Moray MP Douglas Ross says Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has taken the “tough but necessary” economic decisions in order to steer the country through the current cost-of-living crisis.
Douglas says that the decisions taken by Rishi Sunak’s UK Government in the Autumn Statement will protect the most vulnerable people across Moray and provide stability to the economy going forward.
He has welcomed the decisions taken by the Chancellor to uprate benefits in line with inflation, maintaining the pensions triple lock and increasing the National Living Wage by £1,600 for full-time workers.
Douglas also welcomed the further targeted support for the most vulnerable households in Moray which includes £900 for households on means-tested benefits, £300 for pensioners and a further £150 for disability claimants.
The Chancellor also deferred a decision on alcohol duty until next year, with Douglas having lobbied Jeremy Hunt repeatedly on the issue, most recently on Tuesday. He says this is a welcome boost for the whisky industry across Moray.
Douglas also urged the SNP-Green Government to use the extra £1.5 billion to urgently support public services in Moray including the NHS which is in crisis on the SNP’s watch.
Moray MP Douglas Ross said: “The Chancellor has taken the tough but necessary economic decisions to steer Moray and the whole United Kingdom through these extremely challenging economic times.
“He has been upfront about what lies ahead but has ensured that the most vulnerable across Moray will be supported through a raft of measures. In particular, it is extremely welcome he has uplifted benefits by the rate of inflation and kept the triple lock on pensions.
“I am also delighted that he has listened to the repeated calls from myself and the whisky industry to avoid hitting them with an increase in duty at this time.
“Deferring this decision until next year is a welcome boost for our local distilleries and allows time for more dialogue between the industry and the Treasury.
“With an extra £1.5 billion being delivered to Scotland by Rishi Sunak’s UK Government, the onus is now on the SNP-Green Government to urgently deliver that money to our public services which are on their knees.
“In particular our NHS, including services at Dr Gray’s are in crisis and in desperate need of funding to avoid a catastrophic winter.
“The Autumn Statement is further proof that Scotland is continuing to benefit from being part of a strong United Kingdom and we are best served dealing with the economic crisis together.”