Prime Minister Liz Truss and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng have insisted their £45bn package of tax cuts announced in last Friday's mini budget is the "right plan" to get the economy moving, with the new Chancellor visiting Darlington on Thursday.
Kwarteng was in the region to visit one of Darlington's largest local employers, Cummins, speaking to employees about the Government's growth plans and the Investment Zones at the heart of them, with the Tees Valley Combined Authority and mayor Ben Houchen expressing interest in establishing such a zone.
However, the pressure is on Truss and Kwarteng to deal with the UK's current financial state first, after the pound hit a record low on Monday following the mini-budget. Kwarteng made his first public comments since Monday, saying that the package he announced in the Commons on Friday was "absolutely essential" if the economy was to generate revenues needed to fund public services.
