It. And he says the tories have lost control of the economy. Welcome to the show. Well, weve just had the Spring Budget. I just had the Spring Budget. I want to hear from you. Do you feel this was the moment we expected a rabbit to be pulled out of the headlights instead . Did it feel to you like the chancellor of the exchequer, jeremy hunt, was a rabbit in the headlights . Were the big headlights . Where were the big fireworks . Where was the big fireworks . Where was the big bang . Titanic tax cuts bang . We wanted titanic tax cuts instead. Does it feel like to you , like theyre rearranging you, like theyre rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic . The deck chairs on the titanic . Throughout the course of the show, ill speak to experts across housing, hospitality, manufacturing, Small Businesses , manufacturing, Small Businesses, and of course, political reaction from the conservatives, the labour party and the liberal democrats. And the most important people of you , the important people of you, the Great British public. Please send me your stories gbviews gbnews. Com. Do you think youll notice any difference to this . Will it change the way you vote at the forthcoming general elections . It was do or die time for the conservative party today. Whats your take . Please get in touch. All the usual ways. An action packed show and of course, Liam Halligan will cut through the grease as only he knows explain he knows how to explain succinctly the point succinctly and to the point exactly what this means for you. Thats all coming. But first, its thats all coming. But first, wsfime thats all coming. But first, its time for your latest news headunes its time for your latest News Headlines with tatiana sanchez. Martin, thank you very much. First, a recap on the news from todays budget. There were cheers in the commons this afternoon as the chancellor announced his budget with a mixed spending and mixed bag of spending and reforms he says will let people keep much of their money as keep as much of their money as possible. Jeremy hunt said the governments performance governments fiscal performance means the economy is expected to grow this year by 0. 8, then by 1. 9 in 2025, promising britain had turned a corner on inflation. He highlighted figures from the office for budget responsibility, which show inflation falling below the bank of englands target of 2 within a few months. He was quiet on forecasts beyond that point, which suggests inflation could rise again towards the end of the year. But he said the government will cut National Insurance from april the 6th. Employee National Insurance will be cut by another £0. 02 from 10 to 8, and self employed National Insurance will be cut from 8 to 6. It means an additional £450 a year for the average employee, or £350 for someone self employed. When someone self employed. When combined with the autumn reductions, it means 27 million employees will get an average tax cut of £900 a year. Tax cut of £900 a year. A new isa scheme has also been announced, aiming to encourage more investment in britain, with an additional £5,000 limit. Thats in addition to a £0. 05 cut to fuel duty locked in for another 12 months. It systems in the nhs will be upgraded for businesses as a change to the vat registration threshold, up from 85,000 to £90,000. And in a move to boost the british pub, the chancellor also extended the freeze on alcohol duty. Ive decided to extend the alcohol duty freeze until february 2025. This benefits 38,000 pubs across the uk and on top of the £13,000 saving, a typical pub will get from the 7,575 Business Rates discount i announced in the autumn. We announced in the autumn. We value our Hospitality Industry and are backing the Great British pub. British pub. Well, funding some of the governments spending will be a new duty on vaping, while taxes on tobacco will go up. Theres also an increase to duties on non economic flights, while Capital Gains tax goes from 28 to 24. Expected to boost revenue by encouraging more transactions. The windfall tax on oil and gas profits will continue until 2029, raising around £1. 5 billion. But labour leader sir keir starmer says britains credit card is maxed out. Last desperate act of a party that has failed britain in recession. Has failed britain in recession. The National Credit card maxed out and despite the measures today, the highest tax burden for 70 years, the First Parliament since records began to see Living Standards fall. Confirmed by this budget today. Thatis confirmed by this budget today. That is their record. It is still their record. Give with one hand and take even more with the other staying in westminster. The labour leader says more needs to be done to prevent further crimes being committed by serving police officers. Sir keir starmer called for mandatory standards for police vetting following an inquiry into the murder of sarah everard, which found her killer should never have been given a job as a police officer. Rishi sunak said ministers acted quickly to strengthen police procedures. Procedures. It is vital for Public Confidence that those that are not fit to wear the badge are rooted out of the police and not able to join in the first place. Thats why the college of policing has updated its existing statutory code on vetting. And that happened quickly and in addition, the policing inspectorate carried out a rapid inspection of all forces progress against the previous findings and in addition to that, an entire an entire check against the National Police database was carried out for all serving officers and staff to the United States, where nikki haley is dropping out of the race to become the republican candidate for president. The former governor of South Carolina is speaking now after she managed to block Donald Trumps clean sweep on super tuesday, but it wasnt enough to stop the former president s momentum. A rematch with