Yvonne Fovargue MP: 2024 can be the year of change in our country

​In his New Year message, Keir Starmer said: “If you’ve spent the last 14 years volunteering to keep your park clean, your library open, for children to have opportunities in your community.

"If you’ve been breaking your back to keep on trading, steering your business through the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, the challenge of Brexit and the chaos going on in Westminster.

"If you’ve been serving our country, whether in scrubs or the uniform of your regiment and what you want now is a politics that serves you, then make no mistake: this is your year.”

I agree. This can be the year of change. The power to end Tory decline and begin renewal with Labour lies with the voters.

In my view, the sooner they get their say the better.

The misconduct and sleaze we have seen under the Tories has had a direct impact on a government’s ability to deliver for the public.

Transparent and accountable government is key to delivery. Cleaning up politics is about ensuring government delivers for the people.

The comparison between 2010 and today is instructive. Now, debt and interest rates are much higher. Britain’s standing is diminished. Growth is stagnant and public services are on their knees.

Taxes are higher than at any time since the second world war. None of which was true in 2010.

Never before has a British government asked its people to pay so much, for so little.

This Parliament is on track to be the first in modern history where living standards in this country have contracted.

Labour’s plan for growth is about making working people better off. Putting economic stability first by introducing a new fiscal lock to bring economic security back to family finances.

Because never again will we allow a repeat of the devastation of Liz Truss and the Conservatives’ mini budget that crashed the economy and left working people worse off.

Getting Britain building again by kickstarting the construction of new homes, transport, clean energy, new infrastructure.

Because cheaper bills and owning your own home are the foundations of security.

Backing business by implementing a new industrial strategy in partnership with business to maximise Britain’s strengths in life sciences, digital and clean power, and creating a National Wealth Fund to unlock billions of pounds of private investment.

Making Work Pay by introducing a new deal for working people and delivering a real living wage. Because creating well-paid jobs across all parts of our country will make working people better off. Together, this will get Britain’s future back – and make working people better off.