The Archbishop of Canterbury finds himself in political chaos, insisting there is no moral reason for tax cuts on the wealthiest
- Justin Welby said he was “deeply skeptical” about so-called trickle-down economics
- Archbishop of Canterbury expressed concern about tax cuts for the wealthiest
- The comments come as Truss struggles to keep her Premiership after about-faces
The Archbishop of Canterbury said he was “deeply skeptical” about the so-called trickle-down economy and warned there was “no moral reason” for government budgets to disproportionately affect the poorest.
On a tour of Australia, Justin Welby also supported climate activists and said he was concerned about a difficult winter.
Amid the chaos in the UK government, the archbishop raised concerns about tax cuts for the wealthiest.
And although he said he didn’t want to be “partisan,” the comments come as Liz Truss fights to retain her position as prime minister after dramatic policy U-turns.
On a tour of Australia, Justin Welby also supported climate activists and said he was concerned about a difficult winter
He told The Guardian that wealth should be distributed “to ensure that … those at the bottom end of the scale can both heat and eat” and expressed concern at how food banks were coping this winter. He also said the church should do more to promote action on climate change.
He said: “I will not take a partisan stance because both parties are deeply divided and I will not speak about Australia because I just don’t know the situation. But in Britain, the cost of living is a priority, and for the poorest.
“And from an economic perspective, I’m deeply skeptical of the trickle-down theory.
“You know, if you cut money for the rich, ever since Keynes wrote his general theory in 1936 he has shown very clearly that the rich save when they have enough to live on.
“So if you want to generate spending in the economy, put more money in the hands of those who need the money to buy groceries, goods and basic necessities.”
The comments come as Liz Truss fights to retain her position as Prime Minister after dramatic policy U-turns
He continued, “There are many ways to address the issue. It’s not an issue of inequality, it’s an issue of distributing wealth enough to ensure that those at the bottom end of the scale can both heat and eat and have a decent standard of living. And that is essential.”
He said he sees no “moral reason” for setting budgets that disproportionately impact the poor and expressed concern about how food banks would fare at home in the coming months.
The archbishop also appeared to support bigger and more urgent action on climate change.
When asked if the church should do more to encourage people to take action on climate change, he said: “Yes, they definitely should. It’s a lot of people. And they should be encouraging. And you know, they do, we do as much as we can together…
“Why are people holding back? Because it’s so easy for short-term issues to crowd out long-term ones.’
