MP Naz Shah on Labour's first three weeks in power

With a new Labour government elected just three weeks ago, the disaster created by the Tories has been plentiful, with lots to clear up.

There is no doubt that the previous Conservative government has left the state of economy, public services and our nation’s future in a perilous state, with whole-scale change needed to rebuild Britain as a world leader.

The new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves has announced the immediate steps to cut costs as the government faces a £20 billion black hole in its accounts created by the Tories' fiscal mismanagement.

This is not about returning to austerity but merely undoing the 14 years of damage through unfunded promises, keeping up the hopes of the British public, with no money to account for these projects.

This has left a vast financial black hole in government spending on essential public services. The Tories have treated the British public like a child, lying that there will be ice cream at home when the freezer is empty.

The previous administration concentrated more on gimmicks and slogans than delivering for the British people.

A prime example of this is the Rwanda scheme, initially promoted at £400 million but actually costing the taxpayer £700 million, with future expenses projected in the billions, to only relocate four people who were voluntarily removed.

This just epitomises the recklessness and complete disregard they showed towards the taxpayer.

On his first day as Prime Minister, Keir Starmer decisively ended the Tories' controversial Rwanda deportation scheme, branding it an expensive gimmick. Instead, Labour will be launching the UK Border Security Command, a powerful new force to tackle illegal immigration.

This initiative will unite agencies like the National Crime Agency and intelligence services to dismantle criminal smuggling networks, strengthen border security, and ensure justice for traffickers.

This decisive action underscores Labour's commitment to humane and effective immigration policies as opposed to over-reaching, unattainable and costly ‘solutions’ from the Tories.

Additionally, Labour has already begun the search for a Covid corruption Tsar to recover the money owed to the British public, lost through fraud.

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves was clear, we want our money back and we want to set a high precedent for public funds. The message is simple, we will not accept fraud, waste or mismanagement to go unchecked under our watch.

In her first few days in the role, the Chancellor uncovered that political self-interest was prioritised over national interest, with the government putting the party first and the country second. New Treasury analysis highlighted that if the UK economy had grown at the average rate of other OECD countries over the past 13 years, it would be over £140 billion larger.

The new Labour government is committed to revitalising Britain's construction industry and economy without delay.

We will implement a modern industrial strategy to create jobs and attract investment, reform the skills system for a changing job market, address economic inactivity, and boost workforce participation. And lastly, we will reform public services to prepare our country for the future – after 14 years, the Labour government is here to clear up the turmoil caused by the Tories.

In another significant move, the Labour government has dramatically shifted the UK's stance on Gaza. Since coming into government, Labour has restored funding to the UN's Palestine relief agency, UNRWA, to support essential services.

Furthermore, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has confirmed that the UK will not oppose the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This decision reflects Labour's commitment to upholding international law and addressing humanitarian needs, marking a significant departure from the previous government's policies.

Additionally, the Labour government has lifted the ban on onshore wind and is already setting up Great British Energy, a new public energy company based in Scotland. We promised to get it up and running fast, and we are delivering. Great British Energy is key to the government’s plan for clean power by 2030, ensuring families and businesses aren’t hit by global price spikes again.

However, whilst the new government is determined to hit the ground running and to ensure they can deliver from day one on their manifesto pledges, it is important that we also understand the scale of the challenge and give them the opportunity to put things in place.

We must tackle deep-rooted issues such as child poverty, something that is close to my heart. I have firsthand experience with the reality of child poverty, having lived through it myself growing up. Unfortunately, I am also aware of how prevalent it is across Bradford, including working families.

This is why I will be supporting the Child Poverty Taskforce set up by the new government to understand the comprehensive and extensive nature of child poverty across the country to ensure we have a wide range of policies to significantly bring down child poverty across the UK.

It is about ending the 14 years of false promises and failure and finally delivering for Britain.

It has been only three weeks in power, though the Labour government has already made significant positive changes for our country.

As a local representative, I will be supporting the government when they deliver for Bradford and having brave conversations where needed, because my role in Parliament is to always put Bradford and our nation first.