Salisbury Lib Dems condemn Government’s Autumn Statement

Salisbury and South Wiltshire’s Liberal Democrats have condemned the government’s Autumn Statement as ‘chaotic and incompetent.

This morning, Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt spelt out the government fiscal policies for the foreseeable future.

These new measures come in the wake of the ‘mini-budget’ that came under the leadership of Prime Minister Liz Truss and her Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng.

Commenting on the Government’s Autumn Statement, Parliamentary Spokesperson Victoria Charleston said:

“This is the ‘cost of chaos’ budget. Everyone is being forced to pay the price for this Conservative government’s incompetence. 

“People in Salisbury and South Wiltshire are being asked to pick up the bill for the Conservative party crashing the economy – after 12 years in control – while oil and gas giants are left off the hook. People here are being forced to suffer unfair tax hikes and cuts to our public services for years to come.

“We need a fair deal, including support for people unable to afford skyrocketing mortgage bills and rents, and protecting funding for local health services. This could be paid for by reversing tax cuts for banks and a proper windfall tax, instead of imposing years of stealth taxes on ordinary families. This is an out of touch Government which has no plan to help people in our area with their bills.”

The Liberal Democrats and other opposition parties have been calling for tougher windfall taxes on oil and gas producers.

Salisbury’s Liberal Democrats recently increased the number of councillors they have locally, winning both the Wiltshire Council and Salisbury City council by-elections in the St Paul’s ward of the city with big margins.