London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

George Eustice advises shoppers to buy value brands

George Eustice advises shoppers to buy value brands

Environment Secretary George Eustice has been criticised as "out of touch" and "patronising" for advising those struggling with the rising cost of living to buy cheaper food items.

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Eustice said opting for value brands would help people manage their household budget.

It comes on the last day of local election campaigns, where concerns over rising prices have featured heavily.

In recent months, UK inflation has risen to 7% - the highest in 30 years.

The Bank of England has warned inflation could rise further, potentially hitting double figures in October.

Asked about the squeeze on people's finances, Mr Eustice told the BBC the government had put in place a "package of measures" including a rebate on energy costs.

"We've got to take a proportionate approach to try to help people through that difficult time. We can't go too far, we can't mitigate all of the impacts otherwise we will fuel even greater inflation."

Later, he told Sky News that due to a "competitive market" the UK had the lowest household food expenditure in Europe.

He said people who chose value brands could "actually contain and manage their household budget".

Responding to Mr Eustice's remarks, Labour's shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said: "Hard-pressed Brits need support" and urged the government to hold an emergency budget and reduce energy bills through a windfall tax on oil and gas companies.

"The response by the Conservatives to the cost-of-living crisis has been nothing short of insulting. They are out of touch and out of ideas."

Asked if he agreed with his minister's comments, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government wanted to "help people in any way we can through the aftershocks of Covid".

He said "immediate" support was available, through a rebate package and cold weather payments.

The SNP's Westminster deputy leader Kirsten Oswald said: "The remarks from a senior Tory government minister that families struggling with the Tory-made cost-of-living crisis should buy value brand products are utterly patronising and insulting.

"Rather than bringing forward meaningful financial measures to help support families and to put money into people's pockets, the Tory government is instead sitting on its hands and resorting to treating people with contempt.

And the Liberal Democrat's Wendy Chamberlain said: " Families and pensioners who can't afford their weekly shop need more help, not patronising advice from a clueless minister."


Boris Johnson says the government wants to help people "in any way we can through the aftershocks of Covid".


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
×