RISHI’S £1.65bn BOOSTER... BUT HINTS AT TAX HIKE
SUNAK’S £1.65BN BOOSTER TO ‘MAINTAIN MOMENTUM’ OF UK’S VACCINE ROLLOUT
RISHI SUNAK is to inject an extra £1.65billion into the coronavirus vaccination programme in Wednesday’s Budget, it was revealed last night.
The chancellor will provide the cash to ensure the government meets its target of offering all adults a first dose by the end of July, the Treasury said.
A further £33million will be announced for vaccine testing and development, alongside £22million to fund a study into the effectiveness of combining different vaccines. The cash includes £5million for a ‘library’ of Covid-19 vaccines to tackle variants.
Mr Sunak, said it was ‘essential we maintain the momentum’ of the rollout and added: ‘Protecting ourselves against the virus means we will be able to lift restrictions, reopen our economy and focus our attention on creating jobs and stimulating growth.’
Other Budget measures will include a £5billion scheme for businesses hit hardest by the pandemic. Restart grants worth up to £6,000 per premises will help non-essential retailers, such as pubs and restaurants, reopen safely. Meanwhile, Mr Sunak has suggested emergency measures, such as the furlough scheme, will be extended beyond April.
But he also hinted tax rises were on the cards – and failed to deny reports he was planning to lower them in a few years to boost the Tories’ election chances in 2024. He told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge the short-term priority was protecting the economy and then ensuring public finances were sustainable. ‘That’s going to be work that takes time given the scale of the shock that we’ve experienced but if you’re asking “do I want to deliver low taxes for people?” of course I do,’ he added. Reports suggest the selfemployed – 1.8million of whom have been excluded from pandemic support – are among those facing tax rises, along with online retailers.
A COVID-19 vaccine by Johnson & Johnson that requires just one dose has been approved by the US. J&J’s vaccine offers strong protection against serious illness, hospital admissions and death, the Food and Drug Administration said. One dose was 85 per cent protective against severe illness, an international study has found. The US, which has lost 510,000 people to Covid-19, has approved the Pfizer and Moderna jabs.