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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

UK Facing Tory Made Cuts of Living Crisis

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The SNP has called for the Chancellor to introduce an emergency package of measures to boost household incomes, including an energy payment for lower income families – warning the UK is facing a “Tory-made cost of living crisis”.

With energy bills soaring, Stephen Flynn MP (pictured) said Boris Johnson had broken his pledge to make energy bills cheaper after Brexit – and is instead hammering low and middle income families with a toxic concoction of Tory cuts and tax hikes.

The SNP Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy spokesperson said the need to boost incomes and tackle the Tory cost of living crisis would be the central issue at the coming UK Budget – and called for a emergency package of measures, including reversing the £1040 cut to Universal Credit, extending the uplift to legacy benefits, introducing a real Living Wage, and introducing an energy payment for lower income families this year.

Commenting, SNP Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy spokesperson Stephen Flynn MP said:

“The UK is facing a Tory-made cost of living crisis – with a toxic concoction of Tory cuts, tax hikes and the long-term damage of Brexit hammering low and middle income families.

“The urgent need to boost household incomes, and reverse rising levels of poverty in the UK, will be the central issue in the upcoming budget.

“It is essential that an emergency package of measures is introduced to boost incomes and reverse the damage caused by Tory policies.

“A decade of Tory cuts and regressive tax rises has left millions of families poorer and worse off.

“The UK has the worst levels of poverty and inequality in north west Europe – and under Boris Johnson in-work poverty has risen to record levels this century.

“Urgent action is needed.

“The Chancellor must ditch Tory Universal Credit cuts and instead put money in people’s pockets by making the uplift permanent and extending it to legacy benefits, introducing a real living wage of at least £10 an hour, and an energy payment for lower income households.

“Boris Johnson has broken his pledge to reduce energy bills, as Brexit contributes to soaring costs and adds to the intolerable pressure on millions of families.

“For all the empty rhetoric of levelling up – the reality is under the Tories poverty and inequality are rising and families are struggling to get by.

“The SNP will continue to press for urgent action but ultimately the only way to keep Scotland safe from Tory cuts and the long-term damage of Brexit is to become an independent country, with the full powers needed to build a strong, fair and equal recovery.”

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