, Labour’s Shadow Work and
Pensions Secretary, commenting on new figures on food
parcel numbers from the Trussell Trust, said:
"The explosion in demand for food banks represents a damning
indictment of 12 year of Tory economic mismanagement.
“Surging inflation alongside 's punishing tax rises,
Universal Credits cuts, and the biggest real terms reduction
in the state pension for 50 years, is contributing to the
biggest drop in living standards in almost 70
years.
“Food Banks are a symptom of economic failure and ministers
must now offer real help to working people, disabled people,
families, and pensioners struggling to feed themselves. As a
start, Ministers should back Labour’s call for an emergency
budget to offer real solutions to the cost of living crisis."
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- New figures reveal food banks in
the Trussell Trust’s network provided more than 2.1 million
parcels to people facing financial hardship across the country,
from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.
- Labour has called on the government
to bring forwarded an emergency budget – and prioritise five
measures that could be enacted now, to make a material difference
to the millions of pensioners and working people feeling the
crunch from the cost of living crisis:
-
Put a windfall tax on oil and gas producers to cut home
energy bills: Bring in a one-off windfall tax on oil
and gas producer profits, to cut household bills by up to £600,
including through a VAT cut on home energy bills and an
increase and expansion of the Warm Homes Discount.
-
Provide support for struggling businesses:
Labour would cut taxes for businesses by giving SMEs a discount
on their business rates bill worth up to £5,700 this year,
funded by a tax on the online giants. We’d also bring in a £600
million contingency fund, raised by the windfall tax on oil and
gas producer profits, for those industries and businesses
struggling the most with rising bills like steel and other
energy-intensive firms.
-
Spike the hike: Scrap the National Insurance
hike which this government has introduced in the midst of a
cost of living crisis.
-
Insulate homes: Commit to a rapid ramp up of
home upgrades with a clear target to meet by the end of the
year, to make them more energy efficient and cheaper to heat,
saving households £400 on average every year.
-
Stop the waste: Allow the National Crime
Agency to investigate the £11.8 billion of taxpayer funds lost
to fraud and error, so no more taxpayer money is flushed down
the drain.
