My Lords, I welcome my noble friend Lady Caine of Kentish Town to the House and look forward to hearing more from her.

The key point is that Governments cannot rejuvenate the economy or reduce the welfare bill without increasing the purchasing power of the bottom 50% of the population. Some...

My Lords, I welcome my noble friend Lady Caine of Kentish Town to the House and look forward to hearing more from her.

The key point is that Governments cannot rejuvenate the economy or reduce the welfare bill without increasing the purchasing power of the bottom 50% of the population. Some...

My Lords, poverty and inequalities hold back economic development and prevent people living fulfilling lives. Our political system is now disconnected from the masses, as evidenced by the 59.7% turnout at the last general election. Many are drifting to the far right, which scapegoats minorities

and threatens social stability. Against...

My Lords, poverty and inequalities hold back economic development and prevent people living fulfilling lives. Our political system is now disconnected from the masses, as evidenced by the 59.7% turnout at the last general election. Many are drifting to the far right, which scapegoats minorities

and threatens social stability. Against...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Jones of Moulsecoomb.

This Budget offers nothing to women. Over half the workforce in the public sector is female and all the Government are offering them is cuts in real wages, condemning millions of teachers, nurses and others to...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Jones of Moulsecoomb.

This Budget offers nothing to women. Over half the workforce in the public sector is female and all the Government are offering them is cuts in real wages, condemning millions of teachers, nurses and others to...

My Lords, it is pleasure to participate in this debate. If I had had more time, I would have liked to dissect every sentence in the Chancellor’s Statement. However, that opportunity is not available, so I will concentrate on just a few things.

First, the Statement is really bad news for...

My Lords, it is pleasure to participate in this debate. If I had had more time, I would have liked to dissect every sentence in the Chancellor’s Statement. However, that opportunity is not available, so I will concentrate on just a few things.

First, the Statement is really bad news for...

My Lords, just before the Bells rang, I was referring to the plight of our senior citizens, who are facing food price rises of 15% and energy price rises of 54%. Already, 2.1 million of them live in poverty; millions more will now face hardship. It is disappointing that the...

My Lords, just before the Bells rang, I was referring to the plight of our senior citizens, who are facing food price rises of 15% and energy price rises of 54%. Already, 2.1 million of them live in poverty; millions more will now face hardship. It is disappointing that the...

On the state pension, I referred to the median figures, which are half the national minimum wage. Does the noble Baroness consider that a state pension of half the median wage is adequate for millions of our senior citizens to live on?

On the state pension, I referred to the median figures, which are half the national minimum wage. Does the noble Baroness consider that a state pension of half the median wage is adequate for millions of our senior citizens to live on?

I am grateful to the noble Baroness for giving way. It has been a long day and she has great powers of perseverance, which are all on display. She referred to capital gains. The point is that capital gains are not subject to any kind of national insurance, so zero...

I am grateful to the noble Baroness for giving way. It has been a long day and she has great powers of perseverance, which are all on display. She referred to capital gains. The point is that capital gains are not subject to any kind of national insurance, so zero...