Prime minister’s comments come as children’s commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza highlights ‘staggering’ inequalities in young people’s treatment across UK
Q: These policies suggest you are criticising the budget from the left. Is that fair?
Cooper suggested she did not accept that description. She explained:
We believe that wealth creation and social justice are two sides of the same coin. We have a stronger, pro-growth, pro-business position than the Labour party.
But when it comes to supporting the most disadvantaged, we do believe in having more targeted and deeper support for the most vulnerable in society.
For the next year and a half, we would introduce an essential energy guarantee, cutting average annual electricity and gas bills by £100, alongside additional support for households with children and disabled people.
For the next year and a half, we would cut hospitality VAT from 20% to 15%, giving pubs, restaurants and cafes room to keep prices down, protect jobs and stay open. It would make a meal with the kids, coffee with a friend or a pint at the local, just a little bit more affordable.
For an initial three months, we would cut fuel duty by 10%, cut rail fares by 10%, introduce £1 bus fares and cut VAT on kerbside EV charging to 5%.
Our essential energy guarantee would be paid for by clawing back excess support handed to monopoly energy operators, and using that money to cut household bills instead.
Our hospitality package would be funded by a one-off, time-limited windfall tax on the unexpected and unearned profits of the big banks.
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