NI election 2022: People Before Profit launches manifesto

People Before Profit launched their manifesto in Londonderry on Thursday

People Before Profit has called for an emergency hardship payment of £1,000 to be given to all households struggling with the cost of living crisis.

The party is also demanding the executive imposes tighter price controls on energy, fuel and food.

The proposals are contained in the party's manifesto, which was launched in Londonderry on Thursday.

The party is running a record 12 candidates in the hope of adding to the one seat it won in 2017.

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Speaking at the launch, outgoing assembly member Gerry Carroll, who is standing again in Belfast West, said the rising cost of energy and food bills was the key concern for voters on the doors.

"Now is the time to throw political convention out the window and now is the time for people to deliver their verdict on the executive's failure to stand by families when it mattered," he said.

"We are calling for £1,000 to be given to those households hardest hit by the crisis and legislation to cut and freeze rents.

"Now is the time for bold thinking and that includes inflation busting pay rises for all workers but the five Executive parties are incapable of acting."

The party's proposals also include increasing the minimum wage to £15 an hour.

The 33 page manifesto sets out the party's plan to deal with the health crisis, which includes ending privatisation and the "outsourcing of services and recruitment", which the party claims cost the public purse £27m during the Covid pandemic alone.

The party's other priorities include legislation to cut and freeze rents, taking private energy companies back into public ownership and a push for an Anti-Poverty Act.

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