A WIRRAL MP has said that the government is failing to give hope to millions waiting for NHS appointments, struggling to pay their bills and adults who struggle to read and write.

Margaret Greenwood MP spoke in the House of Commons as MPs debated the King’s Speech which was recently delivered to parliament by King Charles III and set out the government’s forthcoming programme of legislation.  

The Wirral West MP said in her speech that government spending on health has “not kept pace with need” as she urged ministers to change tack and use the autumn statement to provide the NHS with the resources it needs. 

Greenwood said: “This King’s Speech shows that the government has no intention of addressing the crisis in the NHS, poverty and inequality, illiteracy in adults and the climate emergency. 

“Conservative austerity is destroying our NHS and years of insufficient funding is having an impact on patients. I call on the Chancellor to come forward with a significant funding boost for the NHS in the autumn statement. 

“There needs to be action on poverty and inequality too. More than 14 million people in the UK, including 4.2 million children and 2.1 million pensioners, were living in poverty in 2021-22. That’s about one million more people than in the previous year. This is a source of shame for the government and needs to be addressed urgently.”

The MP also called on the government to carry out a review of adult literacy levels and to come forward with a strategy to improve them. It is estimated by the National Literacy Trust that 7.1 million adults in England – one in six, or 16.4% of the adult population – are functionally illiterate.

She also criticised the government’s plan to bring forward a new bill to support the future licensing of new oil and gas fields, saying it is “sheer folly” to prioritise fossil fuels when we face a climate emergency. She also repeated her calls for outright bans on fracking and underground coal gasification.

She said: “Poverty and inequality are not inevitable; they can be addressed through progressive taxation, social security, and investment in skills and education. 

“Illiteracy among adults is a key driver of poverty and inequality, yet the government has failed to come forward with a strategy to help the 7.1 million adults in England who struggle to read and write. We need to see the government do so as a matter of urgency. Without an ambitious plan to tackle the issue, many people will continue to face difficulties in securing employment, finding decent housing and accessing a whole range of services. 

“Instead of legislating to support the future licensing of new oil and gas fields, the government should invest in home-grown clean power and insulate 19 million homes, as Labour would do.  

“It should also bring forward outright, lasting bans on both fracking and underground coal gasification as a matter of urgency. 

“This King’s Speech showed the government’s failure to get a grip on the very serious challenges we face.”