Opposition day on Tuesday, 25 April 2023, in the House of Commons, led by Tulip Siddiq. The answering members were John Glen, Abena Oppong-Asare and Andrew Griffith.

Cost of Living Increases

Fourteenth opposition day debate (part two). Motion that this House condemns successive Conservative Governments for their mismanagement of the economy over 13 years; regrets that this has resulted in the UK being the only G7 economy that is still smaller than before the pandemic, with squeezed wages and higher mortgage rates that have increased costs by £500 a month for some households; further regrets that successive Chancellors have made working people pay for the Government's economic failure with 24 tax rises since 2019, creating the highest tax burden in 70 years, while refusing to abolish the non-domicile tax loophole; is extremely concerned about the impact on household budgets of an inflation rate of more than 10 per cent with food prices rising at their fastest rate in 45 years; therefore calls on the Government to ease the cost of living crisis by freezing council tax this year, paid for by an extended windfall tax on oil and gas company profits; further calls on the Government to cut business rates for small businesses and support energy intensive industries including food manufacturers with their energy bills to help bring down the cost of everyday items; and finally calls on the Government to adopt Labour's economic mission to secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 with good jobs in every part of the country. Closure motion. Agreed to on question. Main question negatived on division (214 to 288). Amendment agreed to on division (285 to 0). Main question, as amended, agreed to. Resolved, that this House welcomes the Government's action to halve inflation, grow the economy and reduce debt; supports the Government's extensive efforts to support families up and down the country with the cost of living through significant support to help with rising prices, worth an average of £3,300 per household including direct cash payments of at least £900 to the eight million most vulnerable households; notes the use of a windfall tax on energy firm's profits to pay around half of the typical family's energy bill through the Energy Price Guarantee, also notes the fact that the Government has frozen fuel duty for 13 consecutive years to support motorists; welcomes the expansion of free childcare to all eligible parents of children aged nine months to four years old; and notes that Labour will fail to grip inflation or boost economic growth, with their plans for the economy simply leading to unfunded spending, higher debt and uncontrolled migration.

