Opposition Day — The Economy — Minimum Wage — Childcare — Business Rates — Infrastructure — Building New Homes — 26 Nov 2014 at 15:49

The majority of MPs voted against the minimum wage being a higher proportion of average earnings; against more free childcare for working parents; against a cut in business rates for small firms; against an independent infrastructure commission; and against the building of 200,000 new homes a year.

The motion rejected by the majority of MPs in this vote was:

• That this House
• believes the Government has failed to deliver rising living standards and a recovery that works for the many, with working people on average £1,600 a year worse off since 2010;
• notes that the Office for Budget Responsibility has said that stagnant wages and too many low-paid jobs are leading to lower tax revenues and more borrowing, with the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s pledge to balance the books by 2015 set to be broken;
• calls on the Government to bring forward a plan in the Autumn Statement to deliver a recovery for the many, not just a few at the top, with proposals for a minimum wage rising as a proportion of average earnings, an expansion of free childcare for working parents, a cut in business rates for small firms, an independent infrastructure commission, and the building of 200,000 new homes a year;
• believes that a tough and fair plan to deliver a current budget surplus and falling national debt as soon as possible in the next Parliament would include reversing the Government’s £3 billion a year tax cut for the top one per cent of earners and introducing tougher measures to tackle tax avoidance; and
• further believes that the Autumn Statement should use £1 billion of fines from the recent foreign exchange manipulation scandal for an immediate boost to health and care, and announce a £2.5 billion a year fund to help save and transform the NHS, including funding for an extra 20,000 nurses and 8,000 GPs.

Debate in Parliament | Source |