126,000 jobs have gone since the last Budget — and the next one is in 6 days. Families and businesses in Orpington fear more tax hikes to cover unchecked spending. The Conservative Party has come up with another way. The Chancellor can still change course — and steal our homework. Will she? #budget2025 #labourparty

This week, the Chancellor gave a panicked press conference in which she all but confirmed that more tax rises are on the way in this month’s Budget, breaking a promise she made 30 times since the last Budget. In Orpington, local businesses are telling me that they are being forced to freeze recruitment and expansion plans because of increasing costs. The Chancellor claims that she needs higher taxes to pay for the NHS. Yet new ONS figures show NHS productivity is falling. So I asked her: what exactly are Orpington businesses paying more tax for? Her answer? Falling waiting lists — but that’s only because junior doctors temporarily lifted their politically motivated strikes after the government threw them a bung. (A backdated 22% rise). That then led to more pay demands and the threat of more strikes. If the government wanted to help their trade union allies, they could have done so by tackling soaring welfare costs, but they refuse to act Why should Orpington’s businesses pay the price for union militancy and government incompetence? #labourparty #budget2025

Sadiq Khan is failing on building affordable homes in Greater London. The previous government awarded him almost £9 billion to build 151,000 affordable homes. The second tranche of this money consisted of £4 billion for building 35,000 homes between 2021 and end March 2026. To date only 997 have been completed. The figures say it all: the Mayor’s housing record has been dismal during his time in office. And because of his failings, he has now abandoned all of his promised green belt protections. The Housing Secretary has the power to intervene and direct the Mayor, I put this to him, and below is a some of our exchange.

We now have a government that wants to build on the green belt, and the Mayor of London has U-turned on his previous position about protecting the green belt. There was recently a motion tabled by the Conservatives at City Hall to oppose this U-turn and protect our green belt. Reform UK’s Assembly Member voted with Sadiq Khan’s Labour members to defeat the motion. I met with Assembly Member Thomas Turrell in St Mary Cray, at one of the green belt sites under threat from major development, and asked him to explain what happened. #greenbelt #orpington

St Mary Cray residents Peitra and Charlotte joined me on farming land by Crockenhill Road where a developer wants to build a major housing scheme. These are local people who use the land regularly — they think it the scheme will ruin the area if it goes ahead. #orpington #greenbelt #housing #agriculture

St Mary Cray is just one site in Orpington where developers are looking at building a major housing scheme on green belt land. There is no planning application yet but the proposals would see approximately 350 houses built on what is agricultural land. I visited the site by Crockenhill Road with local councillors Yvonne Bear, Shaun Slator and Harry Stranger to discuss why such a scheme would be a disaster for the local area. Your views on this are important and I will be considering them very carefully. Please watch the video, and if you live in Orpington, please take part in the survey on my website, if you haven’t already. garethbacon.com #orpington #greenbelt

The Mayor of London and TfL are looking at whacking up the Congestion Charge by 20% from £15 to £18. (And it seems they are planning on raising the cost every single year.) This is going to fleece motorists in areas like Orpington — people who are cleaners, carers, and small business owners who rely on their vehicles to go to work and make a living. Some local residents need to drive into central London for work, and this is going to hurt them. We must make the Mayor back down. I’ve written to him to outline my opposition. Please sign the petition here: whatlaboursaid.com/stop-the-congestion-charge-hike And please take part in the TfL consultation here: https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/congestion-charge-proposals Let’s come together and send them a loud and clear message that enough is enough. #mayoroflondon #labourparty #sadiqkhan #motorists #orpington

Our green belt is under threat like never before. Angela Rayner has struck deals with major housing providers to build entire new towns across the country, and Chelsfield has been suggested as an “obvious” location for one. Meanwhile, despite all his previous assurances and guarantees, Sadiq Khan has now announced that he wants to explore building on green belt land. Concreting over our green belt would be a disaster for communities such as Chelsfield and I will do everything in my power to stop it from happening. #greenbelt #sadiqkhan #labourparty

The newly announced US tariffs of 25% will hit our automative industry hard and is very concerning. Instead of helping, our government is further burdening the sector with its jobs tax and ideological pursuit of electric vehicle targets. The sector is saying it cannot cope — the government should start listening. And fast.