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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Lizzy Buchan

8 times Tories criticised for being 'out of touch' over cost of living crisis

The Tories are embroiled in a fresh cost of living row after a minister suggested some Brits could get a better paid job or work more hours to cope with spiralling bills.

Home Office Minister Rachel Maclean said the Government's long term plan was to help people "protect" themselves from cost of living pressures.

Ms Maclean said she was not "suggesting for one moment" that these options would work for everyone, adding: "It may be right for some people.”

She later claimed her comments had been "misinterpreted" as she was discussing the long term plan not the short term help to ease the cost of living crisis.

But Labour shadow cabinet minister Ian Murray said the "ludicrous" advice “sounds like the Norman Tebbit 'get on your bike' instructions from the 1980s.”

The row comes after a string of tin-eared comments from top Tories as families struggle with the escalating cost of living crisis.

Lee Anderson

Tory backbencher Lee Anderson triggered a major backlash when he said people who rely on food banks "cannot budget" and "cannot cook properly".

The Ashfield MP told MPs there was not "massive use for foodbanks" and instead blamed poverty-stricken families for not knowing how to cook.

He doubled down on his controversial remarks and said he was "glad it caused all this fuss" as it sparked a debate.

Mr Anderson insisted he wasn't a "nasty Tory" but said the Government "can't keep throwing money at the problem".

He then claimed struggling families should learn to cook to cut back on "takeaways and the chip shop".

George Eustice

Environment Secretary George Eustice came under fire for saying hard-up families should buy supermarket own-brand products to cope with the squeeze on household budgets.

Mr Eustice was branded "patronising" for urging families to ditch their favourite brands to save cash.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said people should consider buying own brand products (Getty Images)

He told Sky News: "Generally speaking, what people find is by going for some of the value brands rather than own-branded products - they can actually contain and manage their household budget.”

MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis said it was "bull****" to suggest people on the lowest incomes don't already know this, while opposition politicians branded his advice "patronising".

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson was branded "out of touch" for suggesting a 77-year-old widow called Elsie who rides buses all day so she does not have to pay to heat her home should be grateful to him for introducing 24-hour freedom passes for pensioners when he was London Mayor.

The Prime Minister was forced to admit the Government was not doing enough to ease cost of living pressures in a difficult interview with Good Morning Britain.

He also asked “Who’s Lorraine?” as GMB presenter Susanna Reid handed over to Lorraine Kelly, one of the country’s most famous and best-loved broadcasters.

The PM's spokesman later said: "I think, as was clear, the Prime Minister was not fully across the ITV daytime line-up this morning."

Jacob Rees-Mogg

Brexit Opportunities Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg drove his family to a multiplex cinema in a 1968 T-Series Bentley.

The father-of-six was spotted climbing into the £20,000 motor after a cinema screening of the latest Downton Abbey film.

Jacob Rees-Mogg (NurPhoto/PA Images)

Onlookers claimed that Mr Rees-Mogg even stood to salute God Save The King during the 11am show at Hengrove Cineworld, in Bristol.

Rishi Sunak

Chancellor Rishi Sunak claimed it would be “silly” to help households struggling with energy costs now when bills are likely to rise again in the autumn.

The millionaire Treasury chief also boasted how “we all have different breads in my house” as Britons face the biggest income drop since the 1950s.

Mr Sunak, whose personal poll ratings have nosedived after a row over his wife's tax affairs, has been accused of not doing enough to help struggling Brits.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak borrowed a car from a staff member to pose for a photoshoot (HM TREASURY/UNPIXS (EUROPE))

The Chancellor also uses a £180 Ember “smart cup” to keep his coffee warm, and owns four cars.

Mr Sunak also filled up a car with petrol in a mini-Budget photo stunt about cutting fuel duty, but was forced to admit it belonged to a supermarket worker.

He later tried to pay for a can of Coke by scanning his contactless card on the barcode reader.

James Heappey

Tory minister James Heappey complained he was “worried about my overdraft” - despite earning £106,619 a year after a pay rise.

Mr Heappey made the comments as Brits suffer the biggest drop in pay in nine years.

Armed Forces Minister James Heappey (PA)

Asked if he would publish his tax return, the Armed Forces Minister told LBC: “I’ve got to be honest, my finances are pretty uncomplicated.

“And like lots of people, by the 20th of the month, I'm pretty worried about my overdraft, rather than any sort of amazing tax [inaudible].”

Kit Malthouse

Policing Minister Kit Malthouse complained the cost-of-living crisis is hitting him “very significantly” despite his £115k ministerial salary.

Speaking in front of a burning fireplace in his home, the father-of-three told LBC Radio: "As you know, I've got children.

Minister Kit Malthouse said energy price rises were hitting him significantly (LBC)

"They need to be fed and that cost is rising.

"My fuel prices are rising quite significantly, and I have to say that in my constituency I'm on oil central heating still, sadly."

He added: "We are feeling it very significantly.

Kevin Foster

Immigration Minister Kevin Foster suggested Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russian invaders could apply to pick fruit in Britain.

In a now-deleted tweet, he told Labour MP Luke Pollard, there are a "number of routes" for refugees fleeing the war "not least our seasonal work scheme you will recall from your shadow DEFRA days, which Ukrainians can qualify for, alongside the family route for those with relatives here."

Mr Foster later said the tweet had been misunderstood but failed to apologise.

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