PUBS and football clubs are to be given a £1million cash injection to help keep them afloat after the pandemic.
The Chancellor will use the Budget to pledge a whopping £150 million to help neighbourhoods take over assets loved by the community.
He said: “Pubs and sports clubs are the heart and soul of our local towns and villages – they’re the glue that keeps us together.
“This fund will help to ensure vital local institutions aren’t lost to those who treasure them most.”
The Chancellor will reveal the country's spending plan on Wednesday – the first since coronavirus' devastating impact on the economy became clear and the first since the Brexit transition period came to an end.
The Budget is due to take place at around 12.30pm on Wednesday, once Prime Minster's Questions ends in the House of Commons.
- Niamh Cavanagh
TAX HIKE PLEA
Ex-Chancellor Ken Clarke urged Rishi Sunak to consider an income tax rise even though it would break a Tory manifesto vow.
He told the BBC: “Sensible people know in their bones all this emergency government spending is going to have to be paid for and is going to be a burden on them.
“Authors of the manifesto had no idea this massive economic blow was about to hit.”
- Niamh Cavanagh
BERR BILL CHEER
Beer duty is expected to be frozen to give pubs a flying start when lockdown is lifted.
Tory colleagues have urged the Chancellor to slash 2p off the price of a pint.
But sources say he will resist that but consider higher rates on supermarket booze.
Conservative MP Jane Stevenson said: “Landlords have gone above and beyond. A cut in beer duty would be warmly welcomed.”
- Niamh Cavanagh
EXPLAINER – WHAT IS THE BUDGET?
The Budget is when the government outlines its plans for tax hikes, cuts and things like changes to Universal Credit and the minimum wage.
It's different to the Spending Review, which sets out how much public cash will go towards funding certain departments, devolved government's and services, such as the NHS.
The Budget is read out in the House of Commons by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It will be Rishi Sunak's second Budget as Chancellor.
Mr Sunak's first Budget in March last year was dubbed the "coronavirus Budget" after it focused on supporting Brits financially through the crisis, rather than the government's "levelling up" agenda as promised in the 2019 general election.
Normally, the Budget is held once a year but the unprecedented circumstances of the pandemic in 2020 saw Mr Sunak give a "mini-budget" in the Commons on July 8.
- Niamh Cavanagh
EXPLAINER – WHEN IS THE BUDGET?
The Budget will be held on Wednesday March 3, 2021. The government confirmed the date in December 2020.
It is scheduled on the parliament website to take place after Prime Minister's Questions.
PMQs usually lasts around half an hour so the Budget will start just after 12.30pm.
It may be later if PMQs overruns and time is often given to allow MPs to enter the House of Commons chambers.
There is also a short break as the Budget is traditionally chaired by the principal Deputy Speaker rather than the Speaker of the House of Commons.
- Niamh Cavanagh
BUSINESS SECRETARY SIGNALS RISHI WILL ANNOUNCE FURTHER FURLOUGH EXTENSION
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has signalled that Chancellor Rishi Sunak will announce a further extension of the furlough scheme in the Budget on Wednesday.
Mr Kwarteng told BBC Breakfast: “I think the Chancellor has already indicated that we will be extending furlough.
“I think that has been part of a public announcement. I think there will be other measures that we will see tomorrow.”
- Britta Zeltmann
TAX HIKES
Conservative Party leaders have said taxes would have to be hiked as part of Britain's Covid recovery following 12 months of heavy public borrowing to pay for furlough and other Government support efforts.
Lord Hague, writing in the Daily Telegraph, said: "It pains me to say, after spending much of my life arguing for lower taxes, that we have reached the point where at least some business and personal taxes have to go up."
The former foreign secretary, who Mr Sunak succeeded as MP for Richmond (Yorks) in 2015, said those who opposed some form of tax rises in the current climate were buying into "dangerous illusions".
- Britta Zeltmann
CULTURE BID
The Chancellor will provide more than £400 million of additional support for the badly hit culture sector in his Budget on Wednesday, as a Tory grandee warned taxes would "have to go up".
Rishi Sunak is preparing to hand out £408 million to help museums, theatres and galleries in England to reopen once coronavirus restrictions start to ease in the coming months.
Many theatres have not been able to open their doors since March 2020.
In a slew of pre-Budget teasers, Treasury officials also said Mr Sunak will use his fiscal package on Wednesday to give a "significant chunk" of a £300 million sports recovery package to cricket as fans prepare to return to stadiums this summer.
- Hana Carter
WHEN IS RISHI SUNAK’S PRESS CONFERENCE?
Rishi Sunak will give a press conference at 5pm on Wednesday after delivering his Budget to the nation.
The Chancellor revealed he will take questions from the public and the press after his statement in the House of Commons, which usually takes place at around 12.30pm.
He is expected to give the nation an update on the latest finances, after the Treasury has spent billions trying to keep the economy afloat this year through the pandemic.
