Tory cuts will lead to worsening cost of living crisis

Amy Callaghan MP has warned that families and residents in East Dunbartonshire face “a worsening cost of living crisis, and simply cannot afford another round of Tory austerity”.

This comes as the Chancellor announced significant cuts to public spending in the Autumn Budget. The UK government claimed these spending cuts and tax rises were necessary to deal with inflation and the predicted economic recession.

Speaking after the announcement in Westminster, Ms Callaghan said that “spending cuts would deepen and prolong the recession”, which, she claimed, “would force many families and residents to face difficult decisions over the coming months”.

The East Dunbartonshire MP’s comments add to growing concern about the impact of the Chancellor’s austerity agenda. Ben Zaranko, a senior research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, warned that swinging cuts “risk worsening the recession”, while charity bosses said that there was a risk of “rapid growth in the need for food banks and other crisis support”.

Commenting, Amy Callaghan MP said:

“The Chancellor talks about the difficult decisions in the Autumn Budget, but he doesn’t know the half of it. There are people in East Dunbartonshire who face the choice between avoiding debt or feeding their kids, about whether they can afford to put the heating on, or if it’s time to turn to charity for support.

“Those are difficult decisions.

“The reality is the Chancellor has taken the easy decision to impose austerity not out of incompetence, but as a way to push through an ideological attack on public services. Unfortunately, there's no escape from the economic crisis under Westminster control, with the Tories and the Labour Party both wedded to various degrees of austerity, not to mention Brexit and the long-term economic damage it’s causing.

“Families and residents in East Dunbartonshire cannot afford another round of Tory austerity. It's essential that the Chancellor scraps his plans for Tory austerity 2.0. Scotland's budget, the NHS and public services must get inflation-busting funding increases to help people through the cost of living crisis.

“It’s a simple economic fact that to escape recession, you need to increase public spending. This would help support people in East Dunbartonshire and across the UK.”