LIVERPOOL, England — The Labour government would be ahead in the polls if it had focused on “100 small things that piss people off” when it entered office, consumer campaigner Martin Lewis said.
Speaking in the POLITICO Pub at Labour Party conference on Monday, Lewis rattled off a host of fixes that the government could have made to improve the lives of consumers, but bemoaned that “government isn’t very good on its business as usual.”
The Labour Party is trailing Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in the polls, and the money-saving guru described the lack of focus on smaller issues as his biggest disappointment with the government.
When asked if he would become chancellor if offered it by Farage, Lewis said he would “rather wire my nipples to electrodes” and that he would also never follow a party whip.
Suggestions from Lewis that could boost Labour in the polls included the introduction of a starter ISA for young people, reforming energy bill standing charges, and overhauling the council tax system.
As rumors of a wealth tax swirl, Lewis said that if the government was to pursue the policy, the “most effective” way would instead be to reform council tax rather than introducing a new approach. “You’d probably get less people leaving the country if you did it that way,” he added.
Despite full reform of the council tax system seeming out of reach, Lewis did say he expected the government to drop rules that homeowners can only appeal the value of council tax within the first six months of occupancy.
However, the broadcaster acknowledged that getting things done was still a struggle for the government. Even as his contacts “tend to be more cabinet than minister,” they still say that they would be unlikely to be able to implement policies they recognize as good, he explained.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner was “the person who listened the best,” said Lewis, adding that he had worked with her to act against predatory debt collection by councils.
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