‘We were promised that things would be different under Labour, but the claim of change has failed to materialise’ - Liz Saville Roberts MP.
On Monday 1 September Plaid Cymru have called on the Labour UK Government to implement a number of measures as part of the Autumn 2025 budget to get to grips with the cost-of-living crisis.
As MPs return to Westminster today after the summer recess, Plaid Cymru’s Westminster Leader, Liz Saville Roberts MP says that although the cost-of-living crisis began under the Tories, “people aren’t any better off under Labour today either.”
Plaid Cymru have outlined that in order to tackle this, the UK Government should:
- Support households with the cost of energy and housing
- Boost incomes and guarantee the basics
- Fairly tax extreme wealth and bumper profit margins
Energy and housing:
25% of households in Wales (340,000) are in fuel poverty. Current support like the Warm Homes discount has risen by only £10, while energy bills have increased by £500. Plaid Cymru is calling for energy support grants similar to the Energy Bills Support Scheme (2022/23) and targeted support for winter.
Around 70,000 households in Wales face a gap between rent and social security due to the bedroom tax and outdated Local Housing Allowance rates. Plaid Cymru urges the UK Government to scrap the bedroom tax and uprate the allowance to at least the 30th percentile of rents in Wales.
Income support:
Raising the personal allowance and unfreezing the basic income tax threshold would benefit the bottom 50% of taxpayers earning under £28,400. Plaid Cymru also calls for an Essentials Guarantee to ensure those on the lowest incomes can afford food, heating, and other essentials.
Fairer taxation:
Plaid Cymru opposes Labour’s increase in Employers National Insurance Contributions, which affects public sector recruitment, small businesses, and care homes, and is partly passed on to workers and consumers. The party urges a reversal and alternative revenue measures.
Plaid Cymru instead proposes a 2% annual wealth tax on assets over £10 million (£24 billion potential revenue) and equalising Capital Gains Tax with Income Tax (£12 billion potential revenue) to fund public services and reduce wealth inequality.
Plaid Cymru’s Westminster Leader, Liz Saville Roberts MP said:
“The significant fall in living standards due to the rapid increase in the price of essential goods and services may have begun under the Tories, but people aren’t any better off under Labour today either. The increase in living costs continues to hit young people, families, and pensioners across every part of the UK.
“But while ordinary people are struggling to make ends meet and to pay for the bare minimum such as food and housing, large corporations and the ultra-wealthy are racking up eye-watering profits. Energy network owners alone pocketed £3.9 billion in excess profits from high energy bills, money that came directly off the backs of ordinary people. And with further energy price increases expected this winter, the pressure on families and pensioners will only deepen, while those at the top continue to benefit.
“We were promised that things would be different under Labour, but so far, the claim of 'change' has failed to materialise. Plaid Cymru has presented the UK Government with practical policies ahead of this year’s Autumn Budget that would truly get to grips with the rising living costs. These measures would provide direct support to households in our communities as well as tackle the growing wealth imbalance in the UK. It is time for those with the broadest shoulders to pay their fair share, and for communities across the UK to be given the security and support they need not only to get by, but to thrive.”
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