The government was slammed yester-day for its shocking responses to the cost-of-living crisis as voters head to the polls for the local elections today.
Environment Secretary George Eustice told families struggling to pay bills and put food on the table to switch to supermarket “value” products.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson boasted about introducing the Freedom Pass in London, despite it being introduced in 1973, when asked on Good Morning Britain about the case of 77-year-old Elsie riding the bus all day to save on energy bills.
And last week, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said it would be silly to pro-vide more support to tackle rising energy bills before seeing what hap-pens to prices in the autumn.
Calling the Tories “out of touch and out of ideas,” shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said that voting for Labour today would send a clear message to the government that “Britain deserves better.”
She said: “The response by the Conservatives to the cost-of-living crisis has been nothing short of insulting. People are worried about paying their bills and ministers are seriously suggesting the answer is dodgy loans and Tesco value. The Conservatives are living on another planet.”
The Labour MP called for an emergency Budget, with action to bring down bills by up to £600 with a wind-fall tax on oil and gas producer profits.
SNP Westminster deputy leader Kristen Oswald called Mr Eustice’s comments “utterly patronising and insulting” and urged people in Scot-land to vote SNP in the local elections.
She said: “Rather than bringing forward meaningful financial measures to help support families and to put money into people’s pockets, the Tory government is instead sitting on its hands and resorting to treating people with contempt.”
Linda Burnip, of Disabled People Against Cuts, called on the government to increase social security payments by £20 a week and to urgently impose a lower energy price cap.
She also demanded an immediate end to charging for social care, which should be free at the point of need like the NHS.
“People are now talking about older and disabled people and others existing in poverty having to choose between heating and eating but for many in those groups, this has already been the reality for almost 12 years of austerity.
“DPAC believe there will be many more deaths through lack of heating, malnutrition, increasing poverty, debt and destitution.”
Ms Burnip also hit out at Labour for failing to represent disabled and older people, family carers and non-working parents who make up a large portion of the electorate.
“If they want our votes they must change their attitudes and policies,” she said.
Fuel Poverty Action spokeswoman Ruth London called energy pricing in Britain “upside down,” adding: “Because of the outrageous standing charges that no-one can avoid, you pay less per unit if you use more energy, and you pay more if you use less.
“Even if you go cold and turn in early, you still have to pay a big bill.”
On Mr Sunak’s “silly” comments, Ms London said: “We know what will happen, Mr Sunak. People will die of poverty. But they won’t be people in your family.”
Neil Cowan, of the Poverty Alliance, said that the government is failing to help households, leaving them with insecure and falling incomes.
He said the simple things to do would be to raise benefits in line with inflation, scrap the unjust benefits cap and put a windfall tax on big energy companies.
Original Article in the Morning Star Thursday May 5th
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