UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s spring budget is a tricky one in terms of timing. Having announced a set of steadying measures in the autumn statement after the Truss/Kwarteng debacle, this budget is likely to be the last but one before a 2024 general election. This makes it a little early for eye-catching tax cuts or business boosts.
Instead, Hunt will probably give a strong indication of how the government intends to tackle the cost of living crisis and deliver on the five pledges made recently by the prime minister, Rishi Sunak – namely to halve inflation in 2023, grow the economy, reduce national debt, cut NHS waiting lists and pass new laws to prevent small boats of immigrants. So what’s on the cards?
