Budget 2025: Sandwell Gets Let’s be honest — Rachel Reeves’s Autumn Budget wasn’t a “fiscal plan”.
It was a tax-soaked kick in the teeth for everyone in Sandwell who works, struggles, or dares to exist outside Westminster’s fantasy bubble.
This Budget is what happens when you put Labour in charge nationally AND locally:
the country gets mugged, and Sandwell gets mugged twice.
But don’t worry — apparently we’re all “ordinary people” now.
That’s Reeves’s new favourite phrase.
Shame she forgot to actually help any of them.
THE REALITY IN SANDWELL BEFORE THE BUDGET — ALREADY BAD ENOUGH
Let’s recap the starting point:
Unemployment well above the national average
Claimant rates sky-high
Nearly a third of working-age adults economically inactive
Child poverty around 38%
Some of the worst health outcomes in England
A council on its knees, but always ready for another “Deep Clean PR stunt”
And deprivation so baked into our borough you could spread it on toast
Sandwell is literally the case study for what happens when one party controls a borough for decades:
You get poverty, potholes, propaganda leaflets, and councillors who think attending a photo-op next to a shrub counts as “environmental improvement”.
NOW ENTER RACHEL REEVES WITH HER “STEALTH TAX MASTERCLASS”
Reeves has frozen income tax thresholds until the end of time.
Translation:
Every pay rise = more tax.
Every promotion = more tax.
Every bit of progress = punished.
It’s like the Treasury crawled inside your wallet and set up a direct debit labelled “Let’s fleece Sandwell for fun”.
And she genuinely expects applause.
SAVINGS? HAHAHA. NO.
Reeves also decided that anyone saving a few quid must be crushed.
Higher taxes on savings.
Higher taxes on dividends.
Higher taxes on anything that resembles “trying”.
Meanwhile wealthy donors?
Perfectly untouched.
Funny that.
The message is clear:
If you’re responsible in Sandwell, Labour sees you as a revenue stream.
THE TWO-CHILD CAP U-TURN — THE LIE THEY HOPED WE’D FORGET
Labour swore they wouldn’t remove the two-child cap.
Not once.
Not twice.
But about 47 times.
Then they got into power and — surprise! — they removed it instantly.
And yes, the policy disproportionately benefits larger households, which statistically (not politically, not racially — statistically) appear more in certain communities, including some migrant and some Pakistani/Bangladeshi heritage families.
That’s not an opinion.
That’s data.
Meanwhile the families who make up most of Sandwell — the ones with one or two children, scraping by, juggling two jobs and bills — get nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Except, of course, the bill.
NEW FRAUD RISKS? LABOUR SAYS “WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?”
Scrapping the cap without strengthening fraud checks is like removing the front door because it was “getting in the way”.
We’ll now see:
Undeclared partners
Undeclared dependants
Over-claimed child benefits
Identity fraud
Relationship fraud
“Ghost children” fraud (yes, that’s a real thing)
Sandwell already has one of the most complex benefit-claiming populations in the country — and Reeves just poured petrol on it.
**PROTECTING THE DISABLED, ELDERLY AND VULNERABLE?
NOT UNDER THIS LOT.**
Scope’s analysis is spot on:
No further cuts — fine
But no meaningful extra support
Motability changes that could push disabled people into worse vehicles or none at all
No discounted energy
No serious health support
No dignity measures
No increase in social-care stability
And disability benefit cuts already in the pipeline remain untouched
This Budget does nothing for the elderly choosing between heating and eating.
Nothing for the disabled hammered by extra living costs.
Nothing for carers drowning in stress.
Nothing for the chronically ill stuck in limbo.
But hey — Reeves said the word “fairness” a few times so that should solve it, right?
**LABOUR LOCALLY?
THE SILENCE IS DEAFENING.**
Sandwell Labour councillors will now:
Pretend this Budget is “tough but necessary”
Pretend that Sandwell is magically improving
Pretend they’re “fighting for residents”
Pretend they’re not all terrified of anyone asking a real question
Meanwhile deprivation gets worse.
Housing collapses.
Children’s services sink deeper.
The environment rots.
And the only thing that grows is the number of press releases about “exciting regeneration plans” that never happen.
Sandwell deserves better than this merry-go-round of mediocrity.
IF I COULD SAY ONE THING TO THE CHANCELLOR…
> “Rachel — if this is your idea of supporting ‘ordinary people’,
then God help the rest of the country.
Your Budget is a punishment, not a plan.
A stealth tax spree wrapped in slogans.
A betrayal of every promise you made.
And an insult to every elderly, disabled, low-paid, working or struggling household in Sandwell.
We deserve better than this political theatre.
Start acting like the Chancellor you claim to be — or step aside for someone who can count.”
CONCLUSION: THE BUDGET THAT BROKE TRUST
Sandwell was already struggling.
This Budget just stamped “GOOD LUCK” on our foreheads and shoved us into traffic.
Labour talked about hope.
What they delivered is hardship.
Sandwell isn’t “ordinary”.
We’re extraordinary — surviving despite the system, not because of it.
And Labour, both locally and nationally, should be ashamed.
