(Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch
and Strathspey) (SNP): It is good to be addressing an elected
Minister this morning. The consumer organisation Which? has
described Tesco and Sainsbury’s
as committing “dodgy” practices over food prices and loyalty
schemes, and Marks & Spencer has just posted record profits
on food sales, yet people up and down the nations of the UK are
struggling to pay their food bills. Will the Chancellor tell us
which supermarkets he has held to account over rising food
prices?
The Chancellor of the Exchequer (): I can tell the hon. Gentleman
that we had the supermarkets in over the summer to make sure that
they were doing everything they could to bear down on food price
inflation. However, the correct way for politicians to look at
this is at arm’s length. We have the independent Competition and
Markets Authority, which does a rigorous job and often does
things that politicians disagree with, and it is looking at the
issue right now.
: In Canada, Ministers met the
five largest grocery chains to get commitments on stabilising
food prices. Other Governments are doing similar things. France’s
Finance Minister held extensive talks with the food industry to
get it to commit to freezing or cutting prices on 5,000 everyday
products. Is it not the case that, for people facing crushing
food bills in Scotland and across the nations of the UK, this
Westminster Government are doing absolutely nothing?
: I think £94 billion of support
to help families up and down the country, including with food
prices and energy prices, is a rather different answer from
saying that we are doing nothing.
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