• Help for first time buyers, such as 99% mortgages
• A tax on air passenger duty for business class travel
• Cutting back plans to increase departmental spending to save money
Labour said that whatever is announced, it won’t be enough to “undo the economic vandalism of the last decade” – and the tax burden is still set to rise to a record high.
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With Sir Keir Starmer’s party ahead by around 20 points in the polls, some Tory MPs want Mr Hunt to go further and cut personal income tax with an election approaching.
This is seen as a more headline-grabbing measure that benefits more voters, including pensioners.
But the chancellor is said to have decided against this after forecasts from the UK’s fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), gave him less fiscal headroom than hoped.
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Patel: ‘Budget should back working people’
‘Conservatives know lower tax means higher growth’
A 2p cut to income tax would cost around £14bn, whereas the 2p cut to NI will cost around £10bn.
Combined with the 2p cut to NI announced in November, the move will save 27 million workers £900 on average.
In comments released by the Treasury on Tuesday night, Mr Hunt said: “Of course, interest rates remain high as we bring down inflation.
“But because of the progress we’ve made… delivering on the prime minister’s economic priorities, we can now help families with permanent cuts in taxation.
“We do this not just to give help where it is needed in challenging times. But because Conservatives know lower tax means higher growth. And higher growth means more opportunity and more prosperity.”
Image: Jeremy Hunt prepares his budget. Pic: Flickr
Mr Hunt added that growth “cannot come from unlimited migration”, but “can only come by building a high-wage, high-skill economy”.
He also took aim at Labour, claiming a government under Sir Keir Starmer would “destroy jobs” and “risk family finances with new spending that pushes up tax”.
Tories ‘overseeing 14 years of economic failure’ – Labour
But shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said Labour is “now the party of economic responsibility” as she accused the Tories of overseeing “14 years of economic failure” with the overall tax burden still rising.
She said: “The Conservatives promised to fix the nation’s roof, but instead they have smashed the windows, kicked the door in and are now burning the house down.
“Taxes are rising, prices are still going up in the shops and we have been hit by recession. Nothing the chancellor says or does can undo the economic vandalism of the Conservatives over the past decade.
“The country needs change, not another failed budget or the risk of five more years of Conservative chaos”.
Image: Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves preparing for Wednesday’s budget. Pic: PA
How will Hunt pay for Budget 2024 giveaway?
Experts have warned that a 2p national insurance cut would not be enough to stop the tax burden rising because of previously announced freezes to personal tax thresholds.
There are also questions about whether Mr Hunt can afford to pay for the measure.
He has said he will not pay for tax cuts with borrowing, meaning a combination of spending cuts and tax rises elsewhere will be necessary.
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2:41
‘Tax at highest level since WWII’
Revenue-raisers Mr Hunt is said to be considering include reducing the scope of non-dom tax relief, which Labour has said it would scrap to fund services such as the NHS.
A new levy on vaping is on the cards, as is a tax on air passenger duty for business class travel and a tax crackdown on those who rent out second homes for holiday lets.
The chancellor is also considering cutting back plans to increase departmental spending by just 0.75% a year, instead of 2%, to raise around £5bn.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey – who will be targeting Mr Hunt’s “Blue Wall” seat at the election – described the Conservatives as “the great tax swindlers” and said they should be prioritising the NHS.
He said: “Rishi Sunak has led the economy into a recession and forced families to pick up the tab. They have no shame.
“The Conservatives must put the NHS at the heart of the budget. It is no wonder the economy isn’t growing when millions of people are stuck on NHS waiting lists, unable to work.”
Watch Sky News’s coverage of the Budget live from 11am on Wednesday.
The family of an 80-year-old man say they have “no sympathy” for the children who killed their loved one, as a 15-year-old boy was jailed for seven years and a 13-year-old girl escaped a custodial sentence.
Bhim Kohli was found lying on the ground in Franklin Park in Braunstone Town, near Leicester, on 1 September last year and died the next evening of a spinal cord injury.
He had been following a familiar routine, walking his beloved dog Rocky to the local park, just yards away from his home. But when he arrived at the park, he was approached by teens who attacked him.
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CCTV shows 80-year-old before attack
The jury at Leicester Crown Court heard a girl, aged 12 at the time, had pointed Mr Kohli out to a boy, who was 14 at the time, and who then subjected Mr Kohli to a brutally violent attack.
The 80-year-old grandfather was slapped about the face with a slider shoe and racially abused, before being punched and kicked while on the floor.
Mr Kohli suffered a broken neck and fractured ribs as a result of the attack.
Image: Mr Kohli’s daughter, Susan Kohli
His daughter, Susan Kohli, who found her father lying on the ground following the attack, says it’s hard to find forgiveness for her father’s killers, regardless of their ages.
“Why should they be given grace for what they have done?” asks Ms Kohli. “They chose to attack a defenceless pensioner and for that I cannot give them any of my sympathy.”
Initially, the boy, now 15, told the jury he walked over to Mr Kohli, wearing a balaclava because the girl, now 13, had said Mr Kohli “carries a knife”.
