Labour launches “cost of living bombshell” poster

Ahead of the Autumn Statement today, which the Chancellor of the Exchequer will deliver at around 11:15, the Labour party have launched a poster that claims that the cost of living has got worse in the three and a half years of the Coalition Government. They claim that the annual cost for the average household has risen by £1,600. since the general election and put the blame for this at the feet of David Cameron and George Osborne. Labour do not say how they have arrived at this figure, but the poster lorry is currently touring Westminster. The poster evokes memories of the 1992 Tory election poster of "Labour's tax bombshell" although some commentators are saying this will resonate with voters, others suggest that Labour are simply admitting defeat on the economy.

Picture courtesy of the Labour party

When launching the the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Chris Leslie, said: "David Cameron's cost-of-living bombshell has left working people on average £1600 a year worse off since the last election. After three damaging years of flatlining, prices are still rising faster than wages, which is why for millions of people there is still no recovery at all. But David Cameron and George Osborne are so out of touch they have chosen to give people earning over £150,000 a huge tax cut."

Chris Leslie added: "What we need from the Autumn Statement is a long-term plan to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and earn our way to higher living standards for all, not just a few at the top. We need action to get more homes built, boost apprenticeships and cut business rates for small firms. We should make work pay by expanding free childcare for working parents and introduce a compulsory jobs guarantee for young people and the long-term unemployed. And we need to freeze gas and electricity bills while we make long-term changes to the energy market to stop customers being ripped off. A policy that means bills still rise this winter and lets the energy companies off the hook shows this Government doesn't understand the cost-of-living crisis ordinary working people are facing."