Rebecca Evans, the Minister for Finance and Local Government in the Welsh Government, has said the UK government will ‘embed unfairness’ by failing to provide enough support to lower income households in the cost of living crisis.
It comes following the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s financial statement delivered in the House of Commons earlier today.
The minister said it was a regressive statement that failed to provide targeted, meaningful support for those struggling to pay their bills.
She also criticised the Chancellor’s failure to commit to a programme of investment in green energy.
Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance and Local Government, said:
“Today’s announcements show the UK government is heading in a deeply worrying direction, with misplaced priorities leading to a regressive statement that will embed unfairness across the United Kingdom.
“Instead of delivering meaningful, targeted support to those who need help the most, the Chancellor is prioritising funding for tax cuts for the rich, unlimited bonuses for bankers, and protecting the profits of big energy companies.
“Instead of increasing funding for public services in line with inflation, we get a Chancellor blithely ignoring stretched budgets as public services find their money is simply not going as far as it did before.
“Instead of a comprehensive growth plan we get a missed opportunity to invest in the future. We could have seen a bold programme of investment in new green energy, tackling rising bills and improving our energy security in the long-term to help stop this kind of crisis happening again.
“Here in Wales we have provided around £400 million to help people pay essential bills, including targeted support for those with lower incomes. But the majority of key levers for support lie in the hands of the UK government and we simply cannot afford more of the same. We cannot afford a UK government that does not understand or care about the severe challenges people are facing.
“We were promised a statement that would ensure immediate support would be delivered, but this falls well short of what was needed.”