This Budget will leave the poorest households hundreds of pounds a year worse off

Families across Britain should expect a bumpy ride over the next six months

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Having spent the first 18 months in the job delivering Covid crisis fiscal statements, you can understand why there was a celebratory vibe to the Chancellor’s first “post-crisis” Budget today. The Government’s official economic watchdog, the OBR, came to the party laden with gifts – including a major upgrade to economic growth and a £141 … Continued

The Government’s record on Covid-19 has been defined by two big successes and one recurring deadly failure

With the worst of the crisis behind us, it is right to assess how the Government has handled the pandemic

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The first anniversary of the first national lockdown falls on 23 March. With the worst of the crisis behind us, it is right to assess how the Government has handled the pandemic. Even the Prime Minister’s former Chief Advisor Dominic Cummings thinks the need for an inquiry is urgent. We can break down the Government’s handling of the crisis into … Continued

The Chancellor has prevented a grim winter of redundancies – but has failed to fix the faults with his jobs support package

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On Thursday, Rishi Sunak announced that the Job Retention Scheme – where employees can be put on furlough and still get 80 per cent of their wages covered by the government – will continue to the end of March. Self-employed workers can get another three-month grant of 80 per cent of their pre-crisis profits. There … Continued

Covid-19

Any further questions?

From The safety net in action? Universal Credit’s role in the crisis and the recovery

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We often have more questions submitted for our event Q&A sessions than we’re able to answer. Where this is the case, we’ll endeavour to respond to a selection of the most interesting or most representative questions that went unanswered. The questions below were submitted to our panel for the event The safety net in action? … Continued

Covid-19
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Labour market

Unprecedented support for employees’ wages last week has been followed up by equally significant, and even more generous, support for the self-employed. But gaps remain

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Yesterday, the Chancellor announced that last week’s pledge to underwrite 80 per cent of the wages of employees without work to do during this crisis is being matched with significant grants to the self-employed. This is an important addition to existing plans to support employees, and in many ways a more generous offer. The Self-Employed … Continued

Key take-aways from the Chancellor’s package of measures to support workers in the coronavirus crisis

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The Chancellor’s announcements on Friday 20 March were unprecedented in their scale and reach, and absolutely vital for supporting firms and family incomes in the face of the current crisis. Here are five key take-aways on how these changes will affect families, and three next steps for the Government to consider.   1. At a … Continued

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