The Conservative government is using the pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine to explain the failure of the British economy under their watch, says Northumberland Labour.

Leader Scott Dickinson said: “The truth is that from 2010 when they came to power they systematically and deliberately stripped back public services (especially in Labour-led authorities), failed to get to grips with the housing crisis and presided over a period of economic decline for ordinary people.

“Of course, it wasn’t a decline for everyone; the rich and wealthy got even more rich and wealthy under their watch. Yes, there has been an impact from the invasion of Ukraine and the pandemic but the rot had well and truly set in many years before that.

“Labour wants decent housing, jobs, education, security and health for everyone and well as a greener, cleaner future and it has plans ready to implement to make this happen. Decent homes, jobs, schools, health and care services and police services are the signs of a civilised society.

“A civilised society is not working people depending on food banks, people waiting in pain for treatment they badly need, not enough staff to look after older and vulnerable people, homes that are dangerous, expensive and unfit to live in, people forced to choose between eating and heating and people feeling unsafe in the street.

“I am generally optimistic and I came into politics to serve the people who elected me and try and make things better. I see little evidence of this in our current government.

“Parents want their children to have a better standard of living than they did; this government will go down in history as the government where children were far worse off than their parents.

“Those at the top think party first and country and the people in it second. If they really cared about the people they are supposed to be serving they’d move over. They’ve run out of ideas and it’s only Labour who have a serious and costed plan for growth.”