The UK’s cost of living crisis has seen already struggling people resort to desperate measures to cope with steep rises in food, fuel and energy prices.
Some are missing meals or leaving their heating switched off, while food bank use is at an all-time high.
The government has decided to address the problem by –
Raising benefits
Increasing wages in line with inflation
Closing tax avoidance loopholes
Issuing a one-off windfall tax to the energy companies that have seen huge profits
Cancelling the National Insurance riseHaving a meeting to come up with ideas that won’t cost them any money
Boris Johnson will this morning order his Cabinet to come up with ideas to ease the cost of living crisis.
The catch? They should look at more "non-fiscal measures" to help "without solely relying on new government spend.” Our @benglaze reports.https://t.co/z53xedUaob
— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) April 26, 2022
There was speculation on what the ideas might be.
I'm putting £50 on the solution they come up with being, 'Tell people to stop being poor.' https://t.co/NcBjuzaI3n
— RJ Barker (@dedbutdrmng) April 26, 2022
Maybe a cut-out-and-keep guide to cooking with roadkill…? https://t.co/tX9OwSTmYm
— Chris Shaw (@The_ChrisShaw) April 26, 2022
Rejoin the Single Market. Innovate on that. https://t.co/dcKeT6m302
— Emma Kennedy
(@EmmaKennedy) April 26, 2022
Two front runners emerged –
First of these out the blocks was a plan to move MOTs to every two years, from yearly.
But the AA says: "It could make costs worse for drivers with higher repair bills, make our roads more dangerous and would put jobs in the garage industry at risk."
— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) April 26, 2022
Next up is a suggestion to make childcare more affordable by cutting adult-child ratios.
But the National Day Nurseries Association says: "We risk putting additional pressure on an overworked workforce while undermining efforts to give children the best start in life."
— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) April 26, 2022
What would the AA and National Day Nurseries Association know, though, eh?
Here’s what other people thought of those ideas.
1.
Apart from the pant-wetting crassness of this, it's another grim reminder that you have to be an idiot, a sycophant or both even to get into Johnson's cabinet. https://t.co/dE7L7oTdLU
— James Oh Brien (@mrjamesob) April 26, 2022
2.
How to tackle the cost of living crisis:
Reduce taxes? Increase benefits? Tax energy companies?
Nah, let's just make things more dangerous.#CostOfLivingCrisis pic.twitter.com/qXOAQSq3y4— Parody Boris (@Parody_PM) April 26, 2022
3.
Something very "cones hotline" about this suggestion. https://t.co/oCWRcTsPTV
— Sam Freedman (@Samfr) April 26, 2022
4.
NEW: Breakfasts for brakepads initiative. https://t.co/b9hTzVLFsL
— THE SECRET TORY
(@secrettory12) April 26, 2022
5.
As a large portion of the UK falls into poverty and despair, Boris Johnson has told his ministers he wants to reduce childcare costs by easing health and safety rules. Given he's shoving kids into plague pit schools, not surprising that he'll put toddlers in danger too.
— Paul (@PaulOnBooks) April 26, 2022
6.
Surely the best "non-fiscal" way of paying for stuff is just to ask one of the Tory party's Russian oligarch donors to pay for it.#bbcwato #wato #RussiaReport #ToryTraitors https://t.co/i4I0BOcCbW
— Incorrigible FCA (@ImIncorrigible) April 26, 2022
7.
The nine million who just watched the government cut their incomes by hundreds of £ will definitely feel comforted by the prospect of maybe saving £50 in a year.
https://t.co/v2ot8t5Qcf
— Helen Barnard (@Helen_Barnard) April 26, 2022
8.
That’s the kind of policy only possible from someone who:
– doesn’t own a car
– doesn’t know about cars
– doesn’t realise MOT is about safety
– doesn’t realise MOT testing is a paid job and generates tax revenueE-
— AintMissBehavin' (@BehavinAint) April 26, 2022
9.
I would say the Tory party aren’t sending their best and brightest to tackle CostOfLivingAGeddon but I worry they are https://t.co/oOedMjatgj
— . (@twlldun) April 26, 2022
10.
Could we also do away with speeding and parking fines to help the cost of living?
— Patrick Kidd (@patrick_kidd) April 26, 2022
11.
Not content with increasing the risks of our dying from Covid, or catching Long Covid, our PM has now turned his attention to removing safety rules in place to protect our young children. Welcome to his world – levelling down for anybody who is not part of his selected circle. https://t.co/EtQTbT8EpW pic.twitter.com/TkOac6GgPh
— Carolyn Guse #FBPE #WOKE
12.
Just over one-third of the poorest households own a car.
Around 95% of the richest households own a car.
This would do f*** all to tackle the cost of living crisis.
Inflation-proof wages, benefits and pensions https://t.co/Xngf4kiME5
— Andrew Fisher (@FisherAndrew79) April 26, 2022
13.
Boris Johnson is suggesting lower legal limits on number of adults needed to supervise children in order to lower childcare costs. I suppose this is because he never looked after any of his kids and so saved tons.
— Tiernan Douieb (@TiernanDouieb) April 26, 2022
14.
British households are facing the biggest squeeze in living standards since records began in 1956-57 and the government has resorted to the Alan Partridge school of policy. https://t.co/F6FzNO6An7
— George Eaton (@georgeeaton) April 26, 2022
Former MP Anna Turley pointed out that one suggestion was far from original.
Remember this idea being put in front of ministers when I worked at the Cabinet Office 15 years ago!!
Bad policy then (risk to safety), bad policy now.
This is a government with no ideas rooting desperately around in the bottom of the ‘rejected bad policy’ drawer. https://t.co/bVDCK5lrR6
— Anna Turley
(@annaturley) April 26, 2022
We can’t imagine why they weren’t implemented.
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The post 14 votes against the government scrapping health & safety to try and lower the cost of living appeared first on The Poke.
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