The chancellor has unveiled cuts to the cost of supermarket staples including baked beans, gherkins and chocolate ahead of his major Budget announcement this week.
John Healey has announced the removal of import tariffs on over 100 products, as Andy Burnham pledges to deliver “breathing space” for families and businesses in the first Budget under his leadership.
The move is one of a series of so-called “everyday fixes” announced before the Budget on Wednesday, and comes alongside changes to parental pay and carers allowance.
Products expected to see their tariffs cut also include jams, marmalades, garlic and toffees, alongside kerosene and fertilisers.
Meanwhile the chancellor announced he will make the 55p per mile tax-free mileage rates permanent, and that parental pay will be extended to more than 150,000 additional parents per year, including self-employed dads and partners.
The prime minister said the changes will “make life a little easier” for Britons, and said: “At Wednesday’s Budget, we’ll go further to give families and businesses the breathing space they need today, while we build a stronger economy, transform our country and bring down cost for people long-term.”
Healey should move focus to cheap power over net zero at Budget, Blair says
Chancellor John Healey should use the Budget to change the focus of Britain’s energy strategy from net zero to providing a cheap supply to consumers, Sir Tony Blair’s influential think tank has said.
The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) also said the Government should use its forthcoming 10-year plan to lay out a series of reforms aimed at making energy cheaper in the UK.
Energy prices in Britain are among some of the highest in Europe, and the G7 group of countries, in part because of a significant dependence on natural gas, which often sets the overall price of electricity.
Gas prices have risen because of the wars in Iran and Ukraine, which has had a knock-on effect on energy prices.
In its latest report, released on the eve of the Budget, Sir Tony’s think tank has said the Government should replace its Clean Power 2030 strategy, which aims to decarbonise the grid, with a new “cheaper power mission”, the central aim of which is to bring down the price of energy.
The Budget could be the start of this, the TBI said, by introducing a programme which rewards businesses which use electricity at off-peak times, and in areas which do not place huge demand on the power system.
Burnham opens up biggest lead since general election after 100 days in office
Labour continues to increase its lead in the polls as the party sees its highest ratings of this parliament, according to a new survey.
The latest figures from Ipsos show that Andy Burnham’s party is now eight points clear of the Conservatives for voting intention, at 32 points to 24. Reform UK is placed third on 20 points in the poll.
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