Lib Dems call for "breathing space budget" to end cost-of-living crisis

Ahead of his first budget as Prime Minister this week, Liberal Democrats are calling on Andy Burnham to give families the economic relief they need after several brutal years – and reverse the unearned bonus that big banks reaped from a botched programme of quantitative easing.

Liberal Democrat Scotland Spokesperson Susan Murray MP said:

"Andy Burnham and John Healey have a chance to do what their predecessors have failed to do: tackle our cost-of-living crisis head-on.

"Families are facing a brutal double whammy of rising bills and the support many have relied upon is disappearing. Energy costs are set to go up again, filling up the car keeps getting more expensive, and household budgets are being squeezed from every direction.

"Liberal Democrats are proposing an emergency 'breathing space package' to cut energy and transport costs and support high street businesses over the next 18 months, putting money back into people's pockets and keeping our local economies alive.

"Our message is clear: the Chancellor can either stand by as families endure more and more pressure, or he can tax the huge unearned windfalls enjoyed by the big banks and use that money to rescue people from this never-ending crisis."