BOTH Liz Truss’s energy cap announcement and her splurge of tax cuts for the rich will see millions of us falling into poverty while leaving the energy corporations’ obscene profits not only untouched, but potentially set to rise even further.

As Richard Burgon MP said in response to the energy statement on September 8, “Six months ago households had an energy bill price cap of £1,300. We are today being told that fixing prices at £2,500 is the best the government can do to help people. It’s not. Private energy profits are being put before the needs of the people.”

While we are in the middle of the deepest crisis for generations, the Tories are clearly more interested in doing the bidding of their rich backers than saving lives and livelihoods.

Too often we see the Labour front bench — while laying out some important political differences from the Tories on issues such as windfall taxes — not putting forward a radical, transformative package that will meet the scale of the crisis and other challenges ahead, including the climate emergency.

Both as a contribution to the debates in the Labour Party and across the wider labour and anti-austerity movement on the alternative we need, the Labour Assembly Against Austerity is calling for mobilisation and discussion around these 10 measures for a better economy and society in this vital period.

• Britain needs a pay rise — increase statutory sick pay to a real living wage for all from day one, raise the minimum wage to at least £15 an hour and public-sector workers must get the pay rise they are asking for.
• A social security system to end poverty — reverse the universal credit cut and extend the uplift to legacy benefits; boost and inflation-proof all benefits; for a minimum income guarantee.
• Control costs — freeze energy prices at April 2022 rates, cap rents and basic food costs.
• Stop the corporate rip-off — public ownership of energy, water, transport, broadband and mail to bring bills down and end fuel poverty; lower public transport costs; higher taxes on profits and the super-rich; open the books and back the workers’ commission on profiteering.
• Extra resources to create universal, comprehensive public services — stop cuts and privatisation to the NHS; establish a national care service; properly fund local government.
• Homes for all — no evictions or repossessions; tackle the homelessness emergency; fix the housing crisis with a mass council-house building programme.
• For the right to food — enshrine the right to food in law; universal free school meals all year; for a National Food Service.
• Decent jobs for all — end insecure working and ban zero-hours contracts; for the right to flexible work on workers’ not bosses’ terms; for full employment.
• Defend and extend our right to organise — reverse anti-trade union laws and repeal the anti-protest laws; ban fire-and-rehire; for full union rights to bargain for better pay and conditions.
• End austerity for good — invest in our future with a green new deal; end the dependency on fossil fuels and soaring oil and gas prices; for a massive investment in renewables, green infrastructure and jobs; insulate buildings to bring bills down.

To these ends, we need to mobilise now: this is the time to build movements all over the country saying that people must come before profits. It is time to put public need before corporate greed.

Add your name to the Workers Can’t Wait petition at: www.mstar.link/WCWpetition.

Liverpool event: Take the fight to the Tories — for socialist solutions to the crisis, Sunday September 25 17:30, ACC Liverpool, Auditorium 1C. Please note you need a Labour Conference pass to get into the venue.

With:  Dave Ward, CWU general secretary, Mick Lynch, RMT general secretary, Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, Ruth Hayes, Labour Women’s Committee, Cat Hobbs, We Own It, Diane Abbott MP, Rebecca Long Bailey MP, Richard Burgon MP, John McDonnell MP, Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP, Shami Chakrabarti and Kim Johnson.

Hosted by Arise: festival of left ideas and the Labour Assembly Against Austerity.