This is Labour’s new campaign poster. Leaving aside the gibberish of “Hardworking Britain Better Off”, which is impressively even worse than “A Future Fair For All”, readers will spot a glaring problem.
I’m no fan of the VAT increase, but if the Opposition are going to criticise it then they should probably know which items VAT applies to. Here’s a run-down of the different items in the ad:
Peas: No VAT
Choc-chip biscuits: No VAT
Carrots: No VAT
Grapes: No VAT
Apples: No VAT
Onions: No VAT
Peppers: No VAT
Sweetcorn: No VAT
Cabbage: No VAT
Mushrooms: No VAT
Canned food: No VAT
Pickled goods: No VAT
Ketchup: No VAT
Beer: Standard rate VAT (but the Coalition has cut Beer Duty)
Fizzy drinks: Standard rate VAT
Cleaning products: Standard rate VAT
As one Twitter user pointed out, a more accurate poster would read: “The Coalition put £6,250 on the price of a Ferrari, and nothing on the price of vegetables.”