‘Patronising’ Eustice tells struggling shoppers to buy value brands
THE Environment Secretary caused uproar last night by telling people struggling with rising prices to switch to value brand products.
George Eustice said families could save cash by ditching their favourite labels in favour of cheaper alternatives.
The Prime Minister distanced himself from the remarks, which were described as “patronising” and “out of touch” by opposition parties.
Voters are heading to the polls today for local elections that have been dominated by the cost of living crisis.
Mr Eustice admitted the financial help offered by the Government so far would not be enough to “completely mitigate” soaring food and fuel prices.
Asked how struggling families could cope, he replied: “Generally speaking, what people find is by going for some of the value brands rather than ownbranded products, they can actually contain and manage their household budget. But it will undoubtedly put a pressure on household budgets and, of course, it comes on top of those high gas prices as well.”
Mr Eustice said the proportion of income spent on food by the poorest 20 per cent of the population “is going to rise” but will remain among the lowest rates in Europe.
He also insisted the Treasury could not just “throw more money” at helping people out as that would risk creating an “inflationary bubble that gets out of control”.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, leapt on the comments and said they showed the Tories were “out of touch, out of ideas and out of excuses”.
Wendy Chamberlain, the Liberal Democrat MP for North East Fife, accused ministers of “living in a parallel universe”. She said: “Families and pensioners who can’t afford their weekly shop need more help, not patronising advice from a clueless minister.
“Oil and gas giants are raking in billions, while families are told to buy value food and pensioners are riding around on buses to keep warm.”
Boris Johnson refused to endorse his minister’s remarks during a campaign visit to Southampton airport. Instead he pointed to support for struggling families including a £150 council tax discount, £200 to help with energy bills and the 5p cut to fuel duty. Figures released yesterday revealed shop prices are up 2.7 per cent on last year – the steepest rise in more than a decade.
The cost of food ballooned by 3.5 per cent last month alone, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
◆ Supermarkets are scrambling to save the summer barbecue season as the pig farming sector teeters on the brink of collapse. Waitrose announced a £16million support package for its British pork farmers as the industry “faces its biggest crisis in a generation”.
The supermarket said it would cover the full cost of rearing and producing pigs – including labour, feed and fuel. It comes after Sainsbury’s pledged £2.8million to support its pig farmers.