Felicitations: Conservative Crime and Education

The Liberal Democrats have won the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, leaving new PM Boris Johnson with a working majority in Parliament, of one. With many of the current Conservative MPs not prepared to back a no deal Mr Johnson faces more challenges than even Mrs May.

Theresa May cut the police force by 20,000 officers which Mr Johnson obviously realises was a mistake, which he is now reversing. These are not “new” or “extra” police officers, they are being recruited because the Conservatives made a mistake.

One of the most stand out comments from a politician this week was when the Home Secretary Priti Patel announced “Quite frankly, with more police officers out there and greater police presence, I want (criminals) to literally feel terror at the thought of committing offences.”

The Home Secretary isn't actually planning anything new. Her call for "zero-tolerance policing" is rather an unsubtle message to police officers that they can step up the use of stop and search powers with impunity.

After what I would imagine were jaw dropping moments with her advisors Mrs Patel is now trying to distance herself from her wish to bring back capital punishment. Her appointment and her comments really do give reason for us to be scared of Boris Johnson’s premiership. It is a fact that tough words will not bring an end to soaring crime rates but a public health approach preventing crime arising will. 

Under the Conservatives, students are being priced out of a university education and they have cut the adult skills budget to the bone. The Conservatives have trebled tuition fees to £9,250 and students in this country will graduate with some of the highest debts in the world. This means the poorest students leave university with up to £57,000 worth of debt.

They scrapped the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) which supported disadvantaged young people to stay in college, and Education Maintenance Grants, which helped thousands of students with the cost of living. 

They have cut the funding for further education, with per student spending now at a similar level in real terms to that 30 years previously. The Conservatives have slashed the adult skills budget by 40 per cent since 2010. There has been near 40 per cent fall in learners studying for a level three and four qualification since 2013. Which is not surprising.

Through our National Education Service, Labour will invest to ensure that education works for the many, not the few. Labour will:

• Stop the cuts to school budgets with a real terms increase in funding.
• Invest in high-quality, universal childcare for all 2-4 year olds. 
• Abolish tuition fees, reintroduce maintenance grants for students from low and middle income backgrounds and reintroduce an Education Maintenance Allowance.
• Bring funding for 16 to 18-year-olds in line with funding schools receive for students at GCSE, and ensure the budget is distributed fairly between colleges and school sixth forms. Labour believes education should be free, and we will restore this principle by ensuring that lifelong learning is free at the point of use.

We will shift the tax burden from low and middle income earners onto the super-rich and large corporations to fund opportunities for all. We will end VAT exemption for private school fees which will pay for free school meals for every primary school child. 

• We have costed the abolition of tuition fees at £11 billion annually in 2021/22 prices. Over four years (from 2018/19 academic year), this is £44 billion. 
• It will be paid for by increasing income tax for the top 5 per cent of earners, those earning over £70,000 per year, and reversing Conservative cuts to corporation tax. 

The £11 billion is an estimate of the actual revenues currently being paid to universities through fees, and this money will all go directly back into universities so they will not lose out. Education is a right not a privilege.  Join Labour to fight for a fairer future. www.labour.org.uk 


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