Opinion, Watford Observer, 16 November 2025 'Pity' for Watford MP over 'meaningless' manifesto promises | Watford Observer
I’m starting to pity our new Labour MP.
Matt Turmaine is a decent, public-spirited politician. He stood in good faith on a manifesto commitment to the people of Watford that Labour would “not increase National Insurance, the basic, higher, or additional rates of income tax, or VAT”.
And yet we are just days away for those promises to be shown to be meaningless. Blaming everyone but themselves, the Labour government is expected to raise taxes on all of us.
But it is their decisions that have let our public finances get out of control. They’ve given exorbitant pay rises to some public sector workers to placate their union bosses (and it won’t even work - they’ll soon be asking for more). They increased taxes on jobs and wonder why unemployment has gone up. They’re imposing more bureaucratic rules on businesses. Economic growth in this country has now stalled.
So they’ve created a crisis they going to try to resolve by increasing taxes. But higher taxes will probably just damage the economy further.
Increasing taxes will also undermine trust in politics. Here in Watford we know what that feels like. Before the election Labour gave a commitment to continue the Conservative plan to redevelop Watford General. Only weeks into government, they abandoned that pledge and it will be years, if ever, before we get the new hospital we’d have had under the Conservatives.
Poor Matt. He must feel terrible. It is now time for him to stand up for the people of Watford and denounce the Prime Minister and his cabinet for practising a government of deceit.
Stephen Woodard
Chairman, Watford Conservatives
