Sinn Féin’s Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill has written to British prime minister Boris Johnson seeking immediate action to help families in Northern Ireland struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
The move came amid growing concerns over the spiralling cost of fuel following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ms O’Neill said that the UK government needed to immediately scrap excise duty on home heating oil, reduce tax on fuel and take a number of other measures.
The Irish Government announced a cut in the excise duty on fuel on Wednesday.
Speaking to the media at Stormont, Ms O’Neill said: “The cost-of-living crisis is crippling so many families.
“So many people now are struggling to heat their homes, put fuel in their cars, put food on their tables.
“There are things the British government can do with immediate effect, with urgency, and I am calling on Boris Johnson to act now, to step up and deliver for families who are struggling right through this crisis.”
Slow to act
She added: “What we need to see is the duty on home heating oil scrapped immediately, what we need is a reduction on the tax on fuel prices, what we need to see is the National Insurance hike to be axed, what we need to see is the big corporations who are making profits off the back of the ordinary person, they need to be taxed and the money needs to be put back into the pockets of workers and families.
“And what we need to see is the changes stopped in the use of red diesel.
“These are things that can make a real practical difference to people’s lives and I am urging the British government to do those right now.”
Ms O’Neill said the British government has been slow to act compared with governments across the world.
She also said the ability of Stormont to make decisions which would help people struggling with rising costs has been hampered by the DUP decision to collapse the Executive in protest at the Northern Ireland Protocol.
She said: “There have been a whole range of initiatives taken forward by different ministers to try and support individuals right now but we have limitations, the DUP have walked away, they have hampered the ability of ministers here to bring forward initiatives which may support people.
“They have walked away and we are now left with a £300 million (€357 million) budget which we cannot spend.”
