Labour accused of ‘softening’ UK up for ‘brutal budget’

The SNP has warned that the UK is heading towards "another brutal budget", with Dave Doogan cautioning that upcoming tax and spending plans could bring a "bad case of Westminster deja vu".

The party’s Commons leader expressed concern that Labour ministers are actively "softening people up for a Westminster budget of cuts and tax rises".

He spoke following an admission from Prime Minister Andy Burnham that the upcoming Budget next month will be "challenging".

The comments were made after the latest official statistics showed Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation reached a five-month high of 3.1% in August.

That increase was driven by elevated petrol and diesel costs, alongside warnings from the Bank of England this week that volatile global energy prices could push inflation even higher.

Although the monetary policy committee opted to hold interest rates steady this week, governor Andrew Bailey warned that if energy market volatility persists, it is "more likely" that rates will need to rise to push inflation back down to its 2% target.

The prospect of increased borrowing costs comes as households face further energy bill increases in October, when Ofgem’s latest price cap comes into force.

With households across the nation facing financial strain, Doogan alleged that the UK Government was "cynically rolling the pitch for another brutal budget in Brexit Britain".

The SNP Westminster leader added: "People will rightly be thinking that they are living through a bad case of Westminster deja vu.

"Keir Starmer promised ‘change’ and things went from bad to worse. Andy Burnham promised ‘hope’ but the cost of living is moving from a crisis into an emergency.

"Instead of developing a plan to put money in people’s pockets – the Labour Party’s sole focus is now softening people up for a Westminster budget of cuts and tax rises."

The SNP MP maintained that the "permanent pattern of dire economic data in the UK" highlighted the necessity for Scotland to "shape a future beyond Westminster".

Doogan said: "Brexit Britain is broken and people are sick to the back teeth of the UK’s never-ending doom loop of rising prices, falling living standards and poor economic growth.

"Scotland is rich in resources, but we need the full powers of independence to deliver transformative change for those struggling to make ends meet.

"An independent Scotland, back in the European Union, is our route to a fairer, wealthier nation and a better future for all our people."