GOVERNMENT U-TURN ON WINDFALL TAX LEAVES EGG ON FACE FOR RUGBY TORIES WHO OPPOSED THE MEASURE IN FEBRUARY COUNCIL MEETING 

Leader of the Labour Group of Councillors at Rugby Borough Council, Cllr Maggie O’Rourke has highlighted how the Chancellor’s U-turn on introducing a windfall tax on oil and gas companies has left local Tories in a difficult position given their opposition to Rugby Labour Councillors’ call for the measure in a February council meeting. 

Cllr O’Rourke said:

“The local Conservative Councillors were scathing in their opposition to our call for a windfall tax on the oil and gas  companies back at Council in February.

“During the council meeting they said it would make the energy companies go bust and make us reliant on Russia to provide our energy.

“Now that their leadership in Westminster has performed another embarrassing U-turn, it’ll be interesting to know whether their views change. 

“Yet again, Labour have been shown to be on the side of ordinary people who are suffering from the Conservative Cost of Living Crisis. Keir Starmer’s team didn’t just oppose the government, they came up with a practical suggestion five months ago and it was opposed by the Prime Minister, who was distracted by trying to save his skin after breaking the law and presiding over lawbreaking in Number Ten.

“I’m glad that the government has seen sense and is now backing Labour’s sensible policy of ensuring that the unearned windfall profits made by the oil and gas companies is taxed so that families in Rugby and across the country get the support they deserve.”

Rugby’s Conservative councillors had vigorously opposed a Labour council motion in February during the full meeting of Council, that had urged the Council to write to the UK Government and Tory MP Mark Pawsey asking them to “act now on tackling the cost-of-living crisis facing Rugby families and support them with the escalating costs of household energy bills”, including by “introducing a year-long increase to corporation tax for North Sea oil and gas producers in order to secure £1.2 billion windfall from their increased price rise profits to help mitigate household energy bills.”