Politics
Harry Fletcher
May 13, 2022
BBC
An economist has given a powerful take down of the government on Question Time over its "unforgivable" approach to the cost of living crisis.
Miatta Fahnbulleh, who is the chief economist at the New Economics Foundation, appeared on the panel alongside Tory MP Suella Braverman in Hackney.
It comes after new research showed that more than two million adults in the UK have skipped meals for a whole day over the past month because they cannot afford to eat as the crisis worsens.
Fahnbulleh accused the government of not âgrasping the scaleâ of the problem, and failing to act to protect the most vulnerable in a powerful speech.
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âWhen you top up all the measures that the government has put in place, families on average are still £1,000 worse off. So your numbers are literally made up,â Fahnbulleh said, attacking Bravermanâs figures.
\u201cWhen two million people in the richest country are skipping meals because they can\u2019t afford it, the fact you\u2019re not acting, I think, is unforgivable\u201d \n\nEconomist @Miatsf accuses the government of not \u201cgrasping the scale\u201d of the cost of living crisis. #bbcqtpic.twitter.com/4Tt7TUkZdxâ BBC Question Time (@BBC Question Time) 1652392441
ââ¦This year one in three households and half of all our children will struggle to afford bread and butter things and are going to have to make day to day sacrifices just to stay afloat. It doesnât feel like the govern doesnât grasp the scale of the challenge. If you had, it would have acted by now,â she said, turning to Braverman again.
Fahnbulleh went on to say that there was ânot a single measureâ in the spring budget that would support families on the lowest incomes in this country.
Fahnbulleh gave an impressive performance on Question TimeBBC
She then urged the government to introduce a windfall tax and a £15billion boost to benefits to help âthe families who are at the sharpest end of this crisis.â
The economist ended by saying: âWhen two million people in the richest country are skipping meals because they canât afford it, the fact youâre not acting, I think, is unforgivable.â
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