To ask if you were Prime Minister for a year, how would you combat the cost of living?

Our country is not being broken by benefit recipients. Or immigrants. Or pensioners. Or children.

It's depressing to see our problems being diminished and ignored in favour of culture wars. The poorest and most vulnerable sectors of society did not break the UK. They don't have that much power.

Our country is being broken by rising welfare dependency among people who have been permitted to come here despite having no educational background that will ever allow them to be self-sufficient here.

Learn to read and interpret statistics.

The numbers of the people you describe are a tiny proportion of the overall number of UC claimants. 76% of UC claimants are white.

www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-9-january-2025/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-9-january-2025#:~:text=White%20is%20the%20largest%2C%20high,from%20the%20white%20ethnic%20group.

PS that’s new immigrant household who have arrived in the last 5 years, not established ones who came decades ago.

It’s not prejudice. It’s fiscal prudence. Our country is being broken by rising welfare dependency among people who have been permitted to come here despite having no educational background that will ever allow them to be self-sufficient here. I think the figure in recent years has been that only 15% of immigrant household are net tax contributors.

The PP mentioned her Das came as a child and I do think that’s different. Clearly a child doesn’t make a choice to move somewhere. But adults do and our government shouldn’t offer visas to people who will require taxpayer support. It didn’t used to. It’s been creeping in over time, but is very much a Boris Wave problem.

My mum (also an immigrant) claimed child benefit. My dad claimed PIP for 5 years before he reached state pension age because he retired 5 years early due to ill health (first cancer and then a neurological condition that started post treatment). He now claims Attendance Allowance. My grandmother (another immigrant) was a housewife and mother and only worked when her children were older. She received what used to be called widow's pension when my grandfather (horrors, another immigrant!) died. She now requires care that is being part funded by the local authority.

But I guess in your world my sick father and grandmother should just be sent "home" away from their family and main sources of support because they have become old/ill and require some state support and are therefore now no longer useful contributing immigrants, but burdensome ones?

Once again, fuck off. I do not spare the feelings of racists.

Honestly, it's disgusting to see the incredible depths of some people's prejudice.

The idea that someone who may have lived here and contributed to the system for several decades, who has built their life here and chosen to become a British citizen, should be denied access to benefits if they are unfortunate enough to fall sick or become disabled or otherwise fall on tough times, simply because they weren't born here?

You clearly misunderstood. I said we want immigrants who contribute and I agree they should get NHS access when they become citizens. What we shouldn’t do is give welfare to immigrants (something your parents have not taken). Welfare should only be for those people who are already here because they are our responsibility. We shouldn’t foist our welfare dependent people on other countries and they shouldn’t on us.

Oh fuck off. My parents are both immigrants and have contributed more to this country than a lot of people born here have. My dad came here as a child. He has nobody where he was born and gave an entire working life's worth of taxes. His money is as good as yours to the state and he's earned his NI the same as you lot.

I’d abolish the royal family.
kill off everyone over 80.

sorted.

Slash spending and taxes

I agree that immigrants who naturalise as British citizens (like your Dad) should be able to access the NHS, but not welfare. It’s. Privilege to have the opportunity to live in another country. Immigrants should, like your Dad, expect to contribute not take. If they can’t afford to live in the country they have moved to, they should go home. But for the initial 4 or 5 years that an immigrant is here on a visa they should have comprehensive health insurance.

It's a tax on transactions on the financial markets. Trading stocks and bonds etc. Even a tiny tax of less than 0.1% per transaction would provide a decent tax yield.

Find a way of capping profit utility companies and corporations can make along with supermarkets etc . The fact we have thousands of, 100s of thousands of people who are struggling to feed their families and heat their homes and yet the likes of Tesco and British Gas and the water companies are basically rubbing in our faces how much profit they are making and it’s sickening .

Companies shouldn’t be allowed to give silly contracts and then use staff to fill shifts as overtime . We need proper contracts and companies should be forced to employ people in the uk if they want to trade in the uk and take our money . We need jobs and we need proper secure employment to get people off benefits. The benefit system is propping up the companies being able to take advantage of staff whilst making record profits. A retail worker is given a 10 hour contract for example and then they still have to claim benefits . Most people WANT to work , it’s just finding the jobs to give us enough money to support our families .

We are living in "interesting" times, so have limited control over CoL.

We need Targeted investment.

If I was PM, I would build houses and invest in Defence. I would gather a team of Backlog Busters who would move between Civil Service departments to hit backlogs. I'd tax gambling more. And I'd introduce a year long Robin Hood tax.

I would also strengthen ties with the EU.

I’d let non working spouses / single parent have what was the married person allowance (so you’d get an additional tax allowance if you have children to support.
i would aggressively go after non paying exes. Why are we paying for your children?
id look at people paying themselves dividends and up that.
good luck with en masse building of social housing- most people accept a housing shortage- but nobody seems to want a social housing estate actually built.
ban the triple lock.
stop pampering OAP’s. Some are incredibly wealthy (even if that’s only via property) if they can’t afford ‘mansion taxes’ they need to move.
i would also expect young people in certain professional careers to be educated at uni free- with the proviso they stay in ‘national service’ (no private practice) for a decade

So my Dad has worked here for 54 years and paid taxes, every single year shouldn't get free NHS treatment. He has volunteered for over 20 years at tthe community hut as well. Yet the racist cow next door who has never worked ( or probably done any for anyone) should. Right. British born means fuck all. Just luck. I prefer to reward good deeds. People that improve the country through being decent, working hard. paying taxes, helping their community and improving the world. Not those that do fuck all for anyone but their own family.

I also don't think a goal should be reducing food prices. The UK has insanely cheap food by global standards as a proportion of income, and it's damaging our food security, and farms can't keep going. We only have 24 hours food supply in the UK at any one time. I appreciate prices have really risen but the issue there is really wage stagnation and other rising costs. I'd want to make it easier for people to afford good quality food by freeing up more of their income.

Reduce the taxes and levies that make energy so expensive. Cheap energy would help everyone. Warm homes without the need for WFA. Cheaper transportation costs. Cheaper business costs. More money to employ people. Job creation would generate prosperity.

I'd also reduce business rates on high street shop spaces for small independent retailers. Our local town now only has charity shops (not business rates for charities) opticians and, more recently, barbers. There are boarded up shops. Reducing the cost of opening a high street shop would encourage entrepreneurs and job creation.

I’m a bit dumb. How does trump affect what happens with the COL in the UK?

Actually, I'd rejoin the EU. Simple.

I would approach Google, Amazon, Facebook etc and start negotiating better tax. No they’re not going to pay 25% corp tax here but I would negotiate more than they are currently paying with incentives. If they refuse I’d threaten a ban.

I agree with the idea of universal free (or very cheap) childcare. One of the many benefits would be encouraging women to build their careers and remain employed, therefore reducing financial vulnerability in case of divorce.

I’d have scrapped rollover tax. I’d have taxed shit plastic from abroad massively and put a huge tariff on Ukranian Egg

Wealth tax, universal free childcare (all projections show this has a net positive impact on national budgets). I'd start to phase out the triple lock, which is crippling us and disproportionately benefits the wealthiest pensioners, and reinvest that in affordable housing and community amenities and education and health. Basically start to move money from the older wealthier, to the younger and poorer. I'd need more than a year though!

I wouldn't freeze the income tax thresholds, I'd tax wealth more instead. This helps people feel like increasing salary has more of an impact on their finances.