joe biden now looks increasingly likely. However. Mr trumps various legal troubles may complicate his path to the nomination. Hes facing 91 nomination. Hes facing 91 criminal charges across four cases. For the latest stories, sign up to gb news alerts by scanning the qr code on your screen, or go to gb news. Com alerts. Alerts. Now, were not messing about today and were going to get stuck right into it. Jeremy hunt has delivered his last Spring Budget before the general election. Here break down election. Here to break it down is our economics and Business EditorLiam Halligan on the editor Liam Halligan with on the money. Money. This was a relatively low key , unambitious fiscal announcement. It didnt feel to me like the last roll of the dice before a general election in may. It seems to me that the tories are still going to go for an election in october, or november. Lower taxes mean higher growth, said chancellor jeremy hunt. And that means more prosperity, more money for our pubuc prosperity, more money for our public service. This is a budget for long terme growth. How are we going to get that growth going . Well, the headline pre announced. Everyone knew it was coming a to p cuts in the headune was coming a to p cuts in the headline rate of National Insurance from april to 8. When you combine that with the £0. 02 cut in National Insurance that was introduced in january from 12 to 10, the average worker in this country will be £900 a year better off. That is not to be sniffed at. Another tax giveaway is the freeze in fuel duty. Fuel duty on petrol and diesel will remain at 52. 95 per litre, just less than £0. 53 for the next 12 months. That fuel duty has been frozen since 2011, and that freeze is worth around £50 a year to the average motorists. A third giveaway alcohol duty has been frozen for an extra six months until february 2025. It helps 38,000 pubs across the uk. Our publican sector. Hospitality as a whole has been hammered in recent years and this is at least some help for them. More help for the enterprising brits trying to get the economy growing a rise in Small Business vat threshold from 85,000 to £90,000 a year, you can now turn over £90,000 in your business without paying vat. Its the without paying vat. Its the first rise in the vat threshold for seven years. Again, not too much, but worse than nothing at all. Another pro growth measure , all. Another pro growth measure, which the chancellor emphasised a new british isa. Thats an a new british isa. Thats an individual savings account. If you want to invest in stocks and shares, you get an extra £5,000 annualisa shares, you get an extra £5,000 annual isa allowance. If you invest that money in uk stocks and shares. Again, trying to get and shares. Again, trying to get the economy moving , how are we the economy moving, how are we going to pay for all this, all these giveaways . One way the these giveaways . One way the chancellor wants to pay for it is by extending the windfall tax on north sea oil and gas extraction from 2020 28 to 2029 Companies Operating in the north sea, and theyre often quite small companies, not the big oil and gas majors are paying 75 now on their profits this year. Long extension is estimated to raise £1. 5 billion. Since jeremy hunt. But it raise £1. 5 billion. Since jeremy hunt. But it wont raise that money if the taxation is so high that the oil and Gas Companies just cancel projects altogether. Theres a lot of anger about this in scotland, where oil and gas industry is centred, and indeed the leader of the scottish conservatives has already said he will vote against this aspect of his own governments budget. Its governments budget. Its another way to raise money. The chancellor hopes to clamp down on non dom tax. Foreigners who on non dom tax. Foreigners who reside in the uk and they dont pay reside in the uk and they dont pay so much tax on their foreign income that non dom tax status is going to be abolished from april 2025. The tories very much stealing labour clothes. The opposition have been saying they want to do this for some time. Its an increase also on duty on non economy airfares. That is business and first class. Two more measures aimed at the wealthy trying to raise money not to spend on more on public spending, says the tories. But to deliver tax cuts. That is the philosophical difference between them, says the chancellor. Vaping and smoking duty on vaping products is going to be introduced from 2026. Its going to be paid on imports and by manufacturers that will be offset by a one off rise in tobacco duty. Some people say that because vaping helps people stop smoking, there should be no duty on vaping products. Thats a controversy to come. And another tax raising measure. The chancellor wants to end tax perks for landlords with short terme holiday lets and other short tum rentals. This could affect everything from holiday homes to airbnb and so on. And the chancellor says hes going to implement controls to tackle local pricing out of residents. Local pricing out of residents. When short terme holiday lets are implemented in order to give local families a chance to buy and rent new homes. Theres nothing compassionate about running out of money, said jeremy hunt in a jibe at labour. Weve turned the corner on inflation and we will soon turn the corner on growth. There were other measures in this budget. There was £5 million for village hall renovations. Theres an hall renovations. Theres an extension that will be welcomed by many lower income families in the household support fund. The household support fund. Theres £4. 