Jeremy Hunt yesterday blew the chance to deliver fairness for all as his Budget lavished more gifts on the wealthy.
The Chancellor handed £3.8bn in tax breaks so the 1% of fatcats can squirrel away more cash in their pension pots.
Labour said anyone with a £2million pension could now save as much as £275,000 in tax.
But Mr Hunt gave nothing to millions desperate for a boost in the crippling cost of living crisis, denying workers including nurses, teachers and paramedics a fair pay rise.
Here, Mirror readers give their verdict on the Budget - and they are not impressed...
MUM-OF-THREE: They’re damaging our mental health, I’m worried all the time
A struggling mum said Mr Hunt’s cash boost for suicide prevention work was essential because “the Government has damaged our mental health”.
“It’s a problem the Government contributed to, so they absolutely should be investing that money,” she said.
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Jackie Coxon, 35, who has three children under the age of five, told the Mirror: “We need help. It has been shocking.
“The cost of living crisis affects my mental health. I worry about the gas and electricity being cut off. I’ve had to choose buying food over paying the bills.
“I’ve got a debt relief order now to help but I know I’ll be in trouble with the gas and electric soon.
“I was dreading every knock on the door, thinking it was going to be bailiffs. I’m still anxious all the time about money.”
Speaking from home in Hull, Jackie said: “The poverty levels here are what you expect in a developing country, not a privileged country.”
FAMILY OF THREE: I don’t think this will change our day to day life
Ganesh Naghu, 35, lives with his wife and six-year-old daughter in Ashton-under-Lyme, Greater Manchester, where he works as an IT consultant.
The family have seen their energy bills rise three fold in the past year, yet he says there is nothing in the budget that would benefit his family.
He says: “The emphasis of the Budget should have been on the Cost of Living Crisis, with measures to relieve the strain families are going through right now.
“But I don’t think this will change our day to day life. Those who are suffering because they can’t afford food will continue to suffer, and most people’s energy bills will stay the same.”
He says he was surprised to hear Jeremy Hunt say that inflation is falling. “Go into the supermarket and you’ll see that every two weeks, every month, prices are going up.
“They say inflation is at 10% but for most things it’s much more than that. Inflation is definitely not coming down.”
With little left over at the end of each money, Ganesh says he has had to switch off radiators and shop at budget supermarkets, and was hoping to see bills coming down in yesterday’s budget.
He says: “Instead of increasing the taxes for the people who earn millions, we are the ones who are suffering. They should be trying to lower people’s energy bills, not just keep the price cap for a little longer. We want to see our bills go back to where they were two years ago - when are they going to promise that?”
SINGLE MUM: It’s terrible... there’s no help with the cost of just existing
Single mum Carly Newman, 37, lives with her four-year-old son Ezra in her privately-rented flat in New Cross, south east London.
Carly, who works four days a week as a senior manager for a national charity but qualifies for universal credit, says she was hoping for help with rising energy bills.
“He kept the cap for another three months but that won’t impact me because my bills aren’t as high as the cap. But my bills have risen a lot, up to £250 this month, which £100 more than last month.
“So it was disappointing not to see more around energy payments, which is affecting everyone and especially single parents who only have one salary to pay for everything.
“Overall there wasn’t a lot that’s going to benefit me personally. And there wasn’t really anything to help with the cost of living, the cost of food, the cost of just existing, which is going up so much.”
She said the help with childcare costs was “positive, but it’s not coming into place soon enough. It means a whole year for people to still be struggling. Also, it’s still only during term time, so for some people that still won’t be affordable.
“But the news about upfront childcare payments for people on universal credit, rather than paying it in arrears, is good. It would have been really helpful to me and will be a huge benefit for some people.”
Most people won’t believe inflation is coming down though, she says.. “It’s still eye-watering at over 10%, and normal working people aren’t getting pay rises anyway near that.”
PENSIONER: ‘It only helps the rich so I won’t vote Tory any more’
Retired NVQ assessor Peter Marciniak , 71, lives in Nottingham with his wife Jayne, 65.
A staunch Conservative voter for decades, he says the Budget has convinced him the Tories are only about the rich.
He says: “They’re not helping the normal person. None of this cracks it for me. As a pensioner who’s worked all his life, my wife and I are now barely keeping our heads above water.
“They’ve abolished the pensions cap, which was £1.07m, and raised the yearly allowance to £60,000. Where are they getting these figures from? I couldn’t put away £60,000 a year when I was working, and who has a million pound pension pot? It’s the same old story, they’re just looking after the rich.”
Hunt could have done more to help people struggling to pay huge energy bills, he adds. “I don’t use £2,500 a year in electricity. But I’m being charged £190 a month, and that will now go up because he’s not extending the help we were getting on bills.
“They should be taxing the oil and gas companies, lowering VAT, give pensioners free TV licences, all these things would help, but nothing in that budget is helping me.”
Peter says he and his wife have now cancelled their annual holiday and are even considering getting a job at their local Aldi to help them get through. “Everything’s going up. We go once a year to the same hotel in Spain, but the price is £1200 higher compared to last year and we can’t afford it.
“We’re getting into a freezing cold bed at night. It’s like returning to the 60s, and the Government isn’t helping us at all.
“I’ve voted for them since Maggie Thatcher, but not any more. They are only for the rich. I’ll be voting Labour next year.”
