British Chancellor Rishi Sunak
He was speaking after the Chancellor’s Spring Statement in the House of Commons on Wednesday which was widely criticised for failing to introduce immediate measures to support families facing a costing of living crisis over rising food, fuel and heating prices.
The Chancellor also refused to cancel the increase in National Insurance contributions which hits wage packets from next month.
And there was no further uplift to those struggling to survive on the weekly £81.21p Universal Credit payment.
Said Cllr Harkin: “Tory billionaire Rishi Sunak’s budget will do next to nothing to help people struggling to pay the bills in the worst cost of living crisis in decades.
“The message from Sunak and the political establishment is “if you’re not in the elite club we don’t care about you”.
“None of this is a surprise but his inaction means many more people will fall into poverty in the months ahead.
“Sunak refused to support calls to cancel the the national insurance hike and introduce a new Wealth Tax on billionaires and the super-rich to raise tens of billions in revenue.
“He refused to back calls to introduce Windfall Taxes on Shell, BP and other profiteering energy companies.
“He refused to support calls to increase funding for health and other vital public services for workers to get a real pay rise.
“His refusal to implement calls to increase benefits and pension payments in line with inflation will drastically further impoverish many of the most vulnerable and least well-off in our communities.
“Be it Westminster or Stormont, change won’t come from above.
“We have to build up more pressure from below through protests, strikes for pay rises and mass people power action to challenge a system rigged entirely in favour of elites, corporations and the politically connected.”
