Shadow minister slams Chancellor for ‘giving with one hand and taking away with the other’

The shadow chief secretary to the Treasury has urged the government to prioritise families, and has criticised the chancellor for “giving with one hand and taking away with the other” given that the national living wage hike is forecasted to not outstrip inflation.

Bridget Phillipson, the Labour MP for Houghton and Sunderland South has told Sky News today that “A lot of families started receiving universal credit because of the pandemic. It is a massive hit to families’ incomes.,” saying that “immediate action” was required to help these families “deal with the cost-of-living crisis… as we are entering a pretty tough winter for lots of people, but also businesses too.”

“We have had a lot of smoke and mirrors going into this budget, and it’s all very good and well the government promising things, but if that doesn’t lead to people feeling that extra support in their pocket, that will be the real test for the government.”