Jeremy Hunt's autumn statement will "push even more people into poverty and worse, onto the streets" according to the founder of the Big Issue. Policies announced by the Chancellor on Thursday will see energy bills rise, at the same time as taxes are increased and public spending is curbed.
Lord Bird warned of the continued affect on "generational opportunity", saying that balancing the books in the short term would mean more debt for future generations. He said: “The policies announced will only serve to push even more people into poverty and worse, onto the streets.
"We break the cycle of poverty and injustice now, not perpetuate it. The last austerity destroyed generational opportunity.
"This country needs to act now and invest in putting a safety net around people to stop them falling into poverty and homelessness. Nobody should be having to choose between feeding their children, keeping the house warm or paying the rent.
“We need better-paid, more sustainable jobs, affordable and decent housing, and better rights for renters. By committing to programmes and policies that genuinely work for everyone, we can finally cut the throat of poverty and usher in a new era of shared economic prosperity.”
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Hunt blamed Russia for the recession in the UK. But the statement came less than two months after the mini-budget of his predecessor Kwasi Kwarteng.
His ill-fated plan for £45 billion of tax cuts spooked the markets, pushed up the cost of borrowing and contributed to the downfall of Liz Truss’s short-lived administration.
Gary Smith, GMB general secretary, said: “The Tories have crashed the economy but it’s working people who are paying the bill. The Chancellor has decided to double down on the failed politics of austerity, adding to everyone’s cost-of-living misery by increasing taxes and cutting money from essential public services.
“NHS workers from nurses and porters to paramedics, who put their lives on the line during the pandemic, are being thanked with a big real-terms pay cut. It’s clear the Government no longer believes in clapping key workers and prefers to stick two fingers up instead.
“This disgraceful Tory Government is out of ideas, out of time and should be out of office.”
