The 1924 Labour Government & the Free Breakfast Table
The first Labour Government which took office on 22nd January 1924 was not in Government long enough to achieve much of significance.
One achievement however was the promotion of the Free Breakfast Table. This didn’t mean free breakfasts but rather the reduction of taxes on items that were thought to be essential parts of it.
In his Budget in late April 1924 Labour Chancellor Philip Snowden cut taxes.
Sugar duty was cut, taxes on tea were halved and there were also cuts in the cost of coffee, chicory, cocoa and dried fruits (mainly prunes).
The demand for a free breakfast table had originated with the Liberals in the 1860s and became an important part of their programmed. Snowden was a member of the Independent Labour Party but had been bought up with Liberal politics in Halifax
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