‘I can understand people’s frustration’: minister sums up Labour’s first six months
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Commons leader Lucy Powell ‘disappointed’ by state of economy and shares public impatience for change. A cabinet minister has said she “can understand people’s frustration” with the Labour government since it came into power as the party ended the year slumped in the polls with MPs jittery after a turbulent first few months.
Lucy Powell, the Commons leader, said she shared public impatience for change and was “disappointed” over the state of the economy but the party’s inheritance meant it was “a bit like turning around a huge oil tanker”. Labour has had a challenging first six months in power, with difficult political decisions to take on public spending and early internal power struggles in Downing Street. But it has also had a series of unforced errors including the decision to cut winter fuel allowance.
The Bank of England expects zero growth in the final three months of the year, while the decision to raise employers’ national insurance contributions has contributed to a collapse in business confidence that some experts believe will cost jobs and lead to lower wage increases.
Some backbenchers have questioned whether No 10 has had a sufficient grip on the situation, with one senior MP describing a “sense of drift” in government. Others feel the prime minister has not done enough to “tell a story” about what he plans to do with power.
