Levelling Up Questions: Paula Barker on local council spending powers

During levelling up questions, Labour MP for Liverpool, Wavertree Paula Barker called on the government to ‘stop the spin on local government finance and genuinely improve council spending powers’.

She quoted the secretary of state Michael Gove that “leaving free market forces entirely to themselves, what you see is inequality”.

The levelling up minister Kemi Badenoch rebuked the idea of inequality. She blamed Labour, telling the House that the government have “spent the last ten years repairing public finances” and that all Labour councils will be supported.