By Ben Kerrigan-
Jeremy Hunt insists his Budget will get young parents and over-50s back into work, and it will not just benefit the rich who are saving for retirement.
The chancellor said he plans to expand free childcare in England , scrap the £1m cap for tax-free pension savings, and fill in a million vacancies across the Uk and make firms grow faster
Offering a ray of hope to British workers, Mr Hunt claimed the UK economy will avoid a recession
He said eligible working parents with children as young as nine months old in England 30 hours of free childcare is a key part of the plan , adding that it will not be introduced fully until September 2025.
Mr Hunt said he would like to have extended childcare help sooner, but it first needed a big increase in the number of childminders and nurseries.
As well as scrapping the £1m cap on the amount people can save for their pensions before it is taxed extra, he increased the annual tax-free allowance on pensions from £40,000 to £60,000
He rejected the criticism that it was a “Budget for the rich”, allowing people who are already well off to save more for their pensions, he said: “Well, of course we want to help older people who want to stay in work.
“By definition, they will generally be on higher salaries, but nearly five times more help is going to young parents to help them with childcare costs, a nearly 60% reduction in childcare costs of £6,500 a child.
“That will make a huge difference to families. But also it will make a huge difference to businesses who worry, particularly smaller businesses that they are losing valuable employees when they start a family.”
The government’s independent forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), says the chancellor’s policies are likely to add about 110,000 people to the UK workforce, depending on how they react to the various incentives.
Asked why after 13 years of a Conservative government a whole generation is not doing as well as their parents had, Mr Hunt said his growth plan meant “better jobs and better opportunities”.
“We had half a million people who left the labour force during the lockdowns, that’s an effect you haven’t seen in other countries and that’s why I’ve announced the measures I’ve announced today to encourage people back to work,” he added.
One senior government figure described it as “a steady as she goes Budget”, after the turbulence of Liz Truss’s short-lived premiership.
The OBR said the UK economy will shrink by 0.2% next year, which is better than previously forecast and does not, technically, count as a recession.
Inflation is forecast to fall from 10.7% in the final quarter of last year to 2.9% by the end of 2023.
Living standards are still expected to fall by the largest amount since records began, according to the OBR, but the decline will not be as bad as it had forecast in November.
The economy is predicted to return to growth – but house prices are projected to fall by 10% by 2025.
That move, dubbed a “stealth tax” by critics, is due to come into effect next month and will increase government income by £29.3bn a year.
Meanwhile, there was no announcement in this Budget of extra money for public sector pay, as a wave of strikes by workers including junior doctors, teachers and rail staff continues.
In his speech, Mr Hunt also pledged an expansion in wraparound care at the start and finish of the school day for parents with older children and changes to staff-to-child ratios in England to expand supply of childcare, although the target date for the measure was September 2026.
And he announced plans to abolish Work Capability Assessments, which he said would “separate benefit entitlement from an individual’s ability to work”.
As from 2026, the government will use another test, currently used to assess eligibility for Personal Independence Payments, the main disability benefit, to decide if someone is eligible for additional payments.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “After 13 years of his government, our economy needed major surgery, but like millions across our country, this Budget leaves us stuck in the waiting room with only a sticking plaster to hand.
“A country set on a path of managed decline, falling behind our competitors, the sick man of Europe once again.”
SNP economy spokesman Stewart Hosie said: “It’s truly pathetic that the chancellor has failed to cut energy bills, despite having ample resources to do so.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “This Budget shows the Conservative Party is so out of touch they might as well be living on another planet.” Jeremy Hunt and Rishi Sunak had a chance to show they care about the cost-of-living crisis that’s hitting millions of Britain’s families and pensioners but they failed miserably.