Viewers raced to share their complaints.

 

BBC Breakfast

Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty fronted BBC Breakfast on Thursday (Image: BBC)

BBC Breakfast announced that the Labour Party is introducing a new measure aimed at helping tackle the cost-of-living crisis. Later today (May 21), Rachel Reeves will announce that children aged five to 15 will travel for free on participating local buses in England in August. The £100m fare-free scheme is designed to relieve some of the ongoing cost-of-living pressures in the country.

BBC Breakfast presenters Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty handed over to political correspondent Henry Zeffman, who explained: “This is going to form a package of cost of living pressures. The main one we’re away of is that in England, on certain local buses, children aged between five and 15 will be able to travel for free in August.”

Henry explained that the measure is intended to ease cost-of-living pressures for families, which the government expects to intensify in the coming months.

The announcement drew criticism from several viewers, many of whom argued that children would not be travelling for free, but rather at the taxpayer’s expense.

“Can’t be free. Funded by tax payer,” one wrote as a second fumed: “And taxes go up to cover the cost, heaping more pressure on the cost of living.”

Another echoed: “Wasting my taxes again, why do I bother working when the government just p**s it away?”

A fourth added: “They will NOT travel for free. They will travel paid for by the taxpayers. EVERYTHING that is ‘free’ is paid for by those who work!”

The announcement was criticised by another viewer, who remarked: “Feels like another breakfast club announcement. Aimed at grabbing a headline in showing they are tackling cost of living. But in reality, doesn’t really change anything does it?”

Someone else said: “I find it puzzling that children in households receiving multiple allowances are being offered free transport over the summer, yet people over 60 – who are still below pension age – are excluded entirely. How is this considered a fair or balanced decision?”

Henry also revealed the government is expected to suspend tariffs on more than 100 different types of products including biscuits and chocolate.

He added: “Yesterday, Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer announced the government was postponing a 5p increase on fuel duty. That’s now going to stay at its current rate until the end of the year. These will all be wrapped together in a government brand which is going to be called, ‘The Great British Summer Savings’.

“I think this is the government trying to signify that for all the leadership turmoil that there’s been in the Labour Party over the past few weeks, and is clearly going to be over the coming weeks and months, they still have, as their number on priority, the cost of living and measures they hope will ease those pressures for at least some of those households.”