Labour’s Spring Statement has confirmed what many businesses, workers, and families across Hemel Hempstead and our surrounding villages have feared: this government has no credible plan for economic growth.
Those words are not from the Conservatives, they come from within Labour’s own ranks. The Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, recently admitted that the government has “no growth strategy at all.” Sadly, the statement delivered by the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, did nothing to prove him wrong.
Instead of changing course, Labour has doubled down on the policies that are already holding our economy back.
Rising Taxes, Rising Unemployment
Since taking office, Rachel Reeves has already broken key promises twice and raised taxes by £62 billion. These tax rises are hitting working people and businesses alike, on jobs, savings, pensions, and investment.
For the working people of Hemel Hempstead and our villages, that means higher costs for local businesses, less confidence to invest, and fewer opportunities for good local jobs.
The consequences are now becoming clear.
Unemployment has risen for fifteen consecutive months, reaching 5.2%, while youth unemployment stands at a worrying 16.1%. Business confidence has slumped to record lows, and on a per-person basis our economy is shrinking. For many families, this means a simple reality: people are getting poorer.
That matters here in Hemel, where local high streets, small businesses, and self-employed workers are the backbone of our local economy, and in villages of Bovingdon, Chipperfield and Flaunden, where many families depend on thriving local businesses and a strong national economy.
The Spring Statement was an opportunity to change direction. It was a chance for the Chancellor to support businesses, encourage investment, and restore confidence in the economy.
Instead, Labour chose to double down on high taxes, uncontrolled welfare spending, and persistently high energy costs.
With so many people losing their jobs, many are asking a simple question: why is Rachel Reeves still in hers?
The Conservative Plan for a Stronger Economy
While Labour continues down a path of higher taxes and weaker growth, Conservatives are clear about what the country needs.
Our plan focuses on restoring growth, rewarding work, and supporting families and businesses, including those here in Hemel and the villages
We would:
- Reform welfare so work always pays, saving £23 billion and helping people move into employment rather than dependence.
- Control government spending so taxes can come down.
- Scrap business rates for high street firms, helping local shops and businesses in Hemel Hempstead town centre and our village high streets.
- Lower energy costs through our Cheap Power Plan.
- Support young people with a £5,000 First Jobs Bonus.
- Scrap above-inflation interest rates on student loans.
- Abolish stamp duty on main homes to help first-time buyers across Hemel Hempstead and the surrounding villages get onto the housing ladder.
- Repeal the Family Farm and Family Business Taxes, protecting rural families and small businesses in communities like Bovingdon, Chipperfield and Flaunden.
A Clear Choice
Only the Conservatives are focused on turning the economy around.
Other parties, from Reform to the Greens, are promising billions more in spending without credible plans to fund it, leaving either today’s taxpayers or tomorrow’s generation to pick up the bill.
The working people of Hemel Hempstead and our villages deserve a government that backs enterprise, supports families, and delivers economic growth.
That is exactly what Conservatives are determined to do.
