I DON’T BLAME PEOPLE FOR BEING FRUSTRATED WITH POLITICS, SAYS EMPLOYMENT MINISTER

EMPLOYMENT Minister Alison McGovern has said she does not blame people for feeling frustrated, in reaction to news that the petition calling for a new General Election has exceeded 2.5 million signatures.

She told GB News: “Well, we’ve had lots of elections in recent years. We’ve had almost a chaotic amount of elections, and I think what people want from politics and from government is for them to do things that are actually going to help them.

“I know [some] people didn’t vote for us, and they didn’t want the outcome that that happened in the election. So it doesn’t surprise me that they would take the opportunity to point that out.

“The thing that I would say is, I do not blame anyone in this country for being frustrated at what has happened in politics in recent years.

“I don’t think that we’ve delivered…I don’t think politics has delivered for the country. It’s the challenge for us now to make real changes that people can see so they experience a better quality of life. And that is the challenge that I relish.”

Asked if the Chancellor was planning a return to austerity, she said: “No, we’re not having a return to austerity, that failed.

“We’re going to invest in our public services. What we were faced with in taking up office was a horrific legacy from the Conservative Party, where they had made promises willy nilly that they had no idea how they were going to fund.

“Rachel had two choices at that point. She could either continue with that madness or take the tough choices to bring the public finances back under control and into balance. And she chose the latter.”

She added: “I’ve worked with businesses on producing the proposals we’re announcing today to change job health, and I know that they need much more support from the government in making job centres work for them.

“I am not immune, and nor do I ignore the very tough situation that the country is in, and I know every business in the country is wrestling with that and having to deal with it.

“I would simply say again, Rachel had two choices on taking off office. She could either go down the same path as the Tories year after year, making promise after promise that you can never fund, or you can get a proper budget in balance, knowing that you can fund your promises and grow the economy from there.

“She chose the tough choice of the latter. And that way, through better job centres that really serve them properly, help them find the employees that they need to grow.”