Probably the one thing above all else that makes me a Conservative is my desire for extending opportunity for all and helping people to be the best they can be. The human spirit has a natural drive to succeed and I believe that politicians should always strive to create the right environment to incentivise and not to penalise efforts to get on in life.
It must always pay to be in work and I am delighted that this week sees the Conservative Government’s introduction of the National Living Wage. The lowest paid in society will be seeing an instant pay rise of 50p an hour from the previous minimum wage, which will equate to £910 a year. This rate of £7.20 per hour will rise to £9.00 an hour by 2020. This is one very important part of the equation, but there are others.
As well as low pay having been a disincentive to work, punitive taxation had also been penalising those on low wages. When the Conservatives entered government in 2010 you could only earn £6,475 a year before paying income tax. Next week it will rise to £11,000. This will mean that all of us have an income tax saving since 2010 of £900 a year which proportionately helps the least well-off the most.
Another part of the equation is the benefits system. No one should ever be comfortable about abandoning people to languish on benefits which is not good for anyone. Welfare should always be a safety net for those in need, whereas Labour’s benefits culture encourages dependency. Labour MPs have spent the last six years voting against all reforms to benefits and reductions in welfare spending, without which the National Living Wage and your raised income tax thresholds wouldn’t be affordable.
Added to our great progress in employment growth and the expanding of opportunities for all, the Conservatives are advancing the improvement of the education and skills of Britain, so that people’s aspirations can be realised. Crawley has real potential for growth in these areas and it is something that I am personally very committed to.