Rachel Reeves has been accused of “cancelling Christmas” as Britons hit the shops on “super Saturday”, the busiest shopping day of the festive season.
Speaking to GB News’s Yorkshire and Humberside reporter Anna Riley, Britons took aim at the Chancellor and urged people to “prioritise what they need” this Christmas.
Millions are expected to flood shopping centres on what’s to be the busiest retail day of the year, with postal deadlines also ending today.
It’s now or never for that Christmas prep, but after retail sales slumped in November, the question is whether today’s spending spree will be enough to give our struggling economy that much needed boost.
Telling Anna what they are shopping for today, one man told GB News: “I’ve been shopping for food, and I bought maybe two or three small presents.
“Because under this regime that we’re suffering from at the moment, Rachel from accounts has literally cancelled Christmas. I have to say that.”
Delivering an urgent plea to fellow Britons, he added: “What I would say to everybody out there is literally just prioritise what you want to do in the next couple of weeks.
“If it’s putting the heating on, put the heating on.”
Rachel Reeves has been blasted by shoppers as Britons prepare for Christmas on ‘super Saturday’
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GB NEWS / PA
Also expressing his fury at the Government for how they are handling the economy, another Leeds shopper fumed: “I never shop online, never, never, never shop online.
“But I think the shops have been hit badly for the obvious reasons, what both Governments have been trying to do.
“Footfall has fallen as we know and I think it’s appalling what’s going on.”
Aiming to avoid the rush of shoppers on “super Saturday”, one young Leeds local said she got up early to do her final bit of shopping.
Shoppers hit out at the Government’s handling of the economy as retail data shows Britons are being driven away from the high street
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GB NEWS
She said: “I’m buying wrapping paper and some socks, last minute gifts. And I’m doing it early in the morning because it’s so busy and traffic is very heavy.”
Admitting she is unprepared for Christmas, one Leeds local said she is on the hunt for something “lovely” for her husband.
She told Anna: “I have no idea what I’m shopping for, actually. I’m hoping to be inspired by something, and see something lovely for my husband that he’s not expecting.”
Asked by Anna if he is normally “last on the list”, she responded: “Always! I’ve gotta sort everybody else out first, wrap everything up, but I hope there’s something there with his name on it.”
Shoppers got up early this morning, hoping to avoid the rush of the crowds
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GB NEWS
Following Rachel Reeves’s Budget, grim retail data has shown that Britons had been driven from the high street after the tax-raising statement, just as businesses hoped to draw them in for the festive season.
Black Friday sales at November’s end were unexpectedly poor, and stores have already warned how December has been catastrophic.
And the new year is “expected to start on a gloomy note for the retail sector” too, according to the CBI (Confederation of British Industry).
The CBI said this month’s performance as “poor” based on its retailer survey, with bricks-and-mortar and online sales both dropping compared to last year.