Responding to Chancellor Rishi Sunak's speech at the Tory party
conference, the SNP's Shadow Chancellor Alison Thewliss MP said:
"Rishi Sunak's speech failed on every level. It was loaded with
soundbites but empty on substance to tackle the Tory-made cost of
living crisis facing households across the UK. "There was nothing
to address the significant number of households being plunged into
poverty due to the impending cut to Universal Credit, nothing on
the impact of the premature move to...Request free trial
Responding to Chancellor Rishi Sunak's speech at the Tory
party conference, the SNP's Shadow Chancellor said:
"Rishi Sunak's speech failed on every level. It was loaded
with soundbites but empty on substance to tackle the Tory-made cost
of living crisis facing households across the UK.
"There was nothing to address the significant number of
households being plunged into poverty due to the impending cut to
Universal Credit, nothing on the impact of the premature move to
scrap the furlough scheme, nothing on the impact of regressive Tory
tax hikes, nothing to rule out another decade of Tory austerity,
and nothing on the meaningful investment needed to secure a strong
and fair recovery from the pandemic.
"His move to strip away £6 billion of support through the
Universal Credit uplift - straight from the pockets of some of the
lowest-income families across the UK - and attempt to cover it up
with £1 billion announced so far is a classic Tory con-trick. The
grim reality is that this deliberate political choice will push
struggling people over the brink.
“The UK already has the worst levels of poverty and
inequality in north west Europe – and under in-work poverty has risen to record levels this
century. And with Brexit playing a major role in the staff
shortages, empty supermarket shelves, soaring costs, and the
ongoing fuel crisis, things are set to get worse.
"The SNP will continue to press for support to be
strengthened, 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."
