Nicola Sturgeon has accused the UK Government of “squirrelling away” money for pre-election bribes that could have been given to the poor now.
The First Minister described a think tank’s critical analysis of Chancellor Rishi Sunak ’s mini budget as “utterly damning”.
Sunak’s spring statement, set against a backdrop of soaring inflation and energy costs, has been widely criticised for its lack of measures to help those on low incomes.
Benefits will rise by 3.1%, compared to forecasted inflation of nearly doubled this level, and Sunak also promised a 1p income tax tax within two years.
The latter policy has been widely interpreted as a pre-election giveaway.
A Joseph Rowntree Foundation analysis found that those at the bottom of the income scale were hardest hit by the changes.
Sturgeon tweeted: “This @jrf_uk illustration is utterly damning of the Chancellor’s decisions yesterday. Squirrelling money away for pre-election bribes when he could use it now to help people in the most desperate circumstances is disgusting.”
The JFR has estimated that around 400,000 people could be pulled into poverty because of benefit cuts in April.
They said research shows the “stark consequences” of the Government’s decision to uprate benefits by 3.1% in April, when inflation is forecast to hit 7%.
The charity said this represents a real-terms cut to the incomes of some of the poorest families in the country, just months on from the £20 a week cut to Universal Credit.
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