Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
John McDonnell

This government has one last chance to take a progressive path. Otherwise, we’re at the point of no return

Rachel Reeves speaks at the Labour party conference in Liverpool, 23 September 2024.
Rachel Reeves speaks at the Labour party conference in Liverpool, 23 September 2024. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

If someone read out the following list of policies, which party would you think was in power? Depriving 2 million pensioners of the winter fuel allowance. Refusing to scrap the two-child benefit cap to lift nearly half a million children out of poverty. Raising tuition fees for students by more than the rate of inflation. Cutting overseas aid to the poorest people across the globe by half. Cutting £5bn from benefits for disabled people. Introducing a new round of cuts to government department spending and laying off 50,000 public sector workers.

I very much doubt even 12 months ago you would have thought that this would be the Labour party in government.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.