Why the public needs decisiveness, not a government under Keir Starmer that changes with the wind

First the winter fuel payment was cut - and then it was reinstated.

Then the government was going to slash disability benefits, but it withdrew these plans after pressure from MPs.

And now Chancellor Rachel Reeves appears to have abandoned her plans to hike income tax at the Budget in less than two weeks time.

Last week the Chancellor gave a speech to prepare the country for the increase, and it was widely accepted this was going to happen.

But just as the public was gearing itself up and accepting that taxes were probably going to go up, it now has to think again.

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There was some anger from Labour MPs at the prospect of breaking a manifesto promise. And voters would not have been happy at having to fork out more of their hard-earned money when it feels like they are getting little in return.

But now we have the worst of both worlds.

The government has annoyed people and binning the proposals just makes it seem incompetent and sneaky. The whole debacle suggests the government is not in control and is simply reacting to events.

It is a running theme for it to propose a policy that it knows is incredibly unpopular and then roll back when the backlash turns out to be as bad as had been predicted.

This short-term thinking may get them over hill this time, but it erodes public confidence.

The uncertainty also presents problems for the Scottish Government.

It had been expected that income tax increases would present a funding gap north of the Border. And John Swinney had rolled back on his own promise not to raise income tax in reaction to Westminster.

But now the Scottish Government does not know how to prepare as its funding expectations change from week to week.

None of this helps Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar in his bid to become first minister. He is already well behind the SNP and needs a reliable UK government to give him a hand.

A UK government that changes tack every five minutes makes Reform UK seem less chaotic. It also allows Mr Swinney to present himself as a stable and sensible leader who can protect Scotland’s interests.

Mr Sarwar would do well to learn from the mistakes of his colleagues down south. In the Holyrood election campaign, he should have clear, deliverable policies, which show his vision for the country.

He must let the public know what he stands for and stick to it - perhaps teaching Sir Keir Starmer a lesson in the process.

The country needs transparent leadership with a sense of purpose.

Labour promised it would “end the Tory chaos” and bring stability to the country. But no one could say that has happened over the past 16 months.

The UK government has looked weak as it changes direction like a weathervane. And not many people could say they feel better off or even look like we are heading in that direction.

The Prime Minister and Chancellor both need to get their act together and provide clarity. If they don’t do so, they’ll almost certainly feel the full force of voters’ wrath in Scotland come May.