Middle East: Economic Response

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle Excerpts

Monday 1st June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

It really does take a Brexit zealot to say that. Cutting tariffs may gain us 0.001% of GDP whereas Brexit itself has cost us a minimum of 4% of GDP, although estimates now say that it ranges from 6% to 8%. We are seeking to mitigate at the margins the huge damage done to the UK economy by Brexit, so the idea that this is some kind of Brexit benefit is absurd. Should we in due course re-enter the European Union? My personal view is that that is an inevitability: of course the UK will at one point re-enter the EU because that is absolutely in our national economic interest. In the meantime we are doing the European reset, and that is incredibly important in helping growth in our economy.

[Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (GP)]

My Lords, a number of the questioners on this Statement have referred to the small scale of many of the measures in the Statement. One of them is that it confirms that bus travel across England will be free for children aged between five and 15 through the month of August. That might be compared to Scotland, where Green Party policy was brought in and continues with free bus travel permanently for all those under 22. Will the Government at least consider extending this measure to a broader age group and over a longer period? The Minister referred to the Milburn review. Young people often need to travel on buses to go to training, to job interviews and indeed to jobs, and free bus travel would be a great help to them.

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

I find myself having the unusual experience of agreeing with the noble Baroness. Bus use is incredibly important. It is highest among lower-income households for trips outside of London. People in the lowest household income quintile make around 1.7 times as many trips as the average person and 3.7 times as many of those in the highest income quintile, so it is a very progressive policy. I am pleased that the Chancellor was able to provide the DfT with over £100 million of additional funding for free bus travel for children aged five to 15 for the month of August. That costs £100 million just for one month, so this is not an inexpensive policy. Clearly, extending it further would be a matter for the next spending review.