Cost of Living — 16 May 2023 at 16:19

That this House regrets that both the Government and the Official Opposition support a damaging Brexit which the Office for Budget Responsibility predicts will lead to a four per cent drop in GDP; further regrets that the price for this continued economic mismanagement falls on ordinary households, with inflation remaining close to its highest level in 40 years and food prices soaring; therefore calls on the Government to follow the lead of the Scottish Government and introduce measures aimed at protecting the most vulnerable households from the crisis through measures similar to the Scottish Child Payment; also calls on the Government to reinstate the £25 a week uplift to Universal Credit, end the unfair benefit cap and the two child limit, follow the action of other European countries in tackling food inflation and put pressure on major retailers to pass on falling wholesale prices to consumers; calls on the Government to initiate an investigation into soaring supermarket prices and profiteering in the context of soaring inflation; and finally calls on the Competition and Markets Authority to utilise its full powers and impose maximum fines where evidence of price gouging is found.

“Food banks are not part of the welfare state-they are a symbol that the welfare state is failing.”-[Official Report, 14 July 2015; Vol. 598, c. 775.]

“welcomes the Government’s action to halve inflation, grow the economy and reduce debt; further welcomes the Government’s action to take advantage of the opportunities presented by Brexit, including the passage of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act which will boost UK food security; supports the Government’s extensive efforts to support families up and down the country with the cost of living through significant support to help with rising prices, worth an average of £3,300 per household including direct cash payments of at least £900 to the eight million most vulnerable households; and notes that the SNP and Labour would fail to grip inflation or boost economic growth with their plans for the economy, which would simply lead to unfunded spending, higher debt and uncontrolled migration.”

“all this talk of needing any more powers is clearly not appropriate”.

“welcomes the Government’s action to halve inflation, grow the economy and reduce debt”.

“the SNP and Labour would fail to grip inflation or boost economic growth with their plans for the economy”.

“a significant decline in trade with the United Kingdom in almost all cases”

“at the end of last year the level of activity in the UK is not only 7 to 8 per cent below the level implied by the hypothetical no pandemic/no war scenario, it was also below its pre-pandemic level. This is in sharp contrast to other regions such as the euro area and US, where activity has surpassed pre-pandemic levels and…almost back at levels implied by the pre-pandemic trend growth rate.”

“products entering the market in England would also be marketable in both Scotland and Wales.”

“picking through all the Conservative legislation and repealing it”

“‘Labour are just the same as the Tories’ is not a strategy, it’s the absence of a strategy”

“Leaving the EU made us uncompetitive”.

“not automatically being passed through to consumer prices in an attempt to rebuild profit margins”.

“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow”.

“full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.”

Debate in Parliament |