- Hana Carter
BORIS SAYS BUDGET 2021 WILL BUILD ON EVERYTHING WE’VE DONE
Boris Johnson said he was confident the Budget would “build on everything we have done” to look after businesses and the public throughout the coronavirus crisis.
“I’m not going to anticipate what the Chancellor is going to say on Wednesday,” the Prime Minister told reporters.
“But I am absolutely confident that it will be a Budget that builds on everything we have done to look after the businesses and the people of this country throughout the pandemic.
“But that also paves the way for a strong, jobs-led recovery. That’s what our focus is going to be on.”
- Hana Carter
FOOTBALL CRAZY, FOOTBALL MAD
Boris Johnson has offered up Britain's stadiums to host a "bonanza" decade of football.
The move would be a welcome boost to morale to footy fans who have been deprived of the beautiful game, but also a massive injection to the economy.
The European Championship semi-finals and final are already pencilled in for Wembley in July but temporary teetotaller Mr Johnson said last night: “Any other matches they want hosted, we are certainly on for that!”
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, the Prime Minister said: “We are very, very keen to bring football home in 2030. I do think it’s the right place.
“It’s the home of football, it’s the right time. It will be an absolutely wonderful thing for the country.”
- Hana Carter
BUDGET 2021: BEER DUTY EXPECTED TO BE FROZEN TO HELP PUBS POST LOCKDOWN
Beer duty is expected to be frozen to give pubs a flying start when lockdown is lifted.
Tory colleagues have urged the Chancellor to slash 2p off the price of a pint.
But sources say he will resist that but consider higher rates on supermarket booze.
Conservative MP Jane Stevenson said: “Landlords have gone above and beyond. A cut in beer duty would be warmly welcomed.
- Hana Carter
WHEN IS THE BUDGET 2021?
The Budget will be held on Wednesday March 3, 2021. The government confirmed the date in December 2020.
It is scheduled on the parliament website to take place after Prime Minister’s Questions.
PMQs usually lasts around half an hour so the Budget will start just after 12.30pm.
It may be later if PMQs overruns and time is often given to allow MPs to enter the House of Commons chambers.
There is also a short break as the Budget is traditionally chaired by the principal Deputy Speaker rather than the Speaker of the House of Commons.
- Hana Carter
GOVERNMENT URGED TO RECONSIDER LIMITS ON NEW DRIVERS
Ministers have been urged to reconsider whether to impose limits on what new drivers can do on the road.
The Commons Transport Select Committee recommended that research into the consequences of graduated driving licences (GDLs) should resume, as there is evidence they can be "effective in reducing crash rates".
GDLs place restrictions on drivers for a set time period after they pass their test, such as banning the carriage of passengers, curfews, lower alcohol limits and mandatory "P" plates.
They are used in several countries including the US, Canada, Australia and Sweden.
The Department for Transport announced in July 2019 that it was considering introducing GDLs in England.
- Hana Carter
CHANCELLOR SAYS HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY ‘REMAINS UPPERMOST IN MY MIND’
Treasury sources told The Sun that the extension for the hospitality industry was deemed part of the pandemic package and would continue until the end of the lockdown exit plan which will see outdoor hospitality open on April 12.
Mr Sunak yesterday reassured the industry he was looking out for them, after hearing from campaigning pub landlord and ex-model Jodie Kidd.
He said on Times Radio: “It’s because I care about that industry and the people who work in it that I want to try and do what I can for those jobs.
“They should feel reassured they remain uppermost in my mind.”
- Hana Carter
"IRRELEVANT AND UNNECESSARY"
Boris Johnson has branded Nicola Sturgeon’s pleas for another Scottish referendum “completely in-apposite, irrelevant, uncalled for and unnecessary.”
Instead the PM argued the Covid crisis had actually boosted the case for Scotland and England sticking together.
He told The Sun: “The value of the Union has been massively underscored during this pandemic.
“I think most people looking at the way the UK has responded with the vaccine rollout can see the huge value of us working together as one United Kingdom.
"The UK armed forces and NHS distribution of the vaccine throughout one country has been fantastic," he added.
- Hana Carter
WHEN IS RISHI SUNAK’S PRESS CONFERENCE?
Rishi Sunak will give a press conference at 5pm on Wednesday after delivering his Budget to the nation.
The Chancellor revealed he will take questions from the public and the press after his statement in the House of Commons, which usually takes place at around 12.30pm.
He is expected to give the nation an update on the latest finances, after the Treasury has spent billions trying to keep the economy afloat this year through the pandemic.
- Hana Carter
BUDGET 2021: KEY POINTS EXPLAINED AHEAD OF WEDNESDAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT
- We’ve put together a guide to what changes to Universal Credit may be announced in the upcoming Budget.
- Pensions could be a top target for a tax raid in the Budget, here are five potential changes that could hit your retirement pot.
- Here’s everything expected to be announced by Mr Sunak in his Budget speech.
