Families face council tax rise of more than £100 to fund social care and police forces Town halls will be able to increase council tax by whopping 5 per cent next year Chancellor Rishi Sunak made the announcement on in Parliament on Wednesday The measure is intended to help fund local social care and police … Read more
Rishi Sunak delivered a formidable speech in the Commons yesterday. The Chancellor’s calm manner and mastery of detail filled me with confidence. His message was that, although Britain is in an ‘economic emergency’, the Government is prepared to spend lots of money we don’t have in order to get us out of it. Better times … Read more
Fury as it emerges Rishi Sunak’s figures for spending review were drawn up BEFORE the Oxford Covid-19 jab was announced Tory MPs were left furious after the OBR said projections did not account for jab The projections were based on Britain facing virus restrictions until next summer OBR’s main scenario assumed a ban on household … Read more
Rishi Sunak vowed to plough £100billion into road, rail and broadband projects yesterday. The Chancellor refused to renege on the Government’s plan for ‘once-in-a-generation’ infrastructure spending. Despite the Covid hit to the economy, he said he was pressing ahead with the highest sustained level of public investment in more than 40 years. Mr Sunak told … Read more
Public sector pay will be frozen next year – but nurses, doctors and the lowest-paid will still get a rise, Rishi Sunak said yesterday. The Chancellor said he could not justify a ‘significant, across-the-board’ hike for the public sector given the difficulties faced by private firms. Many businesses, particularly in retail and hospitality, have been devastated … Read more
Rishi Sunak has developed a flinty side. Unveiling his spending review yesterday, he displayed a grave, gritty mien. Previous Sunak speeches have been sadder affairs – all puppy-dog eyes and regretful delivery. But this time he coarsened his voice and stiffened his brow. He seemed older, weightier, more substantial. High office has hardened him. There … Read more
With Britain in the throes of its greatest peacetime economic emergency, it’s hard to find reasons to be cheerful. Yet, in the midst of the catastrophic figures published yesterday, let’s not forget barely three days have passed since a great British university (Oxford) and a British pharmaceutical giant (AstraZeneca) delivered on the promise of a … Read more
Rishi Sunak appeared to take inspiration from Margaret Thatcher today as he insisted the role of government was only to facilitate the growth of individuals, families and communities. The Chancellor’s comments as he unveiled his spending review had echoes of a wider Thatcherite vision of the nation, as espoused by the former prime minister in her … Read more
Britain’s coronavirus-ravaged economy will plunge even further if it fails to agree a Brexit trade deal with the EU, ministers were warned today. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said that UK GDP could fall an additional two per cent next year if no agreement is in place before December 31. This is on top … Read more
Rishi fails to rally FTSE with pledge to splash MORE cash: London markets tumble with 42-point slide by 0.65% to 6,390 as Spending Review lays bare Britain’s grave economic state FTSE 100 down at 6,390 soon after Rishi Sunak began speaking in Commons Index of Britain’s biggest companies had been up at 6,464 in early … Read more