UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailJeremy Hunt could raise revenue on air passenger duty in order to fund tax cuts in this week’s Budget.The chancellor is considering a number of options that would allow him to commit to billions of pounds of personal tax cuts after recent forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) gave the chancellor less fiscal headroom than previously thought.On the list of options is an increase in air passenger duty of business travel, which would amount to a rise in business class air fares.He is also said to be considering a tax on vapes, an extension of the windfall levy on oil and gas producers, abolishing the non-dom tax loophole and abandoning perks for second homeowners who make money from holiday lets.Follow our live Budget coverage here Mr Hunt is paving the way for a mass tax giveaway in Wednesday’s pre-election Budget, with speculation around cuts to income tax or national insurance. The chancellor will unveil his spring budget on Wednesday The Treasury is said to be considering cutting 1p or 2p from national insurance or income tax. Mr Hunt told Sky News that his last cut of national insurance in the autumn statement in November was a “turning point” and he hopes “to make some progress on that journey”.The chancellor is also planning to use the Budget to insist he can make public services more efficient, having announced plans to make the civil service more productive through the use of AI and better data.Mr Hunt is widely understood to be pursuing tax cuts in the hope of drumming up support for the government, despite recent polling showing that the public do not want to see tax cuts at the expense of public spending.In a survey by the Fairness Foundation, 64 per cent of voters support keeping taxes as they are or increasing them, while just 16 per cent say they want tax cuts if it means cutting public services.Jeremy Hunt hinted that he would be looking to cut taxes but insisted it would be in a ‘responsible’ wayOn Sunday, Mr Hunt said he had a “moral duty” to put more money back in workers’ pockets, but insisted any tax giveaways would be “responsible”.Mr Hunt told Sky News: “It’s going to be a prudent and responsible budget for long-term growth.” Conservative MP Sir John Redwood told TheSunday Telegraph that tax cuts should not be paid for with tax rises and that he “would strongly recommend that they forget all these new taxes and extra taxes and get on with the real job which is lower taxes”.Mr Hunt’s spokesperson declined to comment. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailAll eyes are on Jeremy Hunt this week as the chancellor is set to announce his latest spring Budget.Many will be wondering what to expect, how Mr Hunt’s statement will impact their finances, and what it signals it sends about the Tory party ahead of a looming general election.Measures including further tax cuts and public spending reductions are widely expected to be revealed on Wednesday (6 March), with senior Tories hinting that the chancellor could give the green light to either national insurance or income tax, to try and woo voters back.Asked if such cuts could come at the expense of cutting public services, the chancellor pointed to his record of championing extra investment in the NHS while he was health secretary.Another scheme Mr Hunt is reportedly looking at is a “vaping products levy” which would be imposed on imports and manufacturers of vapes to try and make them unaffordable to children.So, how will the proposals in the spring statement affect your bank balance, wage slip and disposable income – if at all? And when will any changes come into force?What will Wednesday’s announcement reveal about Mr Sunak’s plans for the Tory party – and do national insurance cuts make things harder for Labour? Will the spring statement be the last gasp of a dying government or a clever play to win back voters after a long stretch of political turmoil?If you have a question on the spring Budget, submit it now, or when I join you live at 3pm on Wednesday 6 March for the “Ask Me Anything” event.Register to submit your question in the comments box under this article. If you’re not already a member, click “sign up” in the comments section to leave your question. For a full guide on how to comment click here.Don’t worry if you can’t see your question – they may be hidden until I join the conversation to answer them. Then join us live on this page at 3pm as I tackle as many questions as I can. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailTory MP Paul Scully has announced he is stepping down at the next general election after comments he made about “no go” areas in London and Birmingham were met with uproar.Mr Scully evoked ire after he said that parts of Tower Hamlets and Birmingham Sparkhill were “no go areas” due to people “abusing” their own religion.The former minister has now announced his resignation. Posting on social media site X, Mr Scully said:“I have told my local association that I won’t be contesting the next General Election. Over the last nine years it’s been a privilege to represent in Parliament, the area which I called home for 35 years”He added: “Fuelled by division, the party has lost its way and needs to get a clear focus which I hope the budget can start to provide. It needs a vision beyond crisis management which can appeal to a wider section of the electorate including younger people…”Mr Scully came under fire for comments made during a BBC London interview last week where he suggested that “parts of” Tower Hamlets and Birmingham Sparkhill are “no-go areas mainly because of doctrine and mainly because people are sort of abusing in many ways their religion”.His comments received criticism from both Labour and the Tories, as Conservative mayor Andy Street said “it really is time for those in Westminster to stop the nonsense slurs and experience the real world. I for one am proud to lead the most diverse place in Britain.” Labour MP Jess Phillips added: “As one of the MPs for Sparkhill I am expecting an apology for this utter drivel.” Mr Scully made his comments following the suspension of former deputy-chairman Lee Anderson from the Conservative party after he refused to apologise for claiming “Islamists” had achieved “control” over London. Mr Scully said Mr Anderson was “trying to reflect” concerns about their neighbourhoods changing “in a really clumsy way”.Both Sparkhill and Tower Hamlets have large Muslim populations. Ali Milani, chairman of the Labour Muslim Network, told BBC London that Scully was perpetuating an “Islamophobic myth that has been continuously perpetuated.” More