Karen Lee

By Karen Lee KarenLee

Since being elected as Lincoln’s MP, I have done my very best to fairly represent everyone living in Lincoln; this job should never be about just listening to one side of any debate or to those who shout the loudest. Whilst Lincoln voted leave I can honestly say that my mailbox contains representations from both sides of the Brexit debate in equal measure. It’s therefore my job to carefully consider how Lincoln will get the best outcome and for me to work hard to ensure that happens.

That is why I sat for three hours in the Chamber of the House of Commons on Thursday morning and stood up to make it clear to the PM what I think of her current Brexit deal and how that affects my constituency.

I believe it is crucial that we reject the division surrounding Brexit and work together to get the best deal possible. However, regardless of whether you voted to Leave or Remain, nobody in Lincoln voted for what Theresa May has brought back to the British people. Sadly, after two years of negotiations, the government’s deal falls short on every measure.

The deal is in two parts – a withdrawal agreement that includes proposals for a ‘backstop’ which seem to be universally unpopular, and a political declaration that is incredibly vague and opens the gate to a hard Tory Brexit.

The deal threatens the integrity of the UK, as the backstop proposes a different constitutional settlement for the UK to the rest of Great Britain. Even the Northern Irish MPs in the DUP, who are propping up this government, will vote against it.

The Prime Minister’s deal will harm jobs and the economy by not delivering frictionless trade or a permanent customs union, which falls short of Labour’s proposed single market deal.

Businesses in Lincoln would suffer from disrupted links with our closest trading partner.

Labour has been clear for months that we will not back a deal that harms jobs and the economy.

The deal will also weaken rights and protections and risks the UK falling behind the EU as workers’ rights develop. Francis O’Grady, the Trade Union Congress General Secretary, criticised the deal for failing to “guarantee jobs or rights at work.”

The deal fails to keep the UK in common EU agencies that benefit people living in Lincoln, such as Erasmus and the European Medicines Agency. It also threatens national security and implies the UK will leave common EU security arrangements. It is unacceptable to risk the safety of people living in Lincoln and across the UK.

Labour has never accepted this is a choice between Theresa May’s deal and a ‘no deal’ Brexit. No government has the right to plunge the country into chaos because of their own failure. If a deal is voted down, Labour will work across Parliament to prevent any attempt to deliver no deal.

We are offering a clear alternative to the government’s chaotic Brexit. We will negotiate a comprehensive customs union and a strong single market deal with shared institutions and regulations. There is clearly no mandate for the government’s miserable deal; Labour’s plan reflects the middle ground and has a better chance of passing through Parliament.

The Government is now in chaos because of their inability to negotiate a deal in the national interest. Dominic Raab, the man in charge of Brexit negotiations, has resigned in disgust, as did his predecessor. Tory MPs are queuing up to criticise the deal, and a leadership challenge looks likely.

This country needs strong leadership at such a crucial time and the Prime Minister has lost support of her cabinet, her party and parliament. She should step aside, call a general election and let Labour negotiate a deal that works for the whole of the United Kingdom.

Karen Lee was the Labour MP for Lincoln between 2017 and 2019. She is an NHS nurse and a Labour County Councillor for the Cathedral and Ermine ward of Lincoln

By Karen Lee KarenLee

The Conservative government were not being honest with people in Lincoln when they said austerity was a necessity, now they are lying to us when they say it’s over.

Austerity has always been a political choice, a project to justify and deepen inequality. If austerity was truly necessary, successive Tory governments would not have prioritised generous tax cuts to the wealthy while the rest of us continue to bear the burden. By the end of this Parliament, the Conservatives will have handed out £110 billion in corporate tax giveaways.

The full rollout of Universal Credit in Lincoln has forced vulnerable people into poverty, yet the additional £1.7 billion announced by the Chancellor is less than a third of the £7 billion of welfare cuts the government is still committed to and is a fraction of the estimated £17 billion of social security cuts since 2010. Despite a 52% increase in food bank referrals in areas where Universal Credit has been fully rolled out, the government is not doing nearly enough to fix their disastrous policy.

Austerity has significantly downgraded our public services, with areas like Lincoln suffering as the services we rely on have been cut year after year. The budget did not offer a penny for the day to day costs of our schools, even though school funding has been cut by 8%. The Chancellor’s talk of providing for “little extras” for schools was nothing short of disrespectful at a time when school funding has been cut by 8% and head teachers are having to send begging letters to parents to cover basic expenses.

I’m very aware of the financial pressures that our police force is struggling with, and I am especially concerned that the Chancellor did not even mention funding for neighbourhood policing. Nationally, 21,000 police have been cut and violent crime is on the rise, whilst in Lincolnshire the Tories have cut over 150 police and community support officers.

Under this government, the NHS has experienced the slowest spending growth in its history. After eight years in which NHS budget increases have averaged just 1.4%, the government’s 3.4% increase is, to quote the Health Foundation, ‘simply not enough’. Public health budgets have decreased by 5.2% since 2014, and local councils face a funding gap of £7.8 billion by 2025.

Far from ending austerity, the budget fell short at nearly every measure. Despite nearly 1.5 million elderly people not getting the care they need, the £650 million for long term adult social care services is less than half what health experts estimate is required. The £84 million allocated over the next five years to expand children’s social care programmes is pitiful compared to the £3 billion that is needed by 2025. One in four of us will experience a mental health problem, but the governments’ mental health funding increase is only half of the £4 billion the IPPR think tank say is required.

The Conservative governments’ underfunding of mental health, social care and public health services also drive demand for NHS use, creating a bleak cycle in which underfunding places further strain on local healthcare. As Lincoln’s MP I am adamant that families in Lincoln should not suffer because of this governments’ ideologically driven austerity programme.

This budget shows that people in Lincoln should not expect anything other than austerity under this government. Austerity is hardwired into the Conservatives’ political ideology, it is central to their small state, low public investment approach to managing the economy. To truly end austerity, we need a general election and a Labour Government.

Karen Lee was the Labour MP for Lincoln between 2017 and 2019. She is an NHS nurse and a Labour County Councillor for the Cathedral and Ermine ward of Lincoln