Owen Thompson MP said today Rishi Sunak is ‘utterly failing’ to bring down inflation as it remains at a sky-high level.
The latest ONS figures show that inflation is still at a high rate of 10.1%. This is being driven by food inflation with the price of milk increasing by more than a third and ready meals increasing by a fifth.
The UK has one of the highest inflation rates amongst major economies, with Italy’s inflation rate at 8.2%, Germany 7.8%, France 6.6% and the USA 5.3%.
Inflation has not reduced by as much as predicted – economists expected it to drop below 10%. Rishi Sunak pledged at the start of this year to halve inflation by the end of 2023.
The MP for Midlothian said: “Households across Midlothian are still facing sky-high shopping and energy bills and it is down to Rishi Sunak and his Tory UK government as they are utterly failing to keep inflation under control.
“It is the Tories who caused this cost of living crisis and at the moment they are doing next to nothing to ease the pressure on household budgets.
“Inflation in the UK remains high compared to other major European nations because of Brexit. Combined with the UK predicted to have the worst growth of any major economy, the UK is on a downward spiral all at the hands of Brexit.
“There will be no cause for comfort from a pro-Brexit Labour government either as they would keep Scotland out of the European Union, a market seven times the size of the UK’s, and the economic turmoil would continue.
“Midlothian overwhelmingly voted to remain in the EU, and they certainly didn’t vote to be poorer. The only way Scotland can escape the economic incompetence of Westminster control is by becoming an independent country and re-joining the European Union.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
