Indy TV

Jeremy Hunt says “great budgets can change history” in a new video shared by the treasury ahead of the chancellor’s spring Budget announcement today (6 March).In the footage, released on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Hunt also insists that the government is “bringing down taxes”.He said: “The economy is set for healthy growth. We’re putting more money into public services and we’re bringing down taxes. Stick to the plan.”The chancellor is widely expected to hand voters another 2p cut to national insurance contributions, in a repeat of his autumn statement. More

Ministers arrived in Downing Street on Wednesday morning (6 March) for a Cabinet meeting before Jeremy Hunt delivers his Budget to parliament.The chancellor is widely expected to unveil a 2p cut in national insurance in an attempt to shore up support for the government before a general election expected later this year.Mr Hunt, who has faced pressure from Tory MPs to ease the record-high tax burden, promised “permanent cuts in taxation” that would bring “higher growth” as he seeks to woo voters. More

An LBC caller has suggested he would be “put off” voting for Sir Keir Starmer because he is “vegetarian, but not a vegan”.Vegan caller Simon told presenter Iain Dale that he is typically a Labour voter, but isn’t convinced about the opposition leader’s “character”.“What puts me off Labour a little bit is the fact that Starmer is a vegetarian but not a vegan,” he said.“It says something to me about his character, that kind of sitting on the fence thing. I don’t know why he just doesn’t go the whole way and become vegan.” More

Sir Keir Starmer needs to “shed a few pounds” before the general election, Labour grandee Peter Mandelson has said.Lord Mandelson, one of the architects of New Labour, said Sir Keir needed to lose weight to appeal to voters.In an interview with Times Radio on Tuesday (5 March), Lord Mandelson said: “My problem with Rishi Sunak’s fashion is that he wears these skinny suits and narrow ties and they diminish him“Just to be even-handed about it, by the same token, Keir Starmer needs to shed a few pounds.” More

Martin Lewis warned that children struggle to recognise the difference between real money and money spent on applications on mobile devices and tablets.The financial expert told MPs at the Commons Education Committee on Tuesday (5 March) he hears from parents whose children have spent money on purchases inside games.”In the old days when you had cash and you had money in a game, the money in the game wasn’t real and the cash was real. Now the two things are very similar,” Mr Lewis said.During the same committee hearing, schools minister Damian Hinds pulled faces behind Mr Lewis as he criticised the government’s “political failing” in financial education. More

David Cameron has marked 100 days as foreign secretary by featuring in a video social media users described as “embarrassing.”Footage shows Lord Cameron walking in front of a camera saying: “My team set me the challenge to see if I could say all the things that I think we’ve done in the last hundred days”, before referencing “36 different visits to 26 different countries” and aid for Ukraine and Gaza.Lord Cameron’s video had a mixed reaction after it was posted on X/Twitter.Some told him to “keep up the good work”, while others described the footage as “cringey.” More

Schools minister Damian Hinds pulled faces behind Martin Lewis as the MoneySavingExpert founder criticised the government’s “political failing” in financial education at a parliament committee on Tuesday, 5 March.The financial expert told MPs at the Commons Education Committee he donated money to provide a financial education textbook for schools because “the state would not”.As Mr Lewis said “I could have put bias into this textbook. We need proper textbooks, digital resources. We need teachers to be trained, and we need ongoing teacher training,” Mr Hinds appeared to scowl.Mr Lewis has campaigned for financial education to be on the national curriculum. More

A Conservative MP has suggested Joe Biden “needs to read the room” and retire.Speaking on Super Tuesday (5 March), Tim Loughton said the US needs to “be led by a strong, credible, moderate president” and that neither Biden nor Donald Trump “fit that bill”.A re-match between the pair in the US presidential election this November is looking increasingly likely.“Joe Biden, who I’m sure is a decent chap, frankly he needs to read the room,” Mr Loughton told BBC Politics Live.“It’s time to go home to the cocoa and slippers.” More