MP for Faversham and Mid Kent. Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
Joined April 2010
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Millions of people on benefits is unaffordable and a sign that our culture has changed.
More people looking to the state to fix things no matter what. Fewer people standing on their own two feet.
Britain cannot be a force in the world with a culture like this.
"As soon as we possibly can" was yesterday Prime Minister, in the budget.
You had the chance but you chose to do NOTHING.
No one is buying this.
Helen Whately MP retweeted
It’s no surprise John Healey’s do-nothing Budget has failed to calm business fears. He has failed to meet the moment. 👇
We desperately need a government that backs business. Cut red tape, cut the cost of hiring and cut taxes.
We Conservatives will.
Business groups are sharply criticising John Healey’s budget
“This budget lacks the bold moves that would have made it easier for firms to invest, hire and grow,” CBI boss Rain Newton-Smith says
“There is nothing concrete to provide breathing space for the vast majority of businesses who are already dealing with energy bills a third higher than their European counterparts.”
The budget had “nothing to ease sky-high energy bills and nothing to make hiring someone more affordable,” the Federation of Small Businesses says.
The British Chambers of Commerce says Healey’s package lacks “the big calls that would really shift the economic dial” and that “many firms will have been hoping for a greater impact.”
Make UK says the budget “failed to address any of the fundamental costs holding back investment and growth in manufacturing.”
Via @Joe_Mayes @JacobReid02 @sabahmeddings: bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
If you’re working flat out to get welfare down…. why is no 10 scrambling to reassure everyone that benefits won’t be cut this side of an election?
🤔You are saying one thing on the media and your officials are saying another…
It makes me think you want the public to believe you’re going to cut welfare - while desperately trying to reassure labour backbenchers that you won’t.
Just when you thought he’d seen sense…
It’s not just the treasury “correcting the record” after the chancellor’s flat-footed interview this morning… no 10 too.
Desperately reassuring labour backbenches that they won’t be cutting welfare any time soon.
Helen Whately MP retweeted
This is astounding. The government's own figures show working-age welfare will go up by £60 BILLION by 2030, yet the Treasury has to rush out and correct the Chancellor to say there is no timetable for cutting the benefits bill. Looks like foot in mouth syndrome is spreading.
John Healey couldn't even find £10 billion to get defence spending to 3% of GDP - the thing he quit over.
Don't let anyone tell you this was a 'do no harm budget'. In doing so little, Labour have harmed our economic security and they've harmed our national security.
When will Labour realise they can’t just say the ‘welfare bill will come down’, they have to actually do it.
@patmcfaddenmp can you clear this up for us?
Uh oh… after John Healey clearly promised on @BBCr4today that the benefits bill will be cut before the next election, @ChrisMasonBBC tells listeners the Treasury have since been on the phone disputing he said this and that he wasn’t putting a timeline on welfare reductions.
Helen Whately MP retweeted
Today's #Budget had to meet the moment. It didn't. Here's why👇
If you think attack is your best form of defence Pat, it’s not going to work.
Under Labour, NEETs are up, youth unemployment is up, welfare claimants are up, welfare spending is up…
And what did your Chancellor announce today in the budget to tackle this? NOTHING.
Helen Whately MP retweeted
Pat McFadden wants to talk about NEETs. Fine.
The number topped 1 million earlier this year for the first time since 2013 and is up 130,000 since they took office.
Labour's jobs tax and red tape hit young people hardest. Own it Pat.
What you won’t find in the Chancellor’s speech… Around 210,000 pensioners just above state pension income will face a 53% marginal tax rate.
What’s going on here?
He announced the new Pension Tax Allowance so people just on the state pension won’t have to pay income tax.
Sounds sensible. But the devil is in the detail…
👉 For every £3 of income above the full State Pension, you’ll lose £1 of the allowance.
That means for every extra £3 of income:
•60p goes in normal income tax (20%)
•£1 of allowance is lost
£1.60 out of £3 = a 53% marginal tax rate
This hits people with modest private pensions or savings and robs them of the benefit of doing the right thing.
Exactly this ⬇️…the kicking the can down the road budget.
Nothing to cut the £183 billion benefits bill.
Nothing on jobs for the 1 million NEETs.
Nothing on *how* we’ll fund 3% of GPD on defence.
Today was the Chancellor’s big day, shame the plan was missing in action.
There we have it from the Chancellor.
NO WELFARE SAVINGS in the budget.
Labour are kicking the can down the road, again. Legislation next year. As for savings…🤷♀️
Helen Whately MP retweeted
Today is the day the Chancellor can do the right thing.
Use his Budget to help fix the broken welfare system and help people into work by reducing the cost of employment.
Britain can’t be a strong country with our broken welfare system.
Former defence secretary - now Chancellor - John Healey knows this. That’s why he resigned, surely.
Will he use his budget today to cut welfare and invest in defence? Or will he bottle it?