Boris Johnson’s newly appointed cost-of-living tsar David Buttress has told brands to spend less on marketing and more on lowering their prices.
As the cost of living crisis rages on, Buttress’ job will be to deal with problems faced by people feeling the pinch of increasing fuel, food and essentials.
The co-founder of Just Eat told the BBC that he would encourage his “old friends and colleagues… to help the British people”.
He intends to make ‘real practical interventions’ to get brands, grocers and utilities to lower costs.
“If you think about all the money that’s spent on marketing and doing deals to promote some of the big leisure activities that the British people enjoy – let’s take some of that money.”
“Let’s refocus it on what really matters to people which is making their prices more competitive so their money goes further and they can still enjoy a good day out as a family.”
READ MORE: Cost of living crisis: Consumers want brands to price products fairly, IPA reveals
Acting as expert advisers to the government, tsars are often tasked with comprising reports and bringing different perspectives to social dilemmas.
As Buttress enters this new unpaid role, inflation currently sits at 9%, a 40-year high. The Bank of England has also warned that it could go beyond 11% towards the end of this year.
He added: “There’s a really important job to do here – I think it says everything about this government and the prime minister that actually they’re putting someone like me in place, who really cares about it, who wants to make a big impact in this area.”
“I don’t think I have to convince anyone. I think what I have to do is get off my backside and offer some practical things in place around those areas we’ve discussed that hit people’s real lives.”
“None of us should be sat here looking around the room thinking who else can take responsibility for this.”
“All of us are in it together, which is why I want my old colleagues in business and industry to come to the party in the next six months and help.”
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