Labour left red-faced after leaked ‘cheat sheet’ to help MPs seem normal revealed
LABOUR bosses have issued their politicians with a “cheat sheet” about the cost of bread and milk – so they don’t slip up in interviews.
MPs and MSPs have been handed a 29-page “Briefing Pack” by aides – detailing the latest “lines to take” when grilled by journalists.
The leaked document – dated September 24 and marked “confidential” – includes a page titled “Price of Milk/Bread Cheat Sheet” in case they are hit with the age-old question aimed to see if politicians are in touch with normal people.
But the inclusion is likely to spark claims that party bosses do not trust their parliamentarians to know the costs of essentials.
The cheat sheet explains the average price of a loaf of bread is £1.40, with a dozen eggs sitting at £3.23, a kilo of sugar at £1.18, and a pint of milk at 65p.
The list also reminds MSPs and MPs when people start paying tax, with a detailed breakdown of income tax thresholds.
And it states what the average weekly pay for people in the UK is, alongside the median household income of £32,300, how much the minimum wage is worth, and how much child benefit pays.
Tonight, Scottish Conservative MSP and party chairman Craig Hoy said: “Whatever happened to the self-proclaimed ‘workers’ party’?
“It’s astonishing that Labour MPs and MSPs are so out of touch that they need to be told how much a loaf of bread and a pint of milk cost.
“The public were already dismayed at the grasping behaviour of Keir Starmer and his cabinet of freeloaders, but this patronising crib sheet on the price of everyday essentials will have them shaking their heads in disbelief.”
The wider document also suggests responses to any awkward questions on the donations and freebies row, the controversial pay packet of the PM’s chief of staff Sue Gray, and a “core script” declaring “change has begun”.
The leaked document obtained by The Scottish Sun comes after a blazing row over both the cut to winter fuel payments – ending a £300 payment to millions of pensioners.
And it follows a series of scandals of gifts of clothes to senior Labour figures including Sir Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves, and Angela Rayner – as well as donations to the party from tycoon donor Waheed Alli.
The document also advises parliamentarians to completely avoid the issue of negative briefings from Number 10 – which last week focused on Ms Gray’s £170,000 salary – and are told to instead focus on public energy firm GB Energy and other Labour policies.
MPs and MSPs are also given exact lines on whether they should accept things other than clothes, with them told to say rules apply and “that’s a good framework, it’s the right framework” – a direct quote from Sir Keir Starmer.
And on the cut to winter fuel payments, those defending the party are told to admit it was a “tough decision” but to claim they are “protecting pensioners”.
They are also told to say that “tough decisions will be necessary” when asked whether there will be tax rises at the Budget, set to be outlined by the Chancellor on October 30.
The document also softens the party’s pre-election claim that Labour would reduce bills by £400 to £500 by 2029 – as revealed to The Scottish Sun in the days before the July election.
Instead, they now say £300 savings will be hit, but only if “we deliver a clean power system by 2030”.
But Labour, when asked about the document, took aim at the Tories.
A spokesperson said: “This week one of the potential Conservative leaders has said she wants to slash maternity pay, whilst the others are either taking lumps out of each other or lining up behind Liz Truss in tin-foil hats. They should be refining their own political arguments, not obsessing over ours.”