating bill support for some pensioners on as little as £13,000 a year.
Shameful."
Rachel added:
"I know my Party made many mistakes - and I paid the price for that at the election - but is this really what the country wanted?
I warned during the election that Labour would do exactly what they've done.
Perhaps if the media had actually done a better job of holding the Labour Party to account during the election then maybe, just maybe, the Budget on Wednesday could have been avoided.
However, it appears this Budget is unravelling already, and I will continue to hold this disastrous Labour Government to account as the true impact of this Budget is felt by the hardworking people of Redditch and the Villages."
