The UK government has allowed a “perfect storm” to brew, according to the SNP, as food prices look set to soar at a “cataclysmic” rate.
It follows comments made by the Chief Executive of Scotland Food and Drink, James Withers, who told Good Morning Scotland that even if the war in Ukraine hadn’t occurred, the UK would still be facing a huge rise in food bills.
He said:
“Had the war in Ukraine not happened, we were already facing energy bills rising, a world waking up from a pandemic …
“Brexit for sure has made nothing better, but has made a number of things a lot worse.
“The labour market is in disarray.”
The comments come less than 24 hours after the governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, suggesting Britain was set for an “apocalyptic” rise in food prices.
Commenting, the SNP’s Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Deidre Brock MP, said:
“The ongoing humanitarian disaster in Ukraine has, undeniably, had an impact on food prices here in the UK – but the Tories cannot hide behind that.
“Under Boris Johnson’s watch, the Tories have allowed a perfect storm to form, with energy bills rising, taxes going up, and wages stagnating – and no form of support in sight to counter it.
“The comments from Mr Withers this morning confirms what we already knew – the Russian invasion of Ukraine is not solely to blame for the financial nightmare facing families across Scotland and the rest of the UK.
“It is time for Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak to get their head out of the sand and deliver a comprehensive package of support to counteract the cataclysmic rise in food prices.
“This crisis has been made far worse by their poor governance – therefore it is their job to fix it.
“The global supply chain is under a strain we haven’t seen in our lifetime – it is time for the UK government to act.”
