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Jeremy Hunt‘s first normally scheduled budget – or Spring Statement – has happened, after his emergency Autumn Statement undid some of the harm from Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng‘s economy-ruining mini budget.
He referenced that bit of firefighting, without qualification.
Today is Budget day.
Last year we stabilised the economy, today we deliver the next part of our plan – growth.
Tune in at 12.30pm to watch live here on my Twitter. pic.twitter.com/7fM4sZlZFu
— Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) March 15, 2023
Captain of the Titanic:
"Right lads, we've stabilised the ship by hitting that iceberg…" https://t.co/biAYYTuOvn— Tony Schumacher (@tonyshoey) March 15, 2023
Ahead of the Commons statement, we knew much of what to expect – due to leaks of things like keeping the energy price guarantee for three more months and expanding eligibility for childcare.
A child born in Sept 22 will not be eligible for the full childcare package until Sept 25 by which time they would have been eligible for the 3 yr old offer anyway.
This is a promise to children who arent born yet to be paid for and delivered by the next government. #Budget2023
— Toby Perkins MP (@tobyperkinsmp) March 15, 2023
Hunt introduced his four Es – Enterprise, Employment, Education and Everywhere, with ‘everywhere’ presumably having been bunged on the end because it’s a lot trickier to say ‘three Es’.
Goodness me!
A huge groan as we realise half an hour in and Jeremy Hunt’s only just reached the second of his four Es. #Budget2023
— Toby Perkins MP (@tobyperkinsmp) March 15, 2023
‘Environment’ was right there for the taking, but instead he declared nuclear power sustainable.
Jeremy Hunt is right that nuclear power certainly is environmentally sustainable. The environment at Chernobyl reactor No. 4 has sustained the same since 26 April 1986.
— Count Binface (@CountBinface) March 15, 2023
He introduced the ‘Brexit Pubs Guarantee’, which promises lower tax on draught drinks in pubs than their equivalents in supermarkets.
Anyway, at least we now know what the Brexit dividend is.
Not £350m a week for the NHS, but 11p off a pint in the pub.
The Brexit Pubs Guarantee. Reassuringly expensive.— The New European – Think Without Borders (@TheNewEuropean) March 15, 2023
There were only two minor issues with the move, intended to encourage people to go to pubs instead of drinking at home – people can’t afford to go to the pub and the EU had no input on how drinks were taxed, so Brexit has nothing to do with it.
The statement has been dubbed ‘The back to work budget’, due to measures to encourage the over-50s, stay-at-home parents and those on disability benefits back into the workplace – sadly not with an above-inflation wage increase.
High rate taxpayers already see their yearly pensions contributions subsidised at a higher level than everyone else
And the govt has now increased that yearly allowance from £40k to £60k & lifted the cap on the lifetime pensions allowance
Rich pensioners just got a LOT of ££££
— Nadine Batchelor-Hunt (@nadinebh_) March 15, 2023
Hunt’s disability plans put 1m at risk of losing £350 a month, IFS says
Bloody Hell!! WTF?!!
https://t.co/aS92o1dqtP— Claire
#RejoinEU GTTO
(@fbpe_h) March 15, 2023
Waiting for Jeremy Hunt to get to the ‘childcare’ bit is like waiting for my four-year-old to finish a story.
— Simon Harris – Man Behaving Dadly (THAT’S DADLY) (@simonharris_mbd) March 15, 2023
Here’s a glimpse at how Twitter reacted.
1.
BUDGET DAY!!! Yay! Couldn't sleep last night thinking about what Papa Commerce would leave under my silver budget tree (what can I say, I'm a sucker for tradition)…let's check!!
Oh it's a chalky white dog shit and a Post-It note with "you're welcome. J Hunt x" written on it.
— Sooz Kempner
(@SoozUK) March 15, 2023
2.
"British ale is warm, but our Tory hearts are frozen"#Budget2023
*Brexit Pubs Guarantee* pic.twitter.com/bzVIAHN0AM— Parody Rishi Sunak (@Parody_PM) March 15, 2023
3.
Another symptom of our horribly corrupted media landscape sees Chancellors leak entire budgets to friendly newspapers because the spin is more important than the substance.
— James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) March 15, 2023
4.
Laughter in the House of Commons as Jeremy Hunt talks about the threat to "community facilities, especially swimming pools" by high energy bills. pic.twitter.com/cByJSTvlNj
— Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) March 15, 2023
5.
“Now call it a Brexit Pubs Guarantee….” pic.twitter.com/edC8wA7vyx
— JR.Hartley’s Armchair (@JRsArmchair) March 15, 2023
6.
2016: SUNLIT UPLANDS!
2023: ᵇʳᵉˣⁱᵗ ᵖᵘᵇˢ ᵍᵘᵃʳᵃⁿᵗᵉᵉ
— Toby Earle
(@TobyonTV) March 15, 2023
7.
Budget seems to be going well, we haven't spooked the markets and lost £30b yet.
— THE SECRET TORY – CBE
(@secrettory12) March 15, 2023
8.
BREAKING The Chancellor of the Exchequer has decided not to turn up for the Budget statement today because he hasn’t anything left to announce that hasn’t already been leaked or briefed to the press.
— Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) March 15, 2023
9.
#Budget2023 pic.twitter.com/fEjLbKY5Bd
— Captain Howdy (@MajorPazuzu) March 15, 2023
10.
Hunt seems to be in alternate reality – totally forgotten the public sector pay crisis. He gives huge tax breaks to big business & lets greedy fossil fuel giants off the hook with windfall tax loopholes – yet *still* can't give public sector workers a decent pay rise #Budget2023
— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) March 15, 2023
11.
Think I saw The Brexit Pubs Guarantee at Cambridge Folk Festival in 2006
— Liam Thorp (@LiamThorpECHO) March 15, 2023
12.
No 10 makes U-turn on planned cut to energy bill support after Rishi Sunak receives his first statement since the pool went in.
— Have I Got News For You (@haveigotnews) March 15, 2023
The post 27+ favourite things people said about the budget appeared first on The Poke.