ADDENDUM 1: LABOUR’S BUDGET SPIN — A MASTERCLASS IN POLITICAL FICTION
ADDENDUM 1 — THE GREAT LABOUR BUDGET PARODY
After publishing the main Budget article, I thought the circus had packed up for the night.
But then Labour started pumping out a string of graphics, social media slogans and PR-friendly bullet points that read like they’d been written by someone who’s never met an actual working family — never mind one in Sandwell.
So here it is:
Addendum 1 — Labour’s Budget Spin, fully dissected and lovingly shredded.
Grab your coffee.
Chaos begins now.
1️⃣ “WE’RE EXPANDING FREE SCHOOL MEALS!”
This is the political equivalent of bragging about rescuing a drowning man by handing him a snorkel.
Only some UC households qualify.
Not universal.
Not automatic.
Not enough places.
Funding? Unknown.
Staffing? Good luck.
In Sandwell, schools are already on their knees —
we’re just adding another weight to their ankles.
2️⃣ “MORE FREE BREAKFAST CLUBS!”
Ah yes.
Another reheated, re-announced, re-used policy from the Labour Microwave of Broken Promises™.
Where are these clubs?
Who is staffing them?
What schools have room?
What budgets are they using?
No answers, just hashtags.
3️⃣ “WE CAPPED UNIFORM COSTS!”
If by “capping” they mean “allowing prices to rise annually”, then yes — absolutely capped.
£50 blazers.
£15 ties.
£30 shoes.
£22 trousers.
Full credit: they’ve created the only inflation-proof industry in Britain — school uniforms.
4️⃣ “30 HOURS FREE CHILDCARE!”
In Sandwell?
Childcare providers are vanishing faster than honest politicians.
To benefit, you must:
find a place
have a provider still open
have staff available
have hours that align with your actual job
navigate a system designed by someone who hates simplicity
Spoiler: most working families won’t qualify or can’t access it.
⭐ THE NHS CLAIMS — WHERE REALITY PACKS ITS BAGS
Labour are now claiming this Budget “fixes the NHS”.
Meanwhile:
GP access collapsing
waiting lists up
staff burnt out
mental health services full
elderly care in meltdown
local hospitals firefighting
But don’t worry —
a “Neighbourhood Health Centre” is coming!
Which, in Sandwell terms, means:
a portacabin with a poster about wellbeing, a leaflet about bowel screening, and a GP who covers two postcodes and three continents.
⚡ ENERGY BILL “CUTS” — THE BIGGEST WHOPPER
Labour claim they’ll “save you £150 off your bill”.
Reality: They’ve just moved energy levies into general taxation.
You pay anyway — just with a different label.
It’s like someone mugs you for £200, then hands back £10 and calls it “support”.
📉 “WE’RE CUTTING THE COST OF LIVING!”
Sure — if you ignore:
the frozen income tax thresholds
stealth tax rises
£26bn in extra tax by 2028
rising food prices
rising rents
rising council tax
stagnant wages
failing councils
collapsing public services
But apart from all that —
yes, they’ve “cut the cost of living”.
🔥 THIS ISN’T GOVERNING — IT’S MANUFACTURING CONSENT
Everything Labour has said since Budget Day follows the same pattern:
1. Make a claim.
2. Hope nobody reads the small print.
3. Post a colourful graphic.
4. Pretend everything’s fine.
This is politics by Canva.
And the problem is — Sandwell isn’t a PR project.
It’s a real place with real people who are being hit hardest.
🧨 FINAL VERDICT: LABOUR’S BUDGET SPIN IS A PARODY — BUT THEY’RE DEADLY SERIOUS
This messaging campaign is so dishonest it borders on performance art.
It should win an award for “Best Unintentional Comedy”.
Except it’s not funny — because here, in Sandwell, the consequences are real:
more poverty
more deprivation
more debt
more pressure on the elderly, disabled and vulnerable
more children going hungry
more strain on already failing services
Labour can spin.
They can hashtag.
They can colour in all the graphics they want.
But the truth remains:
> Sandwell is worse off under their Budget — not better.
If Addendum 1 was the warm-up, this is the main act.
Since the Budget landed, the commentary has been rolling in – from journalists, economists, think tanks, Martin Lewis, and even Labour’s own pet institutions – and the verdict is basically:
> Reeves hiked taxes, misled the public about a “black hole”, and turned the OBR into collateral damage.
So let’s walk through the carnage.
1️⃣ The “Black Hole” That Magically Turned Into a Surplus
We were told, endlessly, that there was a terrifying £££ “fiscal black hole” and that everyone needed to “chip in”.
Then the OBR numbers and follow-up reporting started to surface:
Forecasts showed Reeves actually had a £4.2bn surplus of headroom, not a gaping void that needed a £26bn tax raid.
The OBR itself confirmed there was no huge sudden hole needing emergency tax rises; Reeves chose to raise taxes anyway.
Commentators and opposition MPs are now openly saying what everyone is thinking: she misled the public about the size of the problem to justify a political Budget.
So the “black hole” wasn’t fiscal, it was political cover.
