Sunak’s measures are too little, too late for Britain’s poorest

‘Taxpayers are covering two-thirds of Rishi Sunak’s energy support to help pay bills.’ Photograph: John Sibley/Reuters

Rishi Sunak’s measures are one-off payments, and the basic £400 covers only half of the projected average energy cost rise of £800 (Sunak U-turns on ‘energy profits levy’ in £15bn cost of living package, 26 May). Even those who get the largest payouts only get them once. This piece of window-dressing to obscure the squalid conduct and corruption of this government does nothing significant to alleviate the growing poverty in the UK. People need a much better level of guaranteed income and greater employment rights and security.

But we also need a radical change in taxation from income to land, property and wealth taxes. All tax avoidance allowances should be closed. Utilities should be returned to public ownership or to far greater public control, and management should include employees and consumers.