Labour Party 24/04/2014 Party Election Broadcasts for the European Parliament

All across the country, millions of families are waking up

to a Britain in which they find it harder to get on.

Whilst the Government keeps telling people everything is fixed,

many are finding that hard work

no longer stops the pound in their pocket getting smaller

or the bills getting harder to afford.

Under David Cameron,

gas and electricity bills have increased by more than ?300

for an average family,

whilst the energy companies are making huge profits.

Meanwhile, childcare -

not a luxury but an essential for millions of working families -

gets harder to find and more expensive.

Under David Cameron, the cost of a nursery place has risen 30%

and there are 500 fewer Sure Start centres

and 35,000 fewer childcare places.

Whilst claiming to be cutting taxes,

David Cameron has put up taxes 24 times on hard-working families.

His increase in VAT alone has cost the average family ?450

by putting up the price of dozens of everyday essentials -

a cost of living crisis for many working people.

However, there is one group that he does care about.

David Cameron's priority has been the most privileged,

who have been handed huge tax cuts

worth many thousands of pounds every year,

while personal debt for ordinary families is rising

and their wages continue to be squeezed.

And now the Tories are planning another tax giveaway

for the top 1% of earners.

Thanks to the Liberal Democrats,

the average young person is now going to leave university

weighed down with more than ?30,000 in student debts and loans.

Some of them will take more than 20 years to pay it off.

That's a lifetime of debt before they have even started work.

And all because the Liberal Democrats wouldn't keep their promises

and because every day Nick Clegg is propping up a Tory government.

No wonder young people are finding it harder than ever

to get on the housing ladder.

Under David Cameron and Nick Clegg,

the average working person is a shocking ?1,600 worse off a year.

Dealing with this Government's cost of living crisis

has never been so important.

Britain can do much better than this.

Britain should work for hard-working people, not just a privileged few.

Labour will...