Chancellor Rachel Reeves to announce food price action

Chancellor Rachel Reeves will today announce plans to cut the price of “over 100” types of food as part of a “Great British Summer Savings” programme.

The move will see the UK Government adopt a Scotland-style free bus travel scheme for children in England during August.

And it will also see it hold talks with retailers as part of a “business engagement exercise” aimed at bringing “targeted cuts to agri-food tariffs” and suspending tariffs on more than 100 foodstuffs including biscuits, chocolate and dried fruit and nuts.

Further details of the items which are to be included are expected next week, when the business discussions begin.

The move comes weeks after John Swinney unveiled the SNP’s pledge to legislate for a temporary food price cap on healthy essentials like chicken and milk.

The manifesto pledge is aimed at improving public health through nutrition as rising grocery costs reduce consumer spending power.

Swinney has promised action in the first 100 days of Scottish Government business.

However, the UK Government called it “incoherent and undeliverable”.

The Treasury has said its move will save UK consumers more than £150m and the foods covered will not include any “significant UK primary agriculture production”.

Meanwhile, the English bus scheme for 5-15-year-olds – which is more limited than the free travel provision for under-22s in Scotland – will cost the Exchequer more than £100m.

Reeves said: “As the war in Iran pushes prices up at home, my economic plan is the right one. I will continue to make the right choices, to protect households and businesses, and build a stronger and more secure Britain.”

Helen Barnard, director of policy and research at food bank network Trussell, commented: “We are deeply concerned about the rising cost of living and the risk this will drive even more people into hunger and hardship, piling pressure on food banks that are already under immense strain.

“This package of summer support will do little to reassure people already struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table that the government has grasped the potentially dire impact of coming price rises, or is prepared to protect people at most risk of being forced to the doors of food banks.”