High Peak MP Robert Largan gives his assessment of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's Spring Budget in his latest Glossop Chronicle column.

Last week the Chancellor delivered his Budget to cut the cost of living, improve our public services, and grow the economy. 

I am pleased that debt costs are down, mortgage rates are lower, and inflation has peaked. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility has also forecast that the UK economy will continue to grow over the next five years and that 170,000 fewer people will be unemployed compared with their forecast last autumn. 

Inflation is also set to fall to just 2.9 per cent by the end of this year, compared to a high of 11.1 per cent in October. This is crucial for helping to cut the cost of living. 

The figures are clear. The Prime Minister has put the UK economy on the right track to halve inflation, grow the economy, and reduce the debt. 

The Chancellor announced a range of measures to remove the obstacles that stop businesses investing, tackle the labour shortages that stop them recruiting, break down the barriers that stop people working, and harness British ingenuity to make us a science and technology superpower. 

The key measures announced include cutting taxes for businesses that invest in the UK; freezing fuel duty for 13th year in a row; introducing a Brexit Pub Guarantee so that beer duty will always be lower in pubs than in supermarkets; fixing 4 million potholes; establishing a new Universal Support programme for disabled people; and abolishing the Work Capability Assessment. 

To continue to helping families with energy bills, the Energy Price Guarantee, limiting typical household energy bills to £2,500 a year, will be extended until the end of June. The Government have also committed £200 million to cut energy bills for those on prepayment meters. 

This was also a very big Budget for helping families with young children! Working parents will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare per week, for 38 weeks of the year, from when their child is nine months old to when they start school. We’re also introducing reforms to help nurseries and childminders to increase the number of childcare places. This will make a huge difference to so many families in High Peak. 

So, that’s inflation down, debt down, growth up, energy bills capped, business tax cut, fuel duty frozen, duty on a pint frozen, more help to work and free childcare. 

We’re following through with our plan to halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce the debt, cut NHS waiting lists and stop the boats!

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