2️⃣ The OBR Leak and Fallout – From “Defender of Integrity” to Awkward Brawl
Remember when Labour used to bang on about the importance of the OBR after the Truss mini-Budget?
Reeves helped change the law to guarantee OBR scrutiny of every Budget, and styled herself as its champion.
Then Budget day descended into farce: the OBR accidentally published its report 40 minutes early, detonating her big set-piece before she stood up.
Now? The relationship has blown up. Reporting shows tensions so bad that OBR chair Richard Hughes apparently offered to resign after claims Reeves withheld or spun their figures.
You couldn’t make it up: the party that screamed about “respecting the OBR” is now accused of massaging its forecasts and bullying it in the background.
3️⃣ £26 Billion in Tax Rises – The “Fairness” That Leaves People Worse Off
The numbers are brutal:
Around £26bn in extra taxes by 2028–29, much of it via the freeze in tax and NI thresholds, higher taxes on savings, dividends, property income, and tinkering with pension salary sacrifice.
The threshold freeze alone is forecast to drag millions more into paying tax and higher-rate tax – Hargreaves Lansdown says 5.2 million more into income tax and 4.8 million into higher or additional rate by 2031.
Martin Lewis calls it exactly what it is: a “stealth tax” that leaves many earners worse off even if cash pay goes up.
Even the Commons Library summary admits this is a Budget of huge tax rises, dressed up in the language of “stability, fairness and resilience”.
Translation: we’re all paying more; they’re hoping you won’t notice until your payslip screams at you.
4️⃣ Broken Promises and Manifesto Gymnastics
During the election campaign, Labour:
Promised no “unfunded spending sprees”
Signalled tightly-controlled taxes with no big surprises
Repeatedly danced around the two-child cap, then insisted scrapping it was “not affordable”
Fast-forward:
Reeves announces a £26bn tax grab while insisting she’s still keeping to Labour’s manifesto.
Starmer now claims the manifesto hasn’t been broken because… they never technically promised not to do this specific style of tax rise.
It’s like promising you won’t nick someone’s car… then helping yourself to their house instead and saying, “technically we kept our word”.
5️⃣ Who Gets Hurt? Spoiler: It’s Not the Slogan Writers
A few highlights from the fallout:
Low-income households: Policy in Practice notes that while scrapping the two-child limit helps some families, the overall mix of tax changes still leaves many low-income households squeezed – especially those in work.
Small businesses and hospitality: Reeves hailed a “new golden era for the high street”, yet the end of a 40% discount and revaluation changes mean many pubs, shops and hotels will actually pay more, not less, in business rates.
Contractors & remote workers: IR35 tweaks and other rules amount to “keeping the lights on” for the Treasury while dimming them for independent contractors and remote staff.
Meanwhile, Sandwell still gets the same old package: high deprivation, underfunded services, and a Labour council that’ll obediently wave it all through.
6️⃣ The Political Row: Accusations of Lying, Spin and Panic
The language from commentators and opposition MPs is getting… spicy:
FT and Telegraph pieces detail how changing OBR forecasts meant Reeves knew the position had improved before Budget day, but kept pushing the “black hole” line anyway.
Sky News, the Independent and others report claims that she effectively lied about the deficit to sell the tax rises.
Internal whispers suggest people are already speculating whether she’ll survive to deliver another Budget.
We’ve now reached the stage where Labour MPs are on TV doing legalistic gymnastics like:
“We didn’t technically break the manifesto… we just interpreted it… dynamically.”
If that’s “integrity in public life”, we’re in trouble.
7️⃣ Critical Comment – From a Sandwell View
From Sandwell, this whole drama looks even worse.
We’ve got:
High unemployment, high economic inactivity, deep child poverty, long-term illness and disability at crisis levels.
A council that limps from one budget crisis to another, cutting services while churning out glossy “strategy” PDFs.
Residents hammered by rising costs, low wages and dire public services.
And against that backdrop, Labour:
Spun a non-existent black hole into justification for a huge tax raid.
Froze thresholds so quietly that most people only find out when their tax code changes.
Scrapped the two-child cap in a way that fuels cultural and community tension instead of delivering fair, broad-based support.
Managed to pick a fight with the very watchdog they once held up as the guardian of fiscal sanity.
If the Tories had done this, Labour would be screaming from the rooftops.
But now it’s their Chancellor, their OBR row, their stealth tax raid, suddenly we’re told this is “grown-up government”.
It isn’t.
It’s spin-heavy, trust-light, and utterly disconnected from places like Sandwell, where every extra pound in tax is a pound less on food, heating or rent.
So Addendum 1 covered the sales pitch.
Addendum 2 covers the behind-the-scenes car crash.
If this is Labour’s idea of “responsible government”, then heaven help us when they decide to take risks.
Because right now, from where Sandwell is standing, this Budget doesn’t look like stability.
It looks like a con – with better branding.
#Sandwell #Budget2025 #RachelReeves #LabourLies #OBR #StealthTax #TaxRaid #PoliticalSpin #CostOfLivingCrisis #CitizenJournalism #WestMidlands #Addendum2
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