Conservatives plunging couples into a Cost of Loving Crisis

The Liberal Democrats have accused the Government of leading Britain into a ‘cost of loving’ crisis ahead of Valentine’s Day, with loved-up couples set to fork out more for their night of romance this year.   With inflation at its highest level in nearly three decades, an analysis by the party has found that the average couple having a romantic night in will pay out £89.08 for the full works this Valentine’s Day, representing an extra £6.02 (7.25%) compared to last year to wine and dine each other and leaving partners with less bang for their buck.   A Parliamentary Question tabled by Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney has also unearthed that the Treasury has made no assessment as to what impact inflation has had on the price of Valentine’s Day staples, such as flowers, chocolates and bottles of bubbly.   It comes as families are bearing the brunt of the wider cost of living crisis, with energy prices set to soar alongside other bills in April while the Conservatives’ stealth tax raid and national insurance hike - a broken manifesto promise - hits them in the pocket.   The Valentine’s Day menu - Dec 2020 vs Dec 2021 Item   % rise £ rise £ current price Steak (/1/4 kg) 13% 0.47 4.08 Potatoes (/1/4kg) 6.15% 0.08 0.35 Cakes 6.4% 0.13 2.25 Flowers 7.8% 2.17 30.00 Box of chocolates 1.7% 0.16 5.00 Wine (per 175ml glass) (1.71%) (0.07) 4.02 Beer (lager) 4% 0.20 3.95 Total (Steak x2, Potatoes x 2, Cake x1, Flowers x2, Box of Chocs x2, Wine x1, Beer x1) 7.25% £6.02 £89.08   Liberal Democrat Business Spokesperson, Sarah Olney MP, said:   “It’s not just butterflies leaving couples with a fluttering feeling in the stomach this Valentine’s Day, with the soaring price of their romantic dinner all together hard to swallow.   “The Conservatives have been asleep at the wheel, sending us headfirst into a cost of loving crisis through their inaction and broken promises. It shouldn’t take a candlelit dinner for some respite from skyrocketing energy bills.    “Love might be in the air this weekend, but so is the financial security of so many couples. It’s high time the Conservatives throw them a ‘lover’s lifeline’ by reversing their unfair tax hikes - there would be no better gift this Valentine’s Day”.