GB News delivers Don’t Kill Cash letter to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt: ‘Promise you won’t kill cash’
GB News delivered the Don’t Kill Cash letter to Downing Street
GB NEWS
GB News presenters have delivered a letter to Number 11 Downing Street, urging Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to ensure the “freedom to spend our cash how we want, when we want”.
Nigel Farage was joined by Bev Turner, Michelle Dewberry, Patrick Christys, and Liam Halligan to continue calling for action on behalf of nearly 300,000 GB News viewers and listeners who have signed the Don’t Kill Cash petition.
GB News’ Don’t Kill Cash campaign calls on the government to introduce legislation to protect the status of cash as legal tender and as a widely accepted means of payment in the UK until at least 2050.
Within the letter, Hunt was told: “Millions of people, many of them the oldest and most vulnerable in our society, face the chilling prospect of being denied access to basic services and shops.
“We all understand change is necessary, but we fear they will be perilously cut adrift if the march of technology turns into a sprint, leading us too quickly towards a cashless society.
“Our campaign has been backed by MPs from all parties, charities, unions, and most importantly, the British public.”
More than five million adults still rely on cash in the UK, with the form of payment being used in six billion transactions each year.
Speaking outside Downing Street, GB News presenter Michelle Dewbury said the "crux" of the campaign is to ensure people have a choice whether they pay by card or cash.
She added that for some people, cash is a budgeting tool. The presenter said: “In this cost of living crisis, it's so easy to lose track of your spending when you’re just ‘contact this’ and ‘contact that’.
"A lot of people don't have that luxury of all this cash in the bank. They have to have their money in front of them so they can see, 'This is what I've got, this is what I'm spending and this is what I am left with'."
GB News unveiled a giant piggy bank outside Parliament today as pressure mounts on the Government to protect vulnerable Britons who rely on cash.
GB News' Economics and Business Editor Liam Halligan said: "We know that over a million households in this country don't have a bank account, they don't have debit cards.
"We know that five million Brits rely on cash each day to fulfil their basic needs. We know that increasing numbers of shops don't want to take cash, they don't want the cash handling costs."
The Don’t Kill Cash campaign has gained cross-party support from MPs.
Ron Delnevo, campaign committee chair of the Payment Choice Alliance, told GB News cash is a "lifeline" for millions of people in the UK.
He added that many find cash helps them to manage budgets better.
He said: "Cash allows the public - all of US - to manage our personal finances better. When you spend the £20 in your wallet, you know exactly what you have bought and how much it has cost you."
Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told GB News: “I’ve been contacted by lots of constituents who are really concerned about the impact this is all having, and I think for older residents, it’s really important that we’re maintaining access to cash.
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GB News unveiled a giant piggy bank outside Parliament as part of the Don't Kill Cash campaign
GB NEWS
“So I think it’s about getting that balance right. Of course, for many people, using contactless or using card payment is really easy and straightforward. But I know for lots of people especially those on tighter budgets or some of our older residents, they would like to keep that option open of being able to pay by cash, but also having access to cash because increasingly as branches have closed on our high streets, it’s tougher than ever for people to access cash. We need to make sure we are protecting that access as well with cash machines.”
RMT union leader Mick Lynch also expressed his support for the campaign, telling GB News: “It becomes more and more difficult for those on low budgets, for instance, who use cash as a means of controlling their weekly and monthly spend.
"Because if you take a fixed amount of money and budget to that it means you're in control, to some extent, of your life.
"And if you're just doing it on the card or some kind of tap method you can quickly run out of control of your life."