BROKE BRITAIN

Family incomes rising much slower than under Labour

- JOHN STEVENS

PEOPLE battling the cost of living crisis get no help from the Tories as figures show household incomes have risen slower than under Labour.

The party's dismal record was exposed as it plunged to its lowest poll rating ever, now trailing Keir Starmer by 27 points.

When Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were in No10 between 1997 and 2010, the average disposable income went up from £1,219 a month to £1,568 in real terms, a 28.6% increase.

But since the Tories took over it grew by just 11% to £1,746 - while households have faced rampant inflation plus soaring energy costs, leaving them little if any left over to spend on themselves.

The figures come on the eve of Jeremy Hunt's Budget, amid fears he will bribe voters with tax cuts that could be the final hammer blow for crippled public services.

Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones said: The Tories' record on the economy is in tatters, with higher debt, higher taxes and lower growth the defining hallmark of their rule. By contrast, the former Labour government oversaw a huge boost in the growth of working people's average incomes, meaning more money in pockets."

Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall yesterday warned that whatever Mr Hunt announces in tomorrow's Budget "it won't make up for 14 years of economic failure".

She said in a speech: "They claim the economy has turned a corner, but they've driven it into a dead end. Our economy is smaller now than when the Prime Minister first entered Downing Street. The biggest hit to living standards on record.