XMAS DINNER HITS £50 AFTER BUDGET 'MESS'

Turkey meal hits a new high after SirKeir's Budget sends prices rocketing

- Katie Elliott & Jon King

FAMILIES face a £50 Christmas dinner bill after Labour's Budget "mess" sent festive food costs soaring.

Experts have warned that retailers are being forced to increase prices after a 17-month run of falling shop inflation.

Costs of festive essentials at the top nine supermarkets were analysed to find how much the average turkey with all the trimmings will cost for families this year.

Inflation hiked up the total to £50.06 and food prices are predicted to soar even higher after Chancellor Rachel Reeves's tax rises.

Worrying

Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith said: "British businesses are suffering and it is now consumers who are picking up the tab for Labour's Budget mess.

"This should come as no surprise after their summer of trash-talking down the economy, handing billions to their union paymasters and raising taxes to record levels.

"Labour have spent their time in office constantly reminding us all why they are antibusiness and now we are all going to pay the price." Analysis of prices from the nine supermarkets shows the average cost of a fresh turkey is £28.65 this year, while the second-most expensive item on the plate - pigs in blankets - could set families back £3.29.

The average cost of a full meal, which would include turkey, pigs in blankets, potatoes, gravy, stuffing, sprouts, carrots, cranberry sauce, parsnips, bread sauce, Christmas pudding and a pack of mince pies, amounts to an average of £50.06 for a family of four to six.