TUC ISSUES WARNING OVER 'WRECKING BALL' TO 'GREEN' JOBS
Withdrawing hundreds of millions of pounds from the Government's Green Homes Grant scheme will take "a wrecking ball" to jobs, the TUC is warning.
The union organisation said planned cuts to the scheme will mean a failure to deliver promised 100,000 new jobs.
Over half of those who have found employment through the scheme could be laid off, it was warned.
The TUC said its analysis revealed that 14,500 jobs have been created so far through the scheme, which provides funding for retrofitting homes to make them more environmentally-friendly.
The Government has been criticised for planning to cut funding from its flagship green initiative.
CONTINUED
He delivered his first Budget after less than a month in office and just weeks before coronavirus forced a national lockdown.
Mr Sunak said he could not sleep before the launch of the furlough scheme and described the "amazing moment" when the first Covid-19 vaccine was approved.
In the five-and-a-half minute video he also said he wanted young people not to be a "generation scarred by coronavirus" but the "kickstart generation" – a reference to his programme to help them into work.
Mr Sunak used the video to indicate that coronavirus support schemes would be extended as the country begins to exit lockdown.
"Throughout this crisis I have always been determined to make sure the Government is doing what it can to provide support to get through this enormously difficult time and that's not going to stop," he said.
SUNAK UNVEILS PROMOTIONAL VIDEO AHEAD OF WEDNESDAY'S BUDGET
Rishi Sunak promised that support for people during the coronavirus crisis is "not going to stop" in a promotional video ahead of the Budget.
The Chancellor said his statement on Wednesday would be characterised by "honesty and fairness".
But he was mocked over the short film chronicling his year in office, with shadow cabinet minister Jonathan Ashworth joking "the ego has landed".
Mr Sunak said: "One year ago I was preparing for my first ever Budget.
"A lot has happened since then, but the promises that underpin our plan remain unchanged."
2021 MORTGAGE SCHEME
A new Government scheme will let first-time buyers struggling to secure a mortgage get on the property ladder with just a 5% deposit.
It means under the mortgage guarantee programme, house buyers will need just a £10,000 deposit to be able to afford a £200,000 home.
Many lenders scrapped such high loan to value mortgage deals amid fears and uncertainty over how the coronavirus crisis would impact jobs and the economy.
The move has locked many young buyers out of the property market as theycompete with a surge in house prices that outstrips wages.
- Hana Carter
BUDGET 2021: PRICE OF CIGARETTES TO RISE
Rishi Sunak will announce tax rises in his Budget on Wednesday.
Tobacco tax is expected to increase, pushing up the price of a packet of cigarettes.
This tax increase would bring in £30million, according to estimates published by HMRC.
Mr Sunak will be looking for ways to cover the cost of coronavirus support schemes which are expected to be extended in his Budget.
- Hana Carter
FURTHER PLANS EXPECTED TO BE ANNOUNCED
- The world’s first sovereign green savings bond for retail investors, which will invest £70 million in long-term, low-carbon energy storage, £20 million in offshore wind and £4 million for green-energy crops
- A new UK taxpayer protection taskforce to crack down on Covid-19 fraudsters exploiting Government financial rescue schemes such as furlough
- Guaranteed financial support for thalidomide sufferers for the rest of their lives, with a £39 million down payment to cover the next four years
- £126 million to create 40,000 new traineeships in England, while the cash incentive for employers who take on an apprentice will be raised to £3,000
- £10 million to support military forces veterans across the UK with mental health needs to be distributed through the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust
BRITAIN'S VACCINE SUCCESS THANKS TO BREXIT, SAYS GERMAN MEP
Britain's vaccine success is thanks to Brexit, a German MEP has said – adding the "dead hand of the EU" is to blame for the fiasco across the rest of Europe.
It comes as data showed some snail-pace European nations will not manage to jab the majority of adults until 2023 if they continue at the current rate.
UK regulators approved the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines much earlier than the equivalent EU body, the European Medicines Agency.
And EU commission chief Ursula von der Leyen took control of ordering doses for the whole bloc, a decision many blame for agonising delays.
More than 20million people in the UK have had at least one dose, and ministers want all adults over 18 to be offered it by July 31.
WHAT BUDGET PLANS HAVE BEEN REVEALED SO FAR?
- A £5 billion grant scheme to help pubs, restaurants, shops and other businesses in England hit hardest by the coronavirus
- A £1.65 billion boost for the coronavirus vaccine rollout programme to ensure it meets its target of offering a first dose to every adult in the UK by 31 July
- £22 billion for a new UK infrastructure bank, with £12 billion of capital and £10 billion in guarantees, to drive £40 billion of investment in infrastructure projects as part of the Government’s “levelling up” agenda following the pandemic
- A mortgage guarantee scheme to encourage home ownership and help buyers with deposits of five per cent to get on to the property ladder
- Reform of the migration system to encourage highly-skilled workers to come to the UK, including researchers, engineers, scientists and those in the tech sector, through a new “elite” points-based route
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