Labour launches local elections campaign with focus on cost of living – UK politics live
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04.42 EDT Labour highlights 13 'key cost of living measures' coming into force within next week as it launches local elections campaign As Jessica Elgot reports in her overnight story on the Labour local elections launch this morning, Keir Starmer will also highlight what Labour is doing to help people with the cost of living. In his news release issued ahead of the launch, Labour has highlighted more than a dozen measures coming into force within the next week that it says will help people with the cost of living. Here is the list. Key cost of living measures coming into force on 1 April: -Prescription charge freeze, keeping prescriptions under £10 -National Living Wage (age 21+) rises to £12.71 an hour - 4.1% increase -National Minimum Wage (age 18-20) rises to £10.85, under 18 £8, apprentice £8 -Energy bill support - average £117 reduction on household energy bills, applied to all households on top of £150 Warm Homes Discount for millions of low income households. -Benefits uprating - most inflation-linked benefits to rise by 3.8% (CPI Sept 2025) -Child benefit increases -Crisis & Resilience Fund launches (replacing Household Support Fund). New £1 billion per year fund begins April 2026.Offers: Cash‑first crisis payments; Housing payments (replacing Discretionary Housing Payments) -Healthy Start vouchers increase by 50p a week Key cost of living measures coming into force on 6 April: -State pension uplift - increasing by 4.8% rising to £241.30 per week -Two child limit removed - expected to lift 450,000 children out of poverty -Statutory Sick Pay rights from day 1 -Day one entitlement to paternity leave and unpaid parental leave -Universal credit standard allowances receive an additional 2.3% uplift
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