But this was disputed in court, and the attack on Mr Kohli was described by the prosecution as “gratuitous violence against a man who was defenceless”.
While the girl involved never physically touched Mr Kohli, the court heard she had taken a photograph of him in Franklin Park just a week before he was killed.
Image: Kelly Matthews, a senior district crown prosecutor
“If it wasn’t for her, things might have been very different,” said Kelly Matthews, a senior district crown prosecutor, who explained why the girl was also convicted of manslaughter.
“She was the one [who] pointed him out to the boy. Whilst the boy was attacking Mr Kohli, she filmed it. She encouraged him. She laughed, when violence was taking place,” said Ms Matthews.
Image: Police community support officers at the scene in Franklin Park last September. Pic: PA
Ms Kohli says she still cannot understand why anyone, but especially “children of that age”, would want to attack an “old age pensioner”.
“You can see from his physique that he’s a very gentle, frail man. What was going through their heads?” she asks.
“That’s what I cannot get my head around.”
However, she believes the glorification of violence on social media played an element, and says “parents also have a part to play in it” to ensure their children’s social activity is being monitored.
The 15-year-old boy was ordered to serve seven years’ detention, and the 13-year-old girl was handed a three-year youth rehabilitation order by a High Court judge at Leicester Crown Court.
Mr Justice Turner called it a “cowardly and violent attack” on an elderly man who did “nothing to deserve” what happened to him.
He told the boy: “What you did was not one single attack which you immediately regretted, but two separate violent outbursts.”
He added: “I’m sure you regret he died because of what you did to Mr Kohli, but you still say it wasn’t your fault.
“It was your fault and the sooner you realise this, the better.”
He accepted, while the girl had encouraged the boy’s behaviour, she did not know he would use “anything like the level of violence he did”.
Speaking outside Leicester Crown Court after the sentencing, Ms Kohli said she is “angry and disappointed” the teenagers’ sentence does not reflect the severity of the crime.
“The death of my dad has left a hole in our family, a hole that can never be filled because of the actions of two teenagers on that Sunday evening last September,” she said.
“I believe on that day the two teenagers made a choice. The teenage boy chose to attack my dad and the girl chose to film him being attacked. They knew what they were doing.”
She added: “When they are released, they still have their full lives ahead of them. They can rebuild their lives. We can’t.”
A 20-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 16-year-old boy died following a collision between an electric bike, a pedestrian and a car in Sheffield, police have said.
Emergency services responded shortly after 4.50pm on Wednesday to reports of an accident in Staniforth Road in the Darnall area of Sheffield.
South Yorkshire Police said it is understood that a grey Audi drove towards three electric bikes, colliding with one rider.
The car continued to travel following the crash with the electric bike and was further involved in a collision with a pedestrian.
The driver of the Audi failed to stop at the scene.
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Witness recalls giving CPR
Graphic CCTV footage of the incident appears to show the car veer into the opposite carriageway before hitting the 16-year-old pedestrian at speed.
Image: Forensics officers at the scene. Pic: YappApp
Image: Pic: YappApp
The boy was taken to hospital. Despite emergency treatment, he died as a result of his injuries. The boy’s family has been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
An 18-year-old man, who was the rider of the electric bike, remains in hospital with serious injuries which are not thought to be life-threatening.
A 20-year-old man in Kent has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He remains in police custody.
Three people, a 45-year-old woman and two men aged 26 and 46, have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. All three remain in custody.
Senior Investigating Officer in the case, Detective Chief Inspector Benjamin Wood, said: “This is a tragic incident in which an entirely innocent bystander, who was going about his daily business, has sadly lost his life. Our thoughts are with the boy’s loved ones, and we remain focused on securing justice for them.
“We know that this incident will have caused concern in the local community, and we have a team of detectives working at pace to piece together the circumstances which unfolded.
“We’re aware of footage being shared online and I’d like to reiterate our message to the public to withhold from speculating or circulating videos which may cause distress to the boy’s family.
“If you have any footage, imagery or information that may help our investigation then please share this directly with us – it may form an important part of our enquiries. We are also keen to hear from the riders of two electric bikes who were in the area at the time of the incident.”
Tory MP Tom Tugendhat, who led a campaign for the changes, which are also known as Tony’s Law, said on X: “I’m backing Tony as he faces the early release of his abuser – his birth mum.
“Tony lives every day with the pain caused by her crimes as a baby. We must do more to protect children like him.”
Tony has since gone on to be a successful fundraiser for charity – for which he has been honoured by the Royal Family.
Image: The Prince of Wales with Tony, who has raised millions for charity, during a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in May. Pic: PA
A statement from the Parole Board said: “We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board has directed the release of Jody Simpson following an oral hearing.
“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.
“A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.”
It added: “Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “This was a horrific crime that saw Tony Hudgell mercilessly tortured by his birth parents and our thoughts remain with him and his loved ones.
“Now that the independent Parole Board has directed her release, Jody Simpson will be subject to strict supervision and licence conditions. She faces an immediate return to prison if she breaks the rules.”