King’s Speech Fails to Deliver on Cost of Living

York’s Liberal Democrats have branded the King’s Speech a ‘missed opportunity’ to deliver the real change that residents are crying out for.

The King’s Speech should have been an opportunity for Labour to show it understands the pressures facing families and small businesses after months of rising bills, falling living standards and economic uncertainty. Instead, what we got was a government distracted by internal conflict, short on ambition and failing to deliver the change people were promised.

While ministers continue to brief against each other and fight internal battles, the issues people actually care about are being ignored. There was no serious plan to tackle the cost of living crisis, no meaningful action to help struggling high streets and no clear strategy to grow the economy in a way that benefits ordinary people.

Liberal Democrats said Labour had produced a legislative programme that “tinkers around the edges” while households continue to face rising costs and small businesses are pushed to breaking point.

The Speech included limited measures on late payments to small businesses but failed to address the wider pressures firms are facing from rising business rates, increased National Insurance costs, higher rents and falling footfall.

Cllr Nigel Ayre, York Liberal Democrat Group Leader said:

“People were promised change, but instead Labour is increasingly paralysed by their own internal conflicts while families and businesses are left paying the price.

“In York and across the country, people are struggling with rising costs, yet this King’s Speech failed to offer the bold action needed to improve living standards or support local economies. For example, they could have taken action to support major projects such as the York Outer Ring Road scheme – which is delayed and over budget due to the Labour council’s dither and delay - but that opportunity has been missed.

“Small businesses are being hammered by higher costs and declining footfall, but Labour’s response simply does not match the scale of the challenge.

“This should have been a moment for the Government to focus relentlessly on the cost of living. Instead, it feels like ministers are more focused on fighting each other than fighting for the public.”

The Liberal Democrats also criticised the absence of major reforms that would help deliver long-term economic growth and restore trust in politics.

Despite acknowledging some of the damage caused by Brexit, the Government again refused to set out any pathway towards a Customs Union with Europe that could help boost productivity and living standards.

There was also no commitment to electoral reform, despite growing public frustration with a broken political system.