By Rachael Hamilton

IT’S been a very challenging few years for workers, businesses, and families.

First the pandemic crushed economies across the world, forcing governments to protect jobs by paying the wages of private sector positions. Then a global cost-of-living crisis, driven by Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, caused inflation to rise rapidly, once again leading to governments stepping in. There has rarely never been such a prolonged period of challenging economic condition for all across the world..

But finally, there are positive signs that things are changing for the better. The recent UK Government budget included a lot of positive announcements and good news for households. Our economy is growing stronger.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, kept his promise to halve inflation from the start of 2023.

During that time, it has fallen from 10.7 per cent down to just 4.6 per cent. It is forecast to drop even further. This is incredibly important news for our economy. High rates of inflation can leave households struggling to make ends meet and drive down living standards. By bringing inflation back under control swiftly, the UK Government has put the country back on a path to greater prosperity.

The headline announcement from the UK budget, another cut in National Insurance, was also very welcome. National Insurance is a tax that hits people who work for a living hardest, so I am fully behind reducing it as much as possible, as the chancellor signalled he hopes to do. The UK Government cuts to National Insurance rates will mean that the average Scottish worker will benefit by £680 per year.

There was more good news in the UK budget for motorists. The UK Government extended their 5p cut to fuel duty, saving the average motorist £250 since it was introduced in 2022. That extension will be some relief to drivers, who must dodge more and more potholes on a weekly basis since the SNP Government no longer provides councils with sufficient funding to properly repair our roads.

Finally, the UK budget gave our public services a boost with an extra £295 million being sent to the Scottish Government to spend. That huge sum must now be put to good use by Humza Yousaf and his party. I hope they use it wisely to cut NHS waiting times, invest in schools, and support the creation of more jobs.