THERESA BRAY
There is hee-haw to cheer about with more austerity on the way but it won’t stop cruel Tories laughing
THERESA May and her Tory cronies laughed their way through Budget day — while the country faced up to a decade of austerity and spending cuts.
The Prime Minister cackled as she
Bray (noun) the harsh cry of a donkey or mule
mocked Jeremy Corbyn ahead of her Government’s first Budget.
Chancellor Philip Hammond presented the nation’s books as a series of gags in a desperate attempt to distract from the Brexit steamroller coming over the horizon.
But the joke was really on millions of hard-up families who face a continuing fall in their standard of living.
Flat-footed Phil faced an immediate backlash for breaking a central pledge of the Conservative manifesto by upping taxes for 2.5million selfemployed people, who will have to pay two per cent more in national insurance.
In a blunt Budget response, the SNP’s Stewart Hosie MP said the first five years of Tory austerity had failed “and we have no assurance that the next five years will be any better”.
He added: “The party of aspiration taxing those who are self-employed putting in active, real, hard disincentives to starting businesses, to employing people, to stepping out on one’s own.
“I think this decision will come back to haunt this Chancellor.”
That was echoed in Scotland by Andy Willox of the Federation of Small Businesses.
He said: “Increasing the tax burden on plumbers, cleaners and musicians, while decreasing corporation tax, isn’t the right move.”
There are 310,000 self employed in Scotland, 12 per cent of the workforce.
The National Living Wage is to rise to £7.50 an hour and the Chancellor acknowledged many people have a squeeze in living standards.
But that will not be changing any time soon, with charity the Joseph
Flat-footed Phil leaves hard-up families and self-employed workers in the lurch as braying May bares her teeth
Rowntree Foundation predicting wages will rise barely faster than prices, while benefit cuts are also due to bite.
Labour leader Corbyn said the chief executives of big companies were now paid 180 times more than the average worker and taxed less.
Corporation tax in the UK, at 19 per cent, will be the lowest in the G20 nations.
But while fat cats had plenty to cheer, trade unions hit out at the continued one per cent clamp on wage rises in the public sector. Tim
Roache of the GMB said: “All workers, including those in the public sector who’ve had an average of £9000 pinched from their pay packets since 2010, face losing £4000 more in the three years ahead.
“The Tories showed how out of touch they are by failing to help these dedicated public servants – all the while giving tax breaks to big business.”
Tory backbenchers, who lapped up the Chancellor’s jokes, heckled Corbyn in his response until they were reined in by the deputy speaker. Corbyn said: “There is nothing funny about being one of 900,000 workers on zero hours contract, 55 per cent of them women. He could have announced a ban on zero hours contracts – again he failed.
“When she took office, the PM said, ‘If you’re just managing, I want to address you directly’.
“This Budget does not address those people, it fails them.”
The Budget forecast that North Sea oil receipt will go back in the black but will only bring in £800million in 2018, one of the years Nicola Sturgeon has pencilled in for a second independence referendum.
Hammond promised a review of taxation of North Sea oil producers and a rise in duty of beer wine and spirits will see 2p on a pint of beer, 1p on a pint of cider and 36p on a bottle of whisky.
Charles Ireland, managing director of Diageo Great Britain, said: “Tax on Scotch Whisky is now so high – nearly 80 per cent of the price of an average bottle will go straight to the Government.”
Hammond announced £350million of extra cash for Scotland under Barnett formula rules but SNP MPs sat on their hands as that was announced.
Hosie said: “Even after today’s announcement, Scotland’s discretionary spending will still be down £1billion between this year and the end of this Parliament and more than £2.5billion, nine per cent down over this Tory decade.”
Hosie also highlighted the absence of Brexit calculations from the Budget
He added: “Brexit was the word that dare not speak its name. A hard Tory Brexit, the elephant in the room, barely mentioned by the Chancellor is approaching quickly.
“It means we do revert to WTO rules with all of the tariffs and all the regulatory barriers if a better deal cannot be struck.
“I have no confidence at all in the ability of this Government to deliver that deal.”