The Government that was clapping nurses during the pandemic now wants to sack them. It says the new trade union legislation introduced this week is to guarantee minimum service standards but doctors and nurses are striking precisely because they can’t guarantee those minimum service and safety standards during the normal course of work. The bill is only at its first parliamentary stage but I will vigorously oppose it alongside my Labour colleagues.
 
The Public Accounts Committee published a report on His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and the tax gap – the difference between the amount of tax owed and tax collected. £1 of taxpayers’ money can generate an additional £18 in tax collected by HMRC – when they are properly resourced. It’s a no-brainer that HMRC needs the resources to get that money when there’s such a squeeze on public services. See here to read the report in full and here for a summary.
 
And I visited the George and Vulture pub in Hoxton – London’s tallest pub. It’s facing a really difficult future alongside many other pubs in Hackney. The energy guarantees that the Government previously introduced for businesses are now being massively reduced in April, squeezing pubs and other hospitality businesses. If you’re working and having a night out, consider supporting somewhere local. We love our hospitality businesses in Hackney but if we don’t use them, we’ll lose them.