Budget Resolutions

Gill German Excerpts

Monday 1st December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Gill German (Clwyd North) (Lab)]

I came into this place driven to make life better for the struggling families I saw each and every day as a teacher, and as council lead for education. That purpose guides me every day. I have seen far too many families fighting to get by, so this Budget feels personal to me, because it makes fair, responsible choices, rooted in compassion, security and opportunity, for Wales and the whole of the UK.

For far too long, Britain has been held back. Now, it is starting to turn a corner. Our economy is performing better than expected, and wages are rising, but I know that too many families still feel the cost of living squeeze. This Budget takes real, practical steps to help families in Wales. It cuts bills, with £150 off energy costs and an expansion to the warm home discount; it freezes fuel duty; and it delivers the biggest wage boost in a generation.

But the change I am most proud of, the one that will transform lives in my constituency, is the removal of the two-child limit to universal credit. I am proud, too, that this is fully costed, as it always needed to be. Child poverty in Wales has hit record levels, with organisations such as Children in Wales and the Bevan Foundation sounding the alarm again and again. This action will help 69,000 children across Wales, including 3,100 children in my constituency. This is exactly the kind of change I came into politics to deliver—practical support that protects children, strengthens families and gives every young person the chance to reach their potential. These changes are not before time. Last week, the Welsh index of multiple deprivation showed yet again that areas in Rhyl in Clwyd North, my constituency, are among the most deprived in Wales. This cannot continue. Change is urgent, and the measures taken in this Budget could not be more crucial.

But make no mistake: economic growth and addressing the root causes of deprivation must also be at the heart of everything we do. Today, our Chancellor is at an international investment summit in Wales, and recent announcements show that north Wales is finally receiving the investment that our communities deserve. There is the Flintshire and Wrexham investment zone and the north Wales AI growth zone, and there are clean energy jobs at Wylfa. We are seeing meaningful action on regeneration. A £20 million neighbourhood fund in Rhyl will begin to deliver what our local community has called for: investment in our town centre, new skills for our workforce and real progress in tackling unemployment.

My priority as MP is to see that record investment in north Wales delivering a better future for the people of Clwyd North, and to ensure that every family and every community in Clwyd North can share in the region’s and the country’s future success. The Budget makes honest and hopeful choices, choices that build a stronger, fairer country where living standards rise, child poverty falls and communities like mine in Clwyd North can truly thrive.