Secondary information

Type: Parliamentary proceeding
Reference: 731 cc652-699
Session: 2022-23
Department: Treasury
Procedure: Closure motions
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Proceeding contributions: Nigel Evans | 731 c659 (Link to this contribution)
I inform the House that I have selected the amendment in the name of the Prime Minister.
4....; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c659 (Link to this contribution)
I beg to move,
That this House condemns successive Conservative Governments for their misma...; Florence Eshalomi | 731 c659 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend for opening her speech in such a powerful way. Does she agree that it is r...; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c660 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. She is a doughty champion for the children from dep...; Layla Moran | 731 c660 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Lady is totally right about the perverse choices that people are having to make. A young...; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c660 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Member for her intervention. She has outlined lots of situations that we hear ab...; Toby Perkins | 731 c660 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to point to the Chancellor’s suggestion that the Government ar...; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c660 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We have to ask the Conservatives how they can continue to liv...; David Johnston | 731 c660 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Lady says that the inflation figures here are higher than anywhere else in the G7. Food ...; Tulip Siddiq | 731 cc660-1 (Link to this contribution)
I assume that the hon. Gentleman is not proud of all the figures I am outlining and the high infl...; Luke Evans | 731 c661 (Link to this contribution)
Is the hon. Lady aware that the Government have subsidised people’s energy bills by about 50%, an...; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c661 (Link to this contribution)
I will come to energy shortly. If the hon. Member were able to answer, I would ask him whether he...; Jamie Stone | 731 c661 (Link to this contribution)
It is a fact that the village of Altnaharra in my constituency is every year the coldest place in...; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c661 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Member for his intervention. The situations being described are not what we want...; Margaret Greenwood | 731 c661 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech, and I am sure we have all been concerned by stories f...; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c661 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is always fighting for her constituents, and she is absolutely right. As someone w...; Kim Leadbeater | 731 c661 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is making an important speech. I find it deeply offensive that Conservative Member...; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c662 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend for her intervention. Having campaigned in her constituency, I know there ...; Jerome Mayhew | 731 c662 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Lady is asserting that the UK economy has fallen behind since 2010. Does she recognise t...; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c662 (Link to this contribution)
The Conservatives can manipulate the stats as much as they want, but they cannot run away from th...; Jerome Mayhew | 731 c662 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c662 (Link to this contribution)
Yes, please.; Jerome Mayhew | 731 c662 (Link to this contribution)
It is a great pleasure to be given the role of the Opposition spokesman from the Back Benches her...; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c662 (Link to this contribution)
As I figured, the hon. Member did not have a response to the question I asked. If we do not break...; Christine Jardine | 731 c663 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Lady is making a powerful case and making a salient point. Does she agree that the const...; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c663 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Member for her intervention. She is absolutely right. This Conservative fantasy ...; Simon Baynes | 731 c663 (Link to this contribution)
Will the hon. Lady give way?; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c663 (Link to this contribution)
With pleasure.; Simon Baynes | 731 c663 (Link to this contribution)
Earlier, the hon. Lady mentioned fair work. Does she agree that the rise in unemployment under th...; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c663 (Link to this contribution)
May I remind the hon. Gentleman that the last Labour Government introduced the first minimum wage...; Alex Davies-Jones | 731 c663 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech and outlining exactly what Labour did in government to...; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c663 (Link to this contribution)
I hope hon. Members hear that before they start criticising any sort of Labour Government.
...; Paul Bristow | 731 c664 (Link to this contribution)
Will the hon. Lady give way?; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c664 (Link to this contribution)
Not now, as I want to make some progress. At the same time, the Chancellor has given the 1% wealt...; Paul Bristow | 731 c664 (Link to this contribution)
Will the hon. Lady give way?; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c664 (Link to this contribution)
I will make a bit of progress. We need a bold plan for growth that confronts the problems of the ...; Luke Evans | 731 c664 (Link to this contribution)
Will the hon. Lady give way?; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c664 (Link to this contribution)
I will give way one more time.; Luke Evans | 731 c664 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to the hon. Lady. The motion says that Labour will extend the windfall tax on oil a...; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c664 (Link to this contribution)
I am just about to come to the part of my speech about the windfall tax and business rates, so if...; Alexander Stafford | 731 c664 (Link to this contribution)
Will the hon. Lady give way?; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c665 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Member may want to sit down and hear the next bit because I am sure he is going to ask t...; Ben Bradley | 731 c665 (Link to this contribution)
Will the hon. Lady give way?; Tulip Siddiq | 731 c665 (Link to this contribution)
I think the hon. Gentleman should listen, actually.
By refusing to backdate the tax to Janu...; John Glen | 731 cc665-6 (Link to this contribution)
I beg to move an amendment, to leave out from “House” to the end of the Question and add:
“...; Emma Hardy | 731 c666 (Link to this contribution)
