Watch: Jo Bird on BBC TV, the budget and taxing wealth

For a fairer, greener budget

Presenter Annabel Tiffin: Jo Bird, do you agree with that, the chancellor has an enormous job to do and has to make difficult decisions?

Councillor Jo Bird, co-leader of Wirral Green Group of 14 Councillors: Not really no. The money is there. Greens want to see a fairer, greener budget.

Annabel: You don’t believe there is a £22bn black hole?

Jo: The money is there. I haven’t seen all those details. But I know that two weeks ago the Labour government took £22 billion of public money and gave it to big business oil and gas for so-called carbon capture and storage.

Whereas, that money should be shared on services that benefit everybody.

Greens support High Speed 2 trains

Annabel: Jo, HS2. There’s been an awful lot of rumours about what’s going to be happening with HS2. The Greens, you want it completely up to Manchester don’t you?

Jo: Yes, we absolutely need to increase capacity in our train system to reduce carbon emissions from transport, from cars and aeroplanes.

So full capacity right up to Manchester and possibly beyond. That’s our position.

Wealth tax to restore our NHS

Jo: The recent strikes by vital frontline workers show the crisis that our NHS and care system is in. Left to us by the Conservatives and continued by ‘business as usual’ by Labour and their obsession with private provision.

Greens would ensure that our health service is publicly provided. And we’d bring in further reforms like ensuring the rights of mental health users are respected - a compassionate service.

Annabel: What would you do now though with these huge backlogs?

Jo: We’d bring in the public investment that is so clearly needed. Funded by a wealth tax.

Lots of people, as well as the Green Party, think wealth tax is a brilliant idea. Greenpeace, the Trade Union Congress, Unite the Union, and many rich people themselves.

A small percentage tax on wealth could raise billions of pounds, that would properly fund our NHS.

Annabel: Could I just push you,? If you had a family member, God forbid, that needed mental health treatment or perhaps a hip replacement. Would you say, ‘No I’m not gonna take that offer of private consultant, I’m going to let them wait on the NHS?’

Jo: It’s the job of government to ensure that everyone receives the healthcare that they need. That isn’t who can pays the most gets it and jumps the queue. It should be free at the point of use and provided by the public purse - and publicly provided by the diligent health workers that we’ve seen in the clips here.

For warm, safe and affordable homes

Annabel: Jo, talking generally about Labour’s Renters Bill, does it go far enough?

Jo: We welcome the Renters Rights Bill. We need to see an end to no-fault evictions. We also want to see it go a lot further.

There needs to be controls on rent so they’re affordable in relation to local wages wages.

There also needs to be a lot more house building and renovation. 150,000 social homes every year.

Annabel: Labour has pledged to build a lot more houses

Jo: and we would welcome a new town in Birkenhead for example, where we have an old town.

Lancaster City Council is a great example where Greens are the largest single group. They’re building well insulated, genuinely affordable, council homes.

That’s not forget that this is come about because people died due to cold, damp and mouldy homes.

Two year old Awaab Ishak died because of this. And that’s why we need to crack down on rogue landlords, increase the standards, invest in our properties and homes across the country so that they are warm, safe and affordable.

Equalise capital gains tax with employment income

Jo: The minimum we expect from the Labour Chancellor is to equalise capital gains tax. So that capital gains are taxed at the same rate as employment income.

This one move alone would raise £14 billion for the government.

Which could be spent on say, reinstating the winter fuel payment for 10 million pensioners. Or lifting children out of poverty by abolishing the two child benefit cap.

And we’d have £9 billion left to spend on our cash strapped NHS and councils.

It’s those kind of [Labour and Conservative] political choices that put people into poverty. Fairer, greener taxes would tax wealth rather than poverty.

Labour’s obsession with big business

Jo: The big elephant in the room is the two major parties obsession with big business.

Labour received a £4 million donation from a hedge fund with investments in weapons, oil and gas fossil fuels.

And while they are obsessed with big business, they’re not looking at the harm that is caused by privatisation.

Water is killing our killing our wildlife. Businesses are polluting the air that we breathe.

BBC TV Politics North West, 20 October 2024