‘I don’t accept that!’ Sunak rattled as BBC host confronts him on Spring Statement flaws

Sunak grilled on lack of help for carers and people with disabilities

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Rishi Sunak was questioned on whether his latest round of policies will be sufficient to help Britons cope with increasing bills and inflation. The Chancellor’s Spring Statement included an rise in the National Insurance Threshold as well as a pledge to cut income tax before the next scheduled general election in 2024. But BBC host Mishal Husain suggested the measures are not enough compared to the swathe of support available during the pandemic.

Ms Husain said: “Many people are not working because they are carers, or because they are sick and disabled themselves or because they are looking for work.

“That’s why they are among the poorest in our society and those are the people who you, by the choices you’ve made, are leaving almost entirely exposed to energy bills or other sources of inflation.”

But Mr Sunak refuted the suggestion: “I simply don’t accept that.

“And actually, it’s because people on those lower incomes using Universal Credit were a priority that we started with our action to help them back in Autumn, improving the generosity of how Universal Credit works, delivered £2billion in support to people on lower income. 

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“You talked about how we did some things temporarily during the pandemic which have ended now, much like furlough.

“There were lots of things we did to help companies, to help individuals, they were the appropriate interventions then, they are not the appropriate interventions now.”

Resolution Foundation has warned support offered by Rishi Sunak is “poorly targeted”.

Greg Thwaites told BBC Breakfast: “It’s hard to overstate the cost-of-living crisis that this country faces. We’ve got the biggest fall in living standards on record in over 60 years… and the highest inflation rate in 30 years.”

Mr Thwaites said most Government support was going to “the top half of households”.

He added: “He’s done nothing at all for the people at the very bottom.”

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