I voted that Labor & Keir have already ruined it for Gen Z – it’s as painful as a urinary tract infection

As someone who grew up under austerity within the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition, I have been waiting for Labor to take the reins of the country for more than a decade.

But since coming to power it seems that Starmer and his colleagues want nothing more than to make life difficult for people like me. As a 29 year old reporter living in London I spend my time going to the pub, eating out and vaping – something their new policies will ruin, it seems life under Labor is about as fun as it having a urinary tract infection – painful and stops any chance of pleasure.

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Fortunately, the failures of Conservative Prime Ministers like Liz Truss, whose term was infamously defeated by a lettuce, and Boris Johnson’s Covid parties allowed Labor to swoop in and win without any problems earlier in July – and I’m already tired of them .

When the election results came in – me and my millennial friend decided it was time to celebrate in the pub – as we clinked the pint glasses together and cracked open the prosecco – it seems we can’t even afford it if Keir gets his way.

And we weren’t the only young people who voted Labor in the hope of a better life. YouGov research found that more than 40% of young people aged 18 to 39 voted for them.

We were excited to see a new government take power – hoping that key issues such as poverty, mental health, rents and food inflation would be addressed so that perhaps we could enjoy life again and be a little less stressed. It turned out we were wrong.

We all have different priorities in life that can influence how we vote – mine is plain and simple – more money in my pocket, something the Labor Party promised to do.

Living under a rock

Because I live in London, most of my salary goes towards daily living costs, rent, transport, municipal taxbills and food. I’m constantly working on my budget to ensure I can support myself, making a trip to the pub for the occasional pint a well-deserved treat.

But Keir Starmer has been at number 10 for less than ten minutes and he is already destroying my dreams of an easier and more fun life.

After housing costs, almost a fifth of the country is in a state of absolute poverty, a measure used by the government to indicate how many people cannot afford a certain standard of living.

Maybe I’m not in that situation myself, but it doesn’t seem like Keir and his band of knights in shining armor are doing much to help them.

Polls this month have shown Keir and Labor declining in popularity, with 55% of people thinking Britain is going in the wrong direction.

The polls are likely to get worse after Keir and the Cabinet have angered the public by accepting thousands of pounds worth of gifts in recent months.

Keir has paid back almost £6,000 on gifts, including £2,800 spent enjoying the Swifty summer, while us normal folk had to save for months to get just one of Taylor’s £200 tickets!

Not only that, but even Angela Rayner raised over £800 on her trip to Ibiza where she was spotted dancing on the DJ booth and having a great time – something many of us Brits could never do pay.

Keir told reporters in Brussels yesterday: “We came in as a government of change.

“We are now going to put forward principles for donations because politicians have so far used their best individual judgment on a case-by-case basis. I think we need some principles of general application.

“So I took the position that it was right for me to make those refunds until the principles are in place.”

However, it does make you wonder why take the donations at all if you feel it is ethically vague and your aim was to ‘clean up’ British politics? That is, of course, unless you’re just sorry you got caught.

And that’s not all: Labor was left red-faced when a ‘cheat sheet’ to help MPs appear ‘normal’ was leaked.

Basic matters such as the price of bread or milk were placed on the confidential list, as well as reminders of when people start paying taxes, with a detailed breakdown of income tax thresholds.

This, along with the freebies they’ve raked in since being in government, just shows how out of touch they are with the public, and it looks like I’m not the only Gen Zer who’s had enough.

Although many voted Labor in the election, support for the party among Gen Z has fallen by 9% in the past month alone.

Bottom up?

As someone who just turned 30, I don’t think it’s that wrong to want to go to the pub with my friends on a Friday evening and enjoy a beer (or two), just like Angela Rayner did in Ibiza this summer, but apparently might be so. also be priced out of it.

Going to the pub isn’t cheap to begin with, with the average price for a pint in London being £6.75, but good old Keir and Chancellor Rachel Reeves are discussing the prospect of raising prices again.

The new ‘sin tax’ that Rachel Reeves is apparently eyeing will see a price increase for a pint of beer or cider and a shot of spirits.

This isn’t just terrible news for my bank balance, which is already suffering from food inflation ONS reports the total price of food and non-alcoholic drinks increased by around 25% between January 2022 and January 2024, which is also bad news for the already gloomy nightlife.

Going outside is hard enough indoors Englandlet alone London, it’s already too expensive for most people and most places close before 2am.

Our European counterparts like Berlin have clubs that stay open until 9am, New York, the city that never sleeps, also has bars that stay open all night – but London? It’s hard to find somewhere to let people in after 12 noon.

The Times recently conducted research into the twelve largest cities in the world England and how many locations were open after 2 a.m.

London comes in lowest on the list, with just 5.9% of venues open later on Saturdays Manchester scores the highest at 15.8% – poor work considering it is the capital.

It may sound like a small detail to whine about, but it has serious consequences for all of us.

With the cost of living in London soaring, it means many people, especially young people in the hospitality industry, are working long hours to pay their ever-increasing bills – and yet have nowhere to go to celebrate the end of a hard working week.

Since March 2020, 3,000 night-time economy businesses have closed in London and surrounding boroughs – the steepest fall for any English region.

Rising the cost of beer will only see more punters leave their local pubs and lead to even more social spaces closing – something London really doesn’t need.

Fresh air

Not only that, there are also discussions about banning smoking in cafe gardens – where does the pain end?!

The new threat comes after Health Minister Wes Streeting called for a national debate on an outdoor smoking ban.

As a not so proud vaper I find the proposed new rule ridiculous, yes it’s bad for you, yes we know that, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be given the choice to do it if we want to.

People who go to pubs, especially families, know very well what to expect when they are surrounded by people having a drink.

It’s normal for people to want to smoke a cigarette, and if you don’t want to be there, stay indoors.

Streeting previously insisted he wasn’t the ‘nice police’, but it sounds to me like he’s the chief.

Reeves is also said to be planning to increase the tax on a pack of cigarettes.

I’m not saying smoking isn’t bad for you. In fact, I fully support the ban on selling them to young people so that they never become addicted.

But for those who already are, another price hike will only make their lives more miserable as they struggle to find joy in a country where everything is unaffordable.

I thought voting for them would make life a little easier for all of us – not more doom and gloom.