As the cost of living crisis worsens for people in our community, the Autumn Statement was an opportunity for the Government to step up and tackle the economic problems we face in this country.
Instead, we heard more excuses and unfair choices from the Conservatives. They crashed the economy and are now making working people pay the price.
We can’t afford the Tories anymore. Living standards are falling while inflation, food, mortgages, and energy costs are all going up.
But this was not inevitable, the Tories have led us here. The previous Chancellor’s mini budget created economic carnage. Because let’s be clear, no one was talking about cuts to public spending two months ago.
And this budget will have real consequences for our community.
The Chancellor deployed a raft of stealth taxes taking billions of pounds from ordinary working people, while prioritising bankers’ bonuses and protecting the richest. One of the freezes in the personal allowance will cost the average earner over £600, making it even harder to make ends meet during the cost of living crisis.
Instead of properly funding local councils, the Government announced it will be ordering councils to raise Council Tax. This will hit the poorest in society the hardest. It also means the Government is passing the buck and expecting local authorities, who have faced significant funding cuts since 2010, to bail them out for September’s disastrous mini budget.
After 12 weeks of Conservative chaos, and 12 years of Conservative failure, it’s clear we need a Labour Government with fairer choices and a long-term plan to tackle the cost of living crisis to get our economy growing again.
