WEST WORCESTERSHIRE MP Dame Harriett Baldwin has accused the Chancellor of dodging difficult decisions on defence and welfare spending in his underwhelming Budget speech today.
And the MP warned that tax burdens on working people and pensioners are now at an all-time high and local people are being hit by extra cost of living pressures with inflation which has been above its two per cent target for two years.
Chancellor John Healey, who resigned from his job over an inadequate defence spending commitment under Keir Starmer’s leadership, has now failed to meet the three per cent commitment by 2030 leaving our country and our armed forces less safe.
Independent analysis shows that unemployment is set to peak at 5.1 per cent next year and changes to employment rights will mean that fewer new jobs will be created, especially for young people.
And the Labour financial plan will mean that the welfare bill is set to rise by £57 billion and debt interest set to increase by £14 billion.
Dame Harriett said: “The Government has set out a Budget that dodges all the difficult decisions, and it is shocking that a Chancellor who resigned over defence spending commitments under the previous Prime Minister was not able to keep to his pledges whilst in his new Treasury job.
“The Conservative party has set out a plan to tackle welfare, cut the deficit, increase defence spending and deal with the youth jobs crisis. This Chancellor needs to get welfare under control but all of the difficult decisions have been kicked down the road.
“It is clear that the Government continues to run scared from its own backbenchers and I hope that the Chancellor will find his backbone and do right by the country.”
