The top priority for this Labour Government is to ease the cost of living for working people. Here in Reading, we know people are worried about the impact of the crisis in the Middle East. The Prime Minster made it clear this is not our war, and we are not going to get dragged into it. Britain is continuously working with allies to de-escalate the situation. This is the surest and quickest way to bring down pressures on prices.
“First – let me say once again: this is not our war.We will not be drawn into the conflict. That is not in our national interest.”
– Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, 1 April 2026
The Labour Government has also taken action by reducing energy bills, raising the minimum wage, and increasing support for the most vulnerable – all of which comes into force this April.
- Energy bills across the country fell by £117 a year on average last week because of Labour’s choice to reduce levies – with this price cut locked in until the end of June.
- Labour has boosted the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage, giving 2.7 million workers on the lowest incomes an above-inflation pay rise.
- We have scrapped the two-child limit in Universal Credit to lift almost half a million children out of poverty.
When you’re making decisions about who will influence the future of the place you call home, it matters who is on your side. That’s why May’s Reading Borough Council elections are so important. On Thursday 7 May vote for investment in your family and your neighbourhood. Reject the politics of our opponents — of division, false promises and decline.
Vote for a positive future for Reading. Vote Labour!