The Budget

It has been more like a Pantomime performance than the seat of power in the U.K.

As for the OBR report being released before RR’s statement, well along with all the pre-budget leaks, this government has more holes than my kitchen colander 🤷‍♀️

Lifting the two child Universal Credit cap will be popular with her backbenchers,

I wouldnt care if you could be certain the extra money actually went on the children and not to neglectful parents.

Child Poverty would be better served through free school meals - term/holiday - and free handouts of school uniforms, shoes and books.

My concern with the scapping of the 2 child cap. How do they know/measure that this extra money is actually used for the benefit of the children? I'm sure some parents will use it for their children but some will use it to fuel their habits/ lifestyles that don't benefit these children.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

This government doesn't want anyone to run a business or give anyone a job.

There seemed to be quite a lot of measures mentioned at the start of the speech, particularly help for start ups and help for apprenticeships amongst other things.

100% agree with you 'Boz'

Wyllow3

sundowngirl

Why on earth is she looking to lift the 2 child cap when recent polls show nearly 70% are against it being removed and she has a 37 million black hole to fill

To receive pressure on the poorest families of course, food banks, and it's not a waste of money as it will be spent as per consumers spending money and boosting the economy.

It's not just the image conjured up of the "Very deprived". Ordinary families on low professional type incomes are struggling too.

But if 70% of the electorate are against the removal of the child cap - why is she not listening to them rather than the back benchers??
The circumstances of a small minority people with 3+ children may change, but not for all. Many people would like another child but they can't afford to. There is no guarantee that the extra money raised by lifting the cap will benefit the additional children and do you really believe it will 'boost the economy'?

If we didn't have this 'big black hole' then maybe we could afford to be more generous but at the moment we should not be increasing the spending in an area that 70% of the electorate disagrees with. You my be in agreement with lifting the cap but the majority are clearly not

winterwhite

I think that RR should have kept her nerve and increased income tax. We need to pay more to improve public services. I hope she commits to an overhaul of the council tax system.

These odds and ends she seems to be proposing risk annoying everyone without achieving enough.

I agree.
And what’s all that about taxing electric vehicles by 3p a mile? Apart from electric cars being greener how will this work in practice?
I knew RR would give in to the left of the Party by getting rid of the two child cap.Benefits bill going up by billions more now.
RR should have just increased income tax in the last Budget instead of the odds and ends and saying not to worry and that she wouldn’t be coming back for more this year.
If RR really believed the two child cap should go then she would have done it last year, instead she said that our country couldn’t possibly afford it.
Be interesting to read what business leaders think of this Budget.

sundowngirl

Wyllow3

sundowngirl

Why on earth is she looking to lift the 2 child cap when recent polls show nearly 70% are against it being removed and she has a 37 million black hole to fill

To receive pressure on the poorest families of course, food banks, and it's not a waste of money as it will be spent as per consumers spending money and boosting the economy.

It's not just the image conjured up of the "Very deprived". Ordinary families on low professional type incomes are struggling too.

But if 70% of the electorate are against the removal of the child cap - why is she not listening to them rather than the back benchers??
The circumstances of a small minority people with 3+ children may change, but not for all. Many people would like another child but they can't afford to. There is no guarantee that the extra money raised by lifting the cap will benefit the additional children and do you really believe it will 'boost the economy'?

If we didn't have this 'big black hole' then maybe we could afford to be more generous but at the moment we should not be increasing the spending in an area that 70% of the electorate disagrees with. You my be in agreement with lifting the cap but the majority are clearly not

It’s not rocket science. Research shows that the two child limit on Universal Credit is a major driver of child poverty.
In the year to April 2024, 4.5 million children in the UK, 31% of all children, were living in poverty after housing costs. This represents a record high, with 100,000 more children in poverty than the previous year. Approximately 3.1 million children are in "deep poverty" (with a household income below 50% of the median).

