RACHEL Reeves’s flagship cost-of-living support measure has been derided as a “drop in the ocean”.
The Chancellor has been accused of “copying our homework” by the SNP after bringing in a temporary free bus travel scheme for children in England.
People under the age of 22 have been entitled to free bus travel in Scotland since 2022 but Reeves’s plan only stands for one month for children aged between 5 and 15.
Alex Kerr, the MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, said: “This busted flush of a Labour government has no ideas on how to help people with the cost of living and is now just copying SNP policies.
“They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but Keir Starmer’s hapless government can’t even get copying our homework right.”
The Chancellor also faced criticism for announcing the policy on TikTok before making a formal statement in the Commons, to the fury of parliamentary chiefs.
Kerr added: “Cheap clothes and toilet roll aren’t the only rubbish being peddled on TikTok – the Chancellor is now punting her half-baked policies on there too.
“Free bus travel for only one month is a drop in the ocean for families struggling with the rising cost of essentials. You cannot help but feel sorry for the young people in England who are being taken for a ride by this Labour government.”
Elsewhere, Reeves has announced a 10p per mile increase in tax-free mileage rates backdated to April 2026, and a 12-month road tax holiday for heavy goods vehicles.
And in a bid to boost spirits in the months ahead, the Chancellor unveiled her plans for a “Great British summer savings scheme” by cutting VAT on attractions like zoos and museums.
She told MPs: “I recognise that what matters for families is not just getting by but being able to enjoy time together without worrying about the next bill. That is why I am launching the Great British Summer Savings scheme to help families and support our hospitality sector.
“So I can today announce a temporary cut in the rate of VAT on summer attractions from 20% to 5% over the summer holidays. This will apply to ticket prices for both adults and children, covering attractions such as fairs, theme parks, zoos and museums.
“It will include children’s tickets for cinemas, concerts, soft play and the theatre, and it will cut the cost of children’s meals in restaurants and cafes from 20% VAT to 5% as well.”
This will apply from the start of the Scottish school summer holidays on June 25 to the end of the English, Welsh and Northern Irish holidays on September 1 and is expected to cost the Treasury £300 million.
Elsewhere, the energy price cap from July is expected to be at a similar level to the cap in April last year, according to the Chancellor who also announced she was “suspending tariffs on over 100 different foods sold in supermarkets”.
Reeves said she was “clear that I expect supermarkets to pass these savings on in full to their customers”, adding: “I will not tolerate any company exploiting the current situation to make excess profits at consumers’ expense, so I am bringing forward tough new powers so that the Competition and Markets Authority and other regulators can take action when firms break the rules.”
There will also be no rise in fuel duty this year.
But the package of measures does not go far enough according to experts at the Institute for Public Policy Research.
Harry Quilter-Pinner, executive director at the centre-left think tank, said in a statement: “The Chancellor is right to cut costs for families this summer, but the cost-of-living crisis demands much bolder action. The Government needs to wage an all-out war on bills.
“Ministers should show working people whose side the Government is on by capping rents, using competition policy to tackle price gouging, and shifting the tax burden from work to wealth.
“There are plenty of levers the Government can pull to lower the cost of living. They must prove they will ‘do whatever it takes’ to help families through this challenging time.”
