Steve Wright, FBU general secretary said:
“It is positive that the Chancellor is directly centring trade unions as partners in Labour’s ambition to transform the country.
“For Labour to win the next general election it needs to make changes that people feel in their everyday lives.
“That ambition must not be limited by concerns around the level of national debt or the attitude of bond markets.
“By taxing the super wealthy as part of a plan to invest in the long term infrastructure of the country, we can create a strong resilient nation with good public services and a more equal society.
“Money for 5,000 more firefighters with the correct PPE and greater wildfire and flood resilience would cost a fraction of the £6bn earmarked for British shipyards.
“We need to focus on civil re-industrialisation not military led re-industrialisation.
“And resilience against the reality of wildfires and flooding that the country faces for the foreseeable future is just as important as the UK being capable of defending itself.”
