Displaying items by tag: call for emergency budget

Labour is calling for an emergency budget to bring forward more measures to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. Inflation is at a thirty-year high. Sir Keir Starmer demanded further measures, for instance a windfall tax on energy firms. Downing Street said the Queen's Speech, in which future policies are outlined, is coming up, and these issues are ‘utterly central to what the Government is trying to do’. Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled plans to address the cost of living in March's Spring Statement. They included fuel duty cuts, raising the threshold for paying National Insurance, and cutting the basic income tax rate before the next general election. Meanwhile grocery prices were 5.9% higher in April than a year ago due to rising raw material costs, whilst shoppers are turning to discount retailers Aldi and Lidl as budget pressures grow. The average household food bill will now be a potential extra £271 per year: see