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STUC reaction to the UK Chancellor’s Autumn Statement

STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said:

“Don’t be fooled by a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Underpinning this statement was a determination that cuts to key public services and workers' livelihoods will bankroll some desperate pre-election giveaways. We cannot be content with scraps from the table. We cannot possibly congratulate the Chancellor for doing what he was shamed into doing on pensions, wages and welfare and then make workers pay the price later down the line via public spending cuts.

“While the statement promises £233 million of Barnett consequentials for Scotland in 2023/24, future public spending cuts from the UK Government would have a disastrous impact on Scotland. The Scottish Government must use each and every lever at their disposal, using their full income, wealth and property tax powers to protect our public services and defend the living standards of workers in Scotland suffering from UK Government decisions.

“With workers living through the largest reduction in real living standards on record, and with average mortgage payments alone increasing by £2600, the Chancellor is frankly deluded if he thinks a £450 cut in National Insurance will touch the sides. Far from robbing Peter to pay Paul, the Tories are robbing everyone. They then have the cheek to give lucrative tax breaks and incentives back to those at the top and say they are tackling the cost of living.

“For those at the bottom, we see a return to the draconian, inhumane workfare schemes that demonise those with the least. It’s typical that, as we approach an election, the Tories attempt to gaslight the nation into thinking it’s those on welfare who are to blame for economic turbulence, not the Tories themselves.