Skip to main content
Starmer urged to demand proper controls on soaring food prices
Pressure piles from Labour's left as Downing Street considers ‘voluntary’ price caps on basic items
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer speaking during the British Chambers Commerce Annual Global conference, at the QEII Centre, London. Picture date: Wednesday May 17, 2023.

LABOUR’S left urged leader Sir Keir Starmer to “seize the initiative” and demand proper controls on the soaring price of food today after reports suggested Downing Street is only considering a voluntary scheme for profiteering supermarkets.

A proposed opt-in system, modelled on a similar agreement in France, would allow bosses to choose a limited number of items to cap, according to right-wing newspaper the Sunday Telegraph.

The possible move, which comes as food inflation hits an eye-watering 19.2 per cent, has been compared to pricing controls introduced by then-Tory PM Edward Heath in the 1970s, but Downing Street stressed any initiative would not be compulsory.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
bill
Britain / 19 August 2026
19 August 2026
The skyline of Canary Wharf in London as the cold snap continues to grip much of the nation, February 14, 2021
Banking / 28 July 2026
28 July 2026

Burnham urged to raise taxes on banks after Barclays reveals 30% rise in pre-tax profits

A view of the Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm amongst existing electricity pylons on the Romney Marsh in Kent
Climate Crisis / 27 April 2026
27 April 2026
Kids on swing
Poverty / 27 September 2025
27 September 2025