‘Easing the cost of living is only possible because of the stability we’ve brought back to the economy, and by keeping a grip on spending’, the Chancellor writes for The Sunday Mirror
In just a few days I will deliver my second Budget as your Chancellor.
Working families will be at the front of my mind as I set out how we will cut NHS waiting lists, cut national debt and cut the cost of living. These are the priorities of the country and my priorities as your Chancellor.
Cutting NHS waiting lists because we promised we would pick the NHS up from its knees, reverse the years of austerity inflicted on us by the Tories, and stop patients languishing for months before getting the treatment they need.
Cutting national debt because there is nothing progressive about spending £1 in every £10 on debt interest, when that money should be going into our schools, our hospitals, our police and our communities.
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Cutting the cost of living, because I know it remains the number one pressure on households. High prices, which are painful for all, hit ordinary families most. Mirror readers will know that the economy isn’t working for working people, and for too many it feels stuck.
That’s why in my Budget on Wednesday I will take action to grip the cost of living. This Labour government has already made choices to ease pressure on households.
We have extended the prescription charge freeze to keep the cost of prescriptions under a tenner. Frozen rail fares for the first time in 30 years so that working families aren’t having to fork out even more money just to get to work or school.
Rolled out breakfast clubs in schools to ensure over half a million children don’t start the school day hungry, and save working parents around £450 a year. And cracking down on ticket touts, making it cheaper for music lovers to go to gigs.
These are just a few examples of how we’re helping people with everyday costs. My promise to Mirror readers is that my Budget will go further.
Easing the cost of living is only possible because of the stability we’ve brought back to the economy, and by keeping a grip on spending so that we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past.
That’s why we’re cracking down on waste and fraud, so every pound goes where it’s needed, whether that’s on asylum spending, scrapping police and crime commissioners or cracking down on fraud in the welfare system.
This will be a Budget for you and your family. A Budget to build a fairer, stronger, and more secure Britain.