VAT Relief: Business Donations

Baroness Winterton of Doncaster Excerpts

Tuesday 19th May 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

I am not sure that it is for the Government to cap prices. We are working closely with supermarkets to ensure that they are keeping costs down, and competition is thriving in the sector to help keep costs down for consumers. The noble Baroness knows that we are absolutely committed to tackling poverty and ending mass dependence on things such as emergency food parcels and other charitable support. It is why, most importantly, we are tackling the root causes of child poverty and scrapping the two-child limit, which will lift 450,000 children out of poverty by the end of this Parliament.

[Baroness Winterton of Doncaster (Lab)]

My Lords, it can often be the case that the people who might benefit most from donations such as this are not always aware of the positioning of them. I wonder whether more could be done with local authorities to ensure that there is good signposting for people—perhaps, as the Minister said, through family hubs or schools—so that people know where to go in order to benefit from these donations.

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

I very much agree with my noble friend. It is one of the reasons why Sure Start was so important and so successful under the previous Labour Government. It was an absolute tragedy that the previous Tory Government scrapped the Sure Start scheme, and we saw a massive increase in child poverty as a result. My noble friend is absolutely right about signposting. To go back to the original Question, it is part of the good work that social supermarkets do in communities up and down the country.