GB News star Andrew Pierce has hit out at the Labour Government after Rachel Reeves’s latest cost-cutting measure was introduced.
Sir Keir Starmer confirmed yesterday that the £2 bus fare cap will rise in the Autumn Budget.
The Chancellor will deliver her first Budget on Wednesday against the backdrop of a £22billion “black hole”.
Reeves says she has been left with no option but to impose a raft of hard-hitting measures to tackle a bleak financial outlook, but Andrew is less than impressed with the latest one.
Andrew Pierce lashed out at Rachel Reeves
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“I think this is going to be a big, big issue for this Labour Government”, he said.
“I am sick to death of them saying they are not going to impose tax increases on working people.
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Andrew Pierce thinks Labour will live to regret the decision
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“They are going to ramp up fuel duty, that affects working people and bus fares affect working people.
“It’s a big problem. It’s a 50 per cent increase in fares. Also, I thought we were meant to be on public transport to save the environment?”
Starmer announced the change during a speech in Birmingham, in which he defended looming tax rises.
He told the audience: “On the £2 bus fare, first thing to say is the Tories only funded that until the end of 2024 and therefore that is the end of the funding in relation to a £2 capped fare.
Hiking the bus fare cap appears to be one of the Chancellor’s “tough” Budget decisions
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“I do know how much this matters, particularly in rural communities where there’s heavy reliance on buses.
“And that’s why I’m able to say to you this morning that in the Budget we will announce there will be a £3 cap on bus fares to the end of 2025 because I know how important it is.”
Single bus fares in England have been capped at £2 outside London, where they are £1.75 per journey, for most routes, since January 2023.
When it introduced the policy, the Conservative government said routes with some of the biggest per-journey savings were between Leeds and Scarborough (£13), Lancaster and Kendall (£12.50), and Plymouth and Exeter (£9.20).
The new Government said the £3 cap would save £12 on a ticket between Leeds and Scarborough, while a ticket between Hull and York would see a saving of £5.50.