Austerity measures in the UK: British Prime Minister Starmer cancels helicopter flights for politicians

Tens of millions saved
British Prime Minister cancels helicopter flights for politicians

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With the change of government in Great Britain, the new Prime Minister has ordered the United Kingdom to implement austerity measures. The budget cuts are to be borne by those “with the broadest shoulders”. Politicians are apparently no exception.

Barely two months after his Labour Party’s landslide election victory, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced “painful” cuts in the new state budget. “There will be a new budget in October and it will be painful,” he told journalists. “Those with the broadest shoulders should bear the heaviest burden,” he added. Starmer also announced financial cuts for top politicians – including the end of a multi-million euro helicopter deal.

Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak liked to use jets and helicopters from the British Royal Air Force for domestic flights. An expensive and unnecessary pleasure. Starmer and Defense Minister John Healey have now decided not to extend the corresponding government contract for the use of helicopters. According to the BBC, this will save the British government around 40 million pounds.

Starmer’s party had always assured during the election campaign that it would not raise taxes on the “working class”. This is why increases in income tax, social security contributions and sales tax are considered rather unlikely. Instead, there is speculation in Britain about higher taxes on capital gains. In the future, however, the country’s problems cannot be solved solely through tax revenue, Starmer continued. The priority is to stimulate economic growth.

“We will have to make difficult decisions”

The Labour leader stressed that his government had inherited a budget hole worth billions from the previous Conservative government. This would not be easy to get under control again. “We will have to make difficult decisions,” he said. “I have not made provisions for a black hole of 22 billion pounds (26.5 billion euros).”

The Labour government had accused the Tories of “covering up” the financial hole. Finance Minister Rachel Reeves announced that she would “reduce the pressure on public finances”. The Tories rejected the accusations. Former Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt spoke of a “shameless attempt to prepare the ground for tax increases”.

Given the economic situation, the new government has little financial leeway for the announced reforms, including in the areas of health and education. Added to this is the enormous national debt, which has been at almost 100 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) for months. Public sector borrowing rose more than expected in July.

At his press conference, Starmer also spoke about the far-right riots in early August that broke out after a fatal knife attack on several children. The riots revealed a “deeply unhealthy society, […] weakened by a decade of division and decline, infected by a spiral of populism” that was fed by the “failure” of the previous government, the prime minister said.

After 14 years in government, the Tories achieved the worst result in their party’s history in the election on July 4. On Wednesday, Starmer is expected to make his inaugural visit to Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.

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