Chancellor's 'hard choices' cannot mean return to austerity

Slashing public spending again will not repair our economy or communities, says GMB Union

GMB, Britain’s general union, has responded to Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s speech at Conservative Party conference today.

John Phillips, GMB Acting General Secretary, said:

“When the Chancellor warns about hard choices, there are too many people making those every day - whether they should go to work while sick or pay the bills, for example.

“Hard choices cannot mean austerity, cuts and punishing those who have shouldered the burden of getting us through this crisis.

“Slashing public spending again will not repair our economy or communities.

“Balancing the books cannot be done on backs of care workers, supermarket workers, those in local government and schools who have risked their lives for the rest of us.

“Investment in public works, sustainable jobs and skills is how we make sure the recovery is a shared recovery with fairness at its heart.”