It won’t boost the economy sundowngirl in fact nothing put forward in this Budget will do that.
I really believe that Starmer and Reeves should go.

I wonder how those critics would pay for schools, healthcare, police, prisons , roads etc since they don’t want to pay any tax? I think she should have just raised income tax and put up with the inevitable flak, which she’s getting anyway.

Babamaman

And the media will rant and carry on for weeks !
I’d like to know what isn’t taxed? Just remove all taxes! Let us keep our money and spend spend spend!
There isnt a party that won’t raise taxes

How will you pay you health, NHS, and security, (police/russia etc) and if you don’t look after the young, (education, food) who will pay your pension?

GrannyGravy13

It has been more like a Pantomime performance than the seat of power in the U.K.

As for the OBR report being released before RR’s statement, well along with all the pre-budget leaks, this government has more holes than my kitchen colander 🤷‍♀️

It has been widely reported that the OBR has taken full responsibility for the leak and apologised accordingly.
How do you feel about this?
"Reeves told the House of Commons: “Today I am announcing funding for training for under 25 apprenticeships completely free for small and medium-sized enterprises."

It is suggested Reeves and Starmer are fighting for political survival, hence this welfare sop to the back-benchers., with the hope that the economy revives by the next election to absorb the tax hikes.
Probably a waste of time as the electorate is still on target to vote in Reform leaving Labour with about 4 seats we are told!
The polls should be interesting this week

Pathetic response by Badenoch

"Conservative leader Badenoch calls the Budget a "total humiliation" and says Reeves is hiking taxes to pay for welfare.

Well, what is wrong with hiking taxes to pay for welfare, goodness knows we need the welfare boost, small tho it is.

And are have in fact mainly taxing those who are better off.

As it should be, but not in a way that will drive the very rich out..

And the markets like it

By 15:15, the effective interest rate on the benchmark government bond was down about 0.05 percentage points from the moment the OBR document first emerged - indicating increased faith in the state of the UK's public finances
The pound was up around half a cent against the dollar

But just watch for those DM and Telegraph headlines tomorrow morning 😬

She's done a good job in very difficult times.

I am in exactly the same position. I think the majority of women had their pensions returned when they had a family, then worked part-time, so have a very small pension now, which takes me over pension credit. Every year we pay more tax on our small income. They really need to unfreeze the tax allowance.
I have been widowed for a long time and think very few single women pensioners are comfortably well off.

My post was meant to be addressed to liloldlady.

Mamie see my post of 13.59.25 today.

If we can jump through RR’s hoops, we will consider taking on an apprentice.

I'm sure I would be considered to be on the full state pension. However, I can't pay back what they haven't given me! Had a letter saying it would be on its way but no sign yet. But I can't believe they're wasting more taxpayers' money making one decision and then reversing it. All this faffing takes a lot of administration.

I thought Kemi Basenoch's response was vicious, vindictive and spiteful.

"deep poverty" In the UK in 2025.

Shameful.

Mamie

GrannyGravy13

It has been more like a Pantomime performance than the seat of power in the U.K.

As for the OBR report being released before RR’s statement, well along with all the pre-budget leaks, this government has more holes than my kitchen colander 🤷‍♀️

It has been widely reported that the OBR has taken full responsibility for the leak and apologised accordingly.
How do you feel about this?
"Reeves told the House of Commons: “Today I am announcing funding for training for under 25 apprenticeships completely free for small and medium-sized enterprises."

That sounds really good Mamie. The greatest problem with Apprenticeships is that companies are not offering them. Colleges are doing what they can but perhaps this will mean more are offered.

Someone on Facebook summed up the budget beautifully
If you are on benefits, you will get more benefits and if you pay tax, you will pay more tax

Not as bad as I thought!
Onward I go !!

I am definitely not impressed with the so called Tourist Tax

This will make people think twice about an overnight stay or a weekend away in the U.K.

Another nail in the coffin of the hospitality sector.