I realise that this will bring back painful memories for the right hon. Gentleman, but he may rec...; John Glen | 731 c666 (Link to this contribution)
I value all my colleagues. The previous Prime Minister’s insights into the growth imperative in t...; Paul Bristow | 731 c666 (Link to this contribution)
Could my right hon. Friend help me? Some of the faces on the Opposition Benches seem so glum beca...; John Glen | 731 cc666-7 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is right. I approach the job of government with a sense of humility about the chal...; Luke Evans | 731 c667 (Link to this contribution)
Is it not about compassion in government? That is why pensioners on a fixed income and people on ...; John Glen | 731 c667 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. In a moment I will set out exactly what interventions we have...; Lord Redwood | 731 c667 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister confirm the IMF figures that in 2020 to 2022—that important three-year period a...; John Glen | 731 cc667-9 (Link to this contribution)
As always, my right hon. Friend is on the money. The point is that forecasts predict many differe...; Tom Randall | 731 c669 (Link to this contribution)
I notice that the Opposition motion refers to freezing council tax; the shadow Minister also ment...; John Glen | 731 c669 (Link to this contribution)
Absolutely, and I think the good people of Gedling will come to the right conclusions next week.<...; Stewart Hosie | 731 cc669-672 (Link to this contribution)
I was intrigued by the Chief Secretary’s answer to the right hon. Member for Wokingham (John Redw...; Nigel Evans | 731 c670 (Link to this contribution)
We will, I am afraid, have to start with a four-minute time limit. We will see where we go from t...; Andrea Leadsom | 731 cc670-3 (Link to this contribution)
I want to speak very briefly to commend the Government for their efforts, not just over the last ...; Nigel Evans | 731 c673 (Link to this contribution)
Order. Mr Elmore, you have a fantastic baritone voice. Save it for singing.
5.26 pm; Yvonne Fovargue | 731 cc673-4 (Link to this contribution)
This cost of living crisis is “unlike anything we’ve seen”. Those are the words of Citizens Advic...; 731 c674 (Link to this contribution); Nigel Evans | 731 c674 (Link to this contribution)
I call Angela Richardson.
5.30 pm; Angela Richardson | 731 cc674-5 (Link to this contribution)
Thank you for calling me to speak so early in this debate, Mr Deputy Speaker.
The fact is t...; Peter Dowd | 731 cc675-6 (Link to this contribution)
Listening to the Minister, I get the distinct impression that Labour’s Front Benchers and Labour ...; Robert Syms | 731 cc676-7 (Link to this contribution)
Nobody should be terribly surprised that we face difficult economic times if a Government lock an...; Vicky Foxcroft | 731 cc677-8 (Link to this contribution)
I wish we did not need this debate, but unfortunately, as all Opposition Members know, the cost o...; Simon Baynes | 731 cc678-9 (Link to this contribution)
I take this issue very seriously. Clearly, families across the country are feeling the pinch at t...; Baroness Winterton of Doncaster | 731 c679 (Link to this contribution)
Order. I call Alex Davies-Jones.
5.49 pm; Alex Davies-Jones | 731 cc679-680 (Link to this contribution)
The central issue that we are debating is very simple; there is a very simple question to address...; Ben Spencer | 731 cc680-1 (Link to this contribution)
Yet again, in the face of the serious challenges that we and many other nations face, Labour choo...; Emma Hardy | 731 cc681-2 (Link to this contribution)
I wonder whether Government Members need to work on their lines a bit because they seem to be say...; Jerome Mayhew | 731 cc682-3 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle (Emma Hardy) is right to feel empathy and ...; Ian Byrne | 731 cc683-4 (Link to this contribution)
I would like to raise the terrifying consequences of the declining living standards experienced b...; David Johnston | 731 cc684-5 (Link to this contribution)
The cost of living is the No. 1 issue that comes up on doorsteps. That is why it is so important ...; Florence Eshalomi | 731 cc685-6 (Link to this contribution)
In terms of maths, no matter how far a number of my constituents try to make the pennies stretch,...; Rob Butler | 731 cc686-7 (Link to this contribution)
In her opening remarks, the shadow Minister asked what planet Conservative Members are living on....; Kenny MacAskill | 731 cc687-8 (Link to this contribution)
There is a cost of living crisis in energy, food and other aspects. It is all part of a wider age...; Ben Bradley | 731 cc688-9 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful for the opportunity to speak today, first to recognise the challenging times that w...; 731 c689 (Link to this contribution); Baroness Winterton of Doncaster | 731 cc689-690 (Link to this contribution)
Order. I want to get everybody in, which means that after the next speaker I will reduce the time...; Yasmin Qureshi | 731 c690 (Link to this contribution)
My constituents in Bolton South East, the 38th most deprived constituency in our country, need a ...; Paul Bristow | 731 cc690-1 (Link to this contribution)
I want to move away from the sort of tribal politics and tribal speeches that we have heard from ...; Ian Lavery | 731 cc691-2 (Link to this contribution)
It does not matter how loud Government Members shout and scream, “Crisis, what crisis?”. It does ...; Justin Madders | 731 cc692-3 (Link to this contribution)
If wages had continued to increase at just their pre-2008 rate, workers would have been £233 a we...; Marie Rimmer | 731 cc693-4 (Link to this contribution)
Families, businesses and the country are struggling. For too long, Government support has been to...; Baroness Winterton of Doncaster | 731 c694 (Link to this contribution)
Order. We need to bring in the last Back-Bench speaker.
6.42 pm; Beth Winter | 731 cc694-5 (Link to this contribution)
It is exactly 12 months since I conducted a cost of living survey in my constituency. The results...; Abena Oppong-Asare | 731 cc695-7 (Link to this contribution)
After 13 years of Conservative Government, do the people of Britain feel better off? As my hon. F...; Andrew Griffith | 731 c697 (Link to this contribution)
This is a Government who will always support those who need it the most, a Government on the side...; David Linden | 731 c697 (Link to this contribution)
The Minister speaks about the support the Government have given in terms of the cost of living pa...; Andrew Griffith | 731 cc697-8 (Link to this contribution)
I understand that the hon. Member and his party are not happy campers these days, but we are givi...; Alan Campbell | 731 c698 (Link to this contribution)
claimed to move the closure (Standing Order No. 36).
Question put forthwith, That the Quest...
Subjects: Disability Childcare Costs Council tax Finance Energy Government assistance Economic situation Inflation Pay Poverty Older people Mortgages Taxation Cost of living
Link: View this Parliamentary proceeding on hansard.parliament.uk

Cost of Living Increases

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