Rishi Sunak today sparked fears of a future return to lockdown after he extended the furlough scheme to the end of September and announced grants for the self-employed will also continue. The Chancellor used the Budget to confirm that furloughed workers will continue to receive 80 per cent of their wages for the next seven … Read more
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn today accused Chancellor Rishi Sunak of stealing the economic policies of his hard-Left Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell for a radical Budget that will set Britain’s course for years. Mr Corbyn told the Commons many of Mr Sunak’s announcements, including furlough, the Green Industrial Revolution and the relocation of civil servants … Read more
Rishi Sunak faced fury from charities, MPs and care groups today after failing to provide any extra help for hospitals, care homes or medical research. Care home bosses accused the Chancellor of ‘betraying’ elderly residents, claiming he had once again ignored the cash-strapped sector which has been ravaged by Covid. Boris Johnson originally promised to … Read more
Rishi Sunak carefully positioned himself at the top of the staircase of No11 for his latest pandemic Budget photocall in a marked change from his official photo line up from last year. The 5ft5 Chancellor displayed a calm demeanour as he and his Treasury team gathered on the flight of stairs and looked up at the photographer … Read more
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was today accused of being ‘ineffective’ after mocking Rishi Sunak’s love of social media in his response to the Tory Chancellor’s radical Budget. The Chancellor announced that income tax thresholds are being frozen until 2026 and corporation tax is being hiked from 2023 as he revealed the Government’s ‘unimaginable’ £407billion … Read more
Rishi Sunak faced fury from charities, MPs and care groups today after failing to provide any extra help for hospitals, care homes or medical research. Care home bosses accused the Chancellor of ‘betraying’ elderly residents, claiming he had once again ignored the cash-strapped sector which has been ravaged by Covid. Boris Johnson originally promised to … Read more
Price of cigarettes will NOT rise as Rishi Sunak leaves tobacco duty out of his 2021 Budget after hiking cost by 22p a pack in November Tobacco duty will rise in line with inflation, Treasury announced earlier today It follows an increase back in November that saw the cost of tobacco rise by 22p Tobacco … Read more
Rishi Sunak today unveiled the eight sites for the first freeports to be created in England. The Chancellor used the Budget to confirm the locations of the ‘special economic zones’ that were first announced in the Tories’ 2019 election manifesto. East Midlands Airport, the Suffolk ports of Felixstowe and Harwich, the Humber region in Yorkshire, … Read more
Budget 2021 at a glance Here are the main points of Rishi Sunak’s Budget today: Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) predicts economy will return to pre-Covid levels by the middle of 2022, six months earlier than previously though. OBR forecast economy will grow this year by 4 per cent, by 7.3 per cent in 2022, … Read more
Sir Keir Starmer accused Rishi Sunak of using today’s Budget to ‘paper over the cracks’ that have opened up in the UK economy during the Covid pandemic – as he took aim at the Chancellor’s love of social media. The Labour leader goaded Mr Sunak after he presented his plan to restore the nation’s finances, … Read more