5 billion of money that will be raised from clamping down on tax avoidance, and thats a big risk from the chancellor. But overall, this was quite a low key budget. It doesnt feel to me like theres an election around the corner, and it may not be true that this is going to move the needle and rescue the electoral rescue the tories electoral fortunes as Liam Halligan. Excellent stuff as ever. Well come back to you , of well come back to you, of course, throughout the show, but lets some immediate lets get some immediate political the political reaction now to the budget join political budget and join our political edhon budget and join our political editor, hope. Editor, chris hope. Martin. Im on College Green here. Just trying to understand what that budget means. Im joined now by sarah olney, whos the liberal democrat finance spokesman, sarah olney. How was that for lib dems . That for lib dems . Well, to be honest, i thought that was a really desperate budget. There will be thousands, millions, probably of people up and down the country who are hoping to hear something thats really make really going to make a substantial to the substantial difference to the situations theyre facing situations that theyre facing at. They really want at the moment. They really want to about investment in to hear more about investment in the. They want to hear more the nhs. They want to hear more about what the government plan to help them with their to do to help them with their 3. 6 billion or wasnt it . 3. 6 billion or so, wasnt it . Yes. You that only yes. But do you know that only actually their planned actually reverses their planned cuts actual fact, cuts to the nhs . In actual fact, theres extra spending theres no extra spending at all. I know speaking to all. And i know from speaking to voters in own constituency, voters in my own constituency, but constituencies across but other constituencies across the country, that what people are really, really worried about right that they see right now is that they cant see their gp, they register their gp, they cant register with and we know from with a dentist, and we know from recent reports how far we recent reports how far behind we are like cancer care, are on things like cancer care, which a real worry for which is a real worry for people. To see real people. So we need to see real action from the government. And i actually terms the i think actually in terms of the economy , probably the biggest economy, probably the biggest thing tum , to thing we could do, short tum, to really get the economy moving, its a really tackle. The fact that weve currently got 2. 8 Million People on the sick list, people prevented from people are prevented from working cant working because they cant get the they need. The treatment that they need. So if the government announced if the government had announced something today that could really that issue, really tackle that issue, i think that would have provided a great deal more reassurance to people. We heard nothing of people. But we heard nothing of the it a very the sort, really. It was a very desperate budget, a very thin budget, government budget, and its a government thats ideas. Thats out of ideas. Believe in cutting if you believe in cutting taxes raising because taxes or raising them because they National Insurance they have cut National Insurance by now. By 4 in three months now. And obviously anything yes. And obviously anything that can help people manage the cost course, we cost of living, of course, we want to support that. But i mean, forget, once youve mean, dont forget, once youve factored in the planned tax rises will be taking rises that will still be taking place, its not its not a tax cut. Its really a small reduction the amount of reduction in the amount of increase that most people increase taxes that most people will doesnt will be paying. It doesnt really touch the sides. When you think the increases in think about the increases in peoples mortgages, in their rents, fuel bills , in rents, in their fuel bills, in their in their weekly shop, its going to make very little difference to most families. But inflation not out of but inflation is not out of the governments control and they are freezing fuel duty. Theyre their best cost theyre doing their best on cost of living, they . The of living, arent they . The government. An government. There was an interesting measure there about second theyre to interesting measure there about seconddown theyre to interesting measure there about seconddown on theyre to interesting measure there about seconddown on people to interesting measure there about seconddown on people being to interesting measure there about seconddown on people being able clamp down on people being able to offset some costs from renting a second home on a short tum. Lets is that good for the lib dems . Well, i mean, i think id want to look at that in a little bit more detail, but certainly second homes the impact that second homes and the impact that they in they can have in local communities, know, communities, which, you know, have a big tourist industry, certainly my certainly something that my, my colleague the colleague tim farron and the lake been Lake District has been campaigning long time. Campaigning on for a long time. So good, but i want to so sounds good, but i want to look at detail a bit more on that. This a budget for you, a pre election budget. Are we looking may the 2nd looking at may the 2nd or sometime looking at may the 2nd or sometdidnt feel an it didnt feel like an election budget, honest election budget, to be honest with mean, theres no with you. I mean, theres no doubt the chancellor is doubt that the chancellor is extremely the extremely concerned about the liberal his own liberal democrats in his own seat. The seat he plans fight seat. The seat he plans to fight at general election made at the general election made a point of rude us, point of being rude about us, which as a sign which we are. We take as a sign that anxious. But, i mean, that hes anxious. But, i mean, i think i mean, i dont think so. I mean, i think up and down the country, you see voters everywhere, they just want a general election. You see voters everywhere, they just the