Campaign news archive - September 2015

Contemporary Motions for LP Conference

Contemporary motions 2015 Labour’s economic policy needs to secure growth and end austerity
Conference notes:
1. Osborne’s instruction to government departments to draw up plans by autumn for 25% and 40% real-terms cuts.
2. NHS regulator Monitor’s August announcement that hospitals must only fill ‘essential’ vacancies, due to finance shortages.
3. The wide support expressed by Labour members and supporters throughout August for the anti-austerity agenda advocated by Jeremy Corbyn; in rallies across Britain and votes in the Leadership election.
4. Polling evidence (including YouGov, Populus, Ashcroft) that voters do not support continuing austerity.
5. Parties campaigning against austerity (SNP, Greens) increased their vote shares more than Labour at the May general election.
Conference believes:
1. Tory austerity policies; cutting financing of health, other services and benefits, with public sector real pay cuts; are political choice, not economic necessity – and should be opposed by Labour.
2. The planned £12bn welfare cuts (from total public spending of approximately £760bn) should be opposed by Labour in parliament.
3. Labour policies should defend and improve living standards, not impose further austerity on the majority.
4. To achieve this, Labour economic policy should focus on directing state investment to stimulate growth and create jobs. Labour should draw up real plans to increase investment and present a credible alternative framework to the Tories’ austerity.
5. Areas to prioritise investment should include: housing, infrastructure and green energy.
6. Improving government revenue due to economic growth, not cutting public spending and austerity, is the way to cut the deficit.
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