Reform have been slammed after revealing they would end the two-child benefit cap to fund a 5p reduction in pint prices.
The Telegraph reports that on Tuesday, Reform leader Nigel Farage will set out a five-point plan to protect pubs.
One of the headline announcements will be that his party will cut beer duty by 10 per cent. If landlords pass this duty cut onto punters, this will see the price of a pint fall by 5p.
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Whilst on the surface cheaper beer sounds like a policy that most would support, there has been anger over how Reform would fund the beer duty cut.
According to the Telegraph, the cost of the overall package of measures will rise from £2.29bn in the first year to £2.9bn in the fourth year, and would be fully funded by reinstating the two-child benefit cap.
Last year, chancellor Rachel Reeves abolished the cap in a move that is set to lift some 450,000 children out of poverty.
There was plenty of angry reaction to the policy on social media, with many saying that if it comes to choosing between 5p off a pint or thousands of children not going hungry, there isn’t really much debate to be had.
One person summed things up perfectly when they wrote: “So my pint will be £4.75 instead of £4.80 but children will go hungry? Nah I’m alright thanks. I’ll just pay the 5p.”
Another said: “Children will starve so that you can save less than 1% of the price of your pint.”
A third labelled the policy “one of the worst I’ve ever heard.”
Others described it as “utterly warped” and a “good summary” of Reform.
The other measures Farage is set to announce on Tuesday include a commitment to the staggered abolition of business rates for all pubs over the course of four years and halve the current 20% rate of VAT across the whole hospitality sector.