A Conservative peer has suggested that policy will soon be ‘Taylor-ed’ under the new Labor government, following changes to the ministerial code.
As members of the House of Representatives debated the Chancellor’s budget, Lord Dobbs suggested some workers are “happier than others”.
“Some can find a helpful handout, an occasional football ticket, the occasional concert ticket, or even a friendly local clothing bank,” he added.
The ministerial code was updated last week, meaning the prime minister’s ethics adviser can now launch investigations into misconduct by ministers without his consent.
During the debate, the House of Cards author argued there would be “fewer” workers following the budget, adding: “You can’t raise £40 billion without hammering ordinary people.”
Opening his submission on Monday, Lord Dobbs admitted: ‘I thought some of our budgets over the years were quite rubbish.’
He continued: “Labor is of course the party of the workers, for the workers, ‘up the workers’. The problem is that there will be fewer employees as a result of this budget.
“You can’t raise £40 billion without hammering ordinary people. The increase in national insurance will be passed on to employees, regardless of what the Chancellor has offered.
“In plain English, that means lower wages, slower hiring, fewer jobs and fewer workers. It’s sad, it’s unintentional, I’m sure, but it’s inevitable.
Lord Dobbs (Ian West/PA)
“After all, they changed chief of staff quite quickly.”
He added: “Some employees are of course luckier than others; some can find a useful handout, an occasional football ticket, the occasional concert ticket, even a friendly local clothing bank.
“That was of course another thing that was changed when it all became public, another policy, how can I put it, that seems to have been Taylor-ed Swift-ly up until this point.”
The colleague also criticized the Government’s plans for free ports, saying: “Have you noticed that they have changed their policy on free ports?
“Two days before the budget, the Prime Minister announced that they would create five new free ports, which I personally thought was quite a good idea, but then that policy also changed.
“No new free ports at all. An official from Number 10 explained what had happened: they had misread the neighbours’ email, it was in his quoted words ‘a total dick’ – there was no change at the time.”
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