Northumberland Labour says the government’s strategy of robbing the poor to fund its policies is devastating for thousands of people in the county.

Leader Scott Dickinson said: “Funding health and social care by raising National Insurance is an absolute slap in the face for many people and businesses in our county. 

“This government doesn’t get it. Promises of fixing social care and levelling up are just empty words. We all know that money needs to be found from somewhere, but there’s strong evidence to show that for every pound the government puts into care, they get two back in taxes. It’s not rocket science.

“There are very many ways the government could have chosen to spread the contribution to the NHS and social care more evenly, but they chose to ignore them in favour of making sure their rich friends can keep their money.

“Locally and nationally Labour will be holding this government to account and pressing them to explain how their half-baked ideas are going to help fix social care and improve working people’s standard of living.

“Nothing they have done gives me confidence that they have ordinary people’s interests at heart.”