'British traditions and the sense of national cohesion are under threat thanks to Labour,' says Kwasi Kwarteng

The announcement of a whopping 22 per cent deal for junior doctors was quickly followed by the news that the Winter Fuel Payment will be taken from all pensioners.

Increased pay for the unions, more tax on the elderly and the middle class. We can be grateful that Labour have been so clear about their aims and about their “values”.

Labour argues that giving public sector workers big pay increases will make them less likely to go on strike.

Nothing could be more naive. Other public sector workers are now incentivised to go on strike, as they see what an easy pushover the government is.

Unfortunately, the fruit of all this Labour spending is likely to be more strikes and greater disruption.

Apart from tax and spending, the other big thing that has happened since Labour got into power has been large-scale riots and looting across our country.

Sir Keir has aimed all his fire at the rioters, without even bothering to figure out what caused these riots in the first place.

Tony Blair used to say “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime”. Sir Keir forgot the last part. No attempt has been made to address, or even understand, the underlying cause of the riots.

Instead, name-calling and abuse of the rioters have taken the place of a serious discussion about the challenges of mass migration.

Sir Keir has called the rioters “far-right thugs”. He has said nothing about what his government will do to tackle open border Britain, and to stop people trafficking.

This isn’t to say the Tories were much better. We were brutally but fairly turfed out of government. It’s now Labour's responsibility to deal with our nation’s problems. The early signs are not good.

Who knows where all this ends? For now, Labour has made it clear that they will pay the unions and the public sector above the rate of inflation.

They will fund this expenditure by raising taxes. They will not take concerns about immigration seriously. They will promote “woke” causes and pander to the cultural left.

This is hardly a hidden agenda. It’s clear for everyone to see.

It’s classic Labour, frankly. Appease union paymasters by increasing taxes on everyone else. Rinse and repeat.

Then you run out of money. As Margaret Thatcher once said: “The problem with socialism is that you run out of other people’s money."

Even more worrying than the classic socialist formula for economic ruin is the issue of culture.

Our traditions, and the sense of national cohesion, are under threat. There will be endless virtue signalling, literally bending the knee as Starmer and Rayner did in the case of Black Lives Matter only a few years ago.

There will doubtless be futile and endless debates about what a woman is, or what “gender fluidity” really means.

MORE FROM MEMBERSHIP:

• 'Labour aren't for white working class and when they do talk to them it's to patronise them' - Royston Smith
• Free speech is a precious right - but not an absolute one - Nigel Nelson
• 'Labour was absolutely right to tackle far-right organised riots. Now Starmer must reduce immigration and rebuild communities'

We have been a successful society embracing many faiths and peoples. Most of this is a legacy of an incredibly rich history, typified by the British Empire and the stand against fascism in World War 2.

A truly great Prime Minister like Winston Churchill represented both the spirit of Empire and the struggle for freedom against the Nazis.

The British people have an amazing history. Labour could turn their back on all this, bringing in long-term economic harm, while posing as woke warriors.

It’s a twin danger: firstly, no growth and higher taxes; secondly, cultural vandalism.

In just six short weeks the new government is revealing its true nature.