THE SNP’s Westminster leader has called for French-style price caps on essential food items to help people cope with the cost-of-living crisis.
Stephen Flynn urged Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to follow the example of France, where around 5,000 supermarket staples have been price capped.
Speaking to the SNP conference in Aberdeen, Mr Flynn said the UK autumn statement next month should also provide help with energy and mortgage bills.
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The Aberdeen South MP said that it was clear Rishi Sunak was on his way out of power, but that didn’t mean the public should have to wait and be “punished even more”.
He said: “They need help right now and they need help throughout this winter.
“In just over a month, there will be an autumn budget in Westminster.
“And in that budget, the SNP are calling for three major things.
“Reinstate the 400 pound energy rebate to help heat homes this winter.
“Reintroduce mortgage interest relief to help households who were hit by rising interest rates.
“And finally - follow the example of our friends in France - tackle the cost of greed crisis and cap food prices in supermarkets for essential items.
“These are real measures that will mean real help with the cost-of-living crisis for Scottish communities as we head into winter.”
At the behest of the French Government, producers and distributors agreed to cap products in supermarkets in July to “break the spiral of food prices”.
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When distributors failed to pass on the cuts, the Government announced an obligatory drop in prices on items where producers had already lowered prices.
In August, the number of items was doubled to 5,000, around a quarter of all product lines.
Mr Flynn offered to work with Labour's two Scottish MPs on the proposal.
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