Labour will cap bus fares at £3 per journey from next year, the Prime Minister Kier Stramer has announced
The move follows a weekend of speculation that the previous £2 cap would be abolishe in this week’s budget when the current scheme comes to an end at the end of the year
The announcement came as the Prime Minister gave a speech in the West Midlands ahead of his government’s long-awaited first budget
Starmer warned of a “long, difficult path” to change Britain, but promised his budget for “working people” would “fix the foundations” for businesses and the public
He also said it would include £240m to help people back into work and invest in public services to prevent “devastating austerity” but he warned it was “fiction”to suggest you can lower taxes and invest in public services.
Keir Starmer said that it is “time to embrace the harsh light of fiscal reality” and “ran towards the tough decisions because ignoring them set us on the path of decline”.
He continued: “That is our choice. Stability to prevent chaos. Borrowing that will drive long-term growth. Tax rises to prevent austerity and rebuild public services. We choose to protect working people. We choose to get the NHS back on its feet. We choose to fix the foundations reject decline and rebuild our country with investment.”
The prime minister also promised to be “ruthless in clamping down” on government waste and tax avoidance to “show the British people that every penny counts”.
