Cost of living: Government needs to 'get on and act' says Reeves

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Ian Lavery, MP for Wansbeck, Northumberland, said some of his constituents have been ‘forced to shoplift’ as bills have soared recently. The 59-year-old man, who was chair of the Labour Party, said parents have been hit particularly hard by the cost of living crisis.

Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, Mr Lavery said: “We’ve got people missing meals to feed their kids, we’ve got 2.5 million people now using food banks for heaven’s sake.

“I’ll tell you what’s new in my constituency – that’s a rise in crime and shoplifting. We’ve got people who are desperate to keep their kids clean stealing products, are stealing sanitary products, are stealing soap powder.

“This is an absolute outrage and it isn’t good enough to say the support is here, mind. It isn’t good enough to abdicate your responsibility, saying ‘we’ve done this and that and £150 and a pay-as-you-go loan for electricity.’

“It’s abdicating your responsibility for people in most need.”

Chronicle Live reports Mr Lavery’s comments come on the fifth day of the Queen’s Speech debate, which saw MPs raise their concerns on “tackling the short-term and long-term cost of living increases”.

Labour has called again for a windfall tax on the excess profits of oil and gas companies.

Shadow energy secretary Ed Miliband said he would have “no idea” how he would cope with soaring energy bills if he was on the basic level of Universal Credit.

He added: “The truth is, they have run out of excuses, and amidst the chaos and confusion about what their position is, I think a massive U-turn is lumbering slowly over the hill. But I say this to the Chancellor: swallow your pride and get on with it.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak repeated his claim that “no option is off the table”, and that only if oil and gas giants do not invest their profits back into “growth, job and energy security” could the policy could be introduced.

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