Gordon Brown calls for Wales, Scotland and English Mayors to ‘band together’ against Westminster on cost crisis

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for the first ministers of Wales and Scotland and the mayors of England to “band together” to pressure the UK Government into giving people more support to deal with rising taxes and bills.

Rising inflation, a Treasury-backed national insurance rise, a £20 Universal Credit cut and energy prices pushed up by the war in Ukraine have fuelled the cost of living crisis.

Writing in the Daily Record newspaper on Monday, Gordon Brown said that the UK Government should be forced to do more in response.

“Leaders from Scotland and Wales, as well as mayors in England should band together to pressure the UK Government into offering more support,” he said.

“Firstly, link up with the mayors in England, the First Minister in Wales and all sections of decent opinion in Scotland and Britain to demand a UK-wide change of policy on tax, benefit levels and heating help.

“One demand all could unite around is to restore the £20-a-week Universal Credit uplift taken from six million families a few months ago – worth £1,000 a year.”

SNP MP Peter Grant took to Twitter to attack Gordon Brown for not devolving more powers to the Scottish Parliament during his time at the top of Government.

“That’ll be the same Gordon Brown who refused to devolve control over pensions, benefits, employment, energy costs, VAT & excise duties, or Government borrowing, to the Scottish Parliament even when his own party were in power,” he said.