Working families are picking up the tab for PM’s incompetence
Opposition goes on attack over rising costs
BORIS Johnson has been confronted with the Tory cost of living crisis and told to “brush up his act” amid spiralling inflation and energy costs.
Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, warned thousands of families face a “disaster” due to rising tax and energy costs this year.
As the Commons returned from from the Christmas break, she urged Johnson to be more “aspirational for this country”, as working families are “picking up the tab for his incompetence”.
Standing in for Keir Starmer, who is isolating with Covid, at Prime Minister’s Questions, Rayner tore into the planned Tory tax rises in April and increases in inflation that could leave families £1200 worse off.
She called for a cut in VAT on fuel bills and told the Commons: “Combine the tax rise with soaring energy prices and the average family faces a hit of £1200 – this is an iceberg right ahead, so will he finally stop and change course ... or will he plough on to what will be a disaster for thousands of families?” Johnson insisted the government has taken steps to help people, including with Universal Credit and the minimum wage, and also “keep our economy moving”.
The SNP’s Ian Blackford also warned that 2022 will be the “year of the squeeze” for family budgets. The party’s Westminster leader called on Johnson to take urgent action, with an emergency financial package to support families, including a UK-wide child payment of £20 per child per week, which the SNP government is introducing in Scotland.
Blackford said: “We’ve had the ‘year of Tory sleaze’, now we’ve got the ‘year of the squeeze’ for family budgets.”
“For members of the Tory government, £1200 might not seem like very much. For the Foreign Secretary, it’s just another taxpayer-funded lunch in Mayfair. For the Prime Minister, it’s just a roll of fancy wallpaper for his taxpayer-funded flat.
“But for the vast majority of families, losing £1200 a year will be catastrophic. For some, it will mean they can’t afford to pay their rent and bills, heat their homes, or put food on the table.”
But Johnson insisted Blackford was “talking nonsense”.
He said: “I find that criticism hard to take from the humble crofter. You’ve now got more people in work than there were before the pandemic began. That is because of the balanced and proportionate approach that we’ve been taking.”
But Johnson himself was talking nonsense when he denied Rayner’s claim that he had described fears about rising inflation “unfounded” back in October.
A quick fact check showed the Prime Minister had used the phrase in a TV interview last year.
Rayner won a point of order on correcting the record, adding “serious solutions” are needed to stop people “falling into poverty or debt” as a result of inflation.
Rayner added: “Instead, we have this Prime Minister and his incompetent leadership, and every time we are faced with a challenge, he denies there’s a problem, he tries to laugh it off, he looks for someone else to blame.
“So, can I suggest to the Prime Minister it’s not about brushing your hair, it’s about brushing up on your act.”
He denies there’s a problem and tries to laugh it off
ANGELA RAYNER TAKES AIM AT BORIS JOHNSON