House of Lords
Parliament

Business in the House of Lords will get underway shortly with oral questions.

Today these include a question on advice for UK residents booking holidays to EU countries after Brexit, and the medical use of cannabis.

After this, Labour peer Baroness Massey of Darwen will introduce a debate on early initiatives to improve the welfare, life chances and social mobility of children.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans will then begin a short debate on reducing the number of problem gamblers hospitalised each year, and protecting vulnerable people from gambling addiction.

Following this, peers will discuss the impact on family life of reductions in welfare benefits, tax credits, housing benefits and child benefit.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright tells MPs that the government "does not have a new approach" to fixed-odds betting terminals.

He says the reduction in the maximum stake is the "right thing to do", but it is important to consider planning for job losses for those in betting shops, and the money coming in from the use of fixed odds betting terminals needs to be replaced.

As a result, he says a proper period of notice has to be given, and that October 2019 is the "best date" to introduce the new maximum stake, alongside changes to gambling tax.

He adds that the issue of problem gambling is complex and cannot be addressed through this alone, listing other measures taken.

Image source, PA

That’s questions to Attorney General Geoffrey Cox finished.

Shadow culture secretary Tom Watson will now ask an urgent question on a reported delay to the introduction of a new maximum stake for fixed-odds betting terminals.

Ministers announced in May that the maximum stake on the machines would be reduced to £2, in a bid to “help very vulnerable people”.

The Daily Telegraph has reported, external that Culture Minister Tracey Crouch is considering resigning over a move to introduce the new rules in October 2019.

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour MP Rushanara Ali asks what the Budget would look like if eliminating gender inequality were the main aim.

Professor Elson says that free school and childcare services would be introduced, and child poverty and social care would be addressed.

Paul Johnson, from the IFS, says pay starts becoming more unequal after a woman has a child.

He says anything that improves retraining and can help women work part time would be welcome.

Ms Newton-Smith says that improvements in education at primary level, as well as better support for childcare costs, would help social mobility.

There should be better routes for progression for women in the workforce, she adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

MPs are now asking questions of the Attorney General Geoffrey Cox.

SNP MP David Linden asks whether he has provided the prime minister with legal advice on the rights of EU citizens after Brexit.

Mr Cox says the conventions applying to government lawyers prevent him from disclosing whether he has given any advice, or the content of the advice.

He says the prime minister has guaranteed the rights of EU citizens will be preserved.

He adds: "they will be fair, they will be generous and they will be comprehensive, and the government is working on the detail".

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour's Rushanara Ali asks which measures in the Budget will benefit men and women.

Professor Diane Elson of the University of Essex says that women will benefit from more investment in the NHS, as they use the NHS more and are more likely to work for it.

Men will benefit more from income tax cuts, she says.

Paul Johnson, from the IFS, says the "very big" increases in the national living wage in the past few budgets has had a big effect on women.

He adds that men are probably benefiting more from this budget, as they tend to be higher earners.

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Committee Chair and Tory MP Nicky Morgan asks Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) what benefits business rates cuts have for tenants.

Mr Johnson replies that short-term rate cuts tend to benefit landlords, rather than tenants.

Rain Newton-Smith, chief economist at the CBI, says she was disappointed there wasn't more in the Budget for small businesses.

She adds that the current system for business rates "is broken and does not work".

She states that if businesses become more energy efficient, they increase their rateable value and thereby the business rates they have to pay.

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow media minister Liam Byrne says the tech sector is important, but "not yet a big enough contributor to the Treasury".

He asks what percentage of tax on sales will be paid next year by the tech giants as a result of the new digital sales tax announced in the Budget.

Minister Margot James says her understanding is that the tax is "approximating to 2% of digital turnover", suggesting Mr Byrne can make his own calculations.

Liam Byrne says "based on last year's sales, next year the big five will be paying 0.01% of sales in tax", which will be "outweighed by the cut in corporation tax".

He suggests the minister has "conspired with the Treasury to give a free pass to some of the wealthiest firms on earth."

Ms James says she "has had no discussions on that matter", adding that the Treasury expects to raise £1.5bn over the next four years.

"2% is a start...no country has yet taken action, I would suggest that the UK is taking the lead on this."

Image source, HoC

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour's Sir David Crausby asks about the implications for grassroots football of the failed proposal to sell Wembley stadium.

He says British football is "overflowing with money", but grassroots football doesn't benefit from it.

Culture secretary Jeremy Wright says over the next four years, almost £100m will go into building and upgrading grass and artificial pitches, encouraging participation and enhancing coaching.

He adds that up to 2019, football will receive £100m a year in investment from the Premier League, and he has begun discussions to ensure this continues for the next three years.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Conservative MP Kirstene Hair begins the day with a question on how tourism is being supported throughout the UK.

She asks for an assurance that the food and drink sector is also being supported, as she says it's a major Scottish tourist attraction.

Culture minister Michael Ellis says the government provides financial support through Visit Britain and Visit England, and is "working hard" to support "our world-leading produce".

Tory MP Steve Double calls for a seasonal migrant workers scheme for the tourism sector. In reply, Mr Ellis says he is working closely with the Home Office on the matter.

House of Commons
Parliament

Hello and welcome to our coverage of the day in Westminster.

Business in the Commons will get underway shortly, with MPs putting questions to ministers from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

After this, they will put questions to Attorney General Geoffrey Cox.

Following that, Labour's Tom Watson will ask an urgent question on the delayed introduction of a new maximum stake for fixed-odds betting terminals.

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom will then outline forthcoming parliamentary business, followed by the final day of debate on the Budget.

The Brexit secretary is upbeat, but his department downplays the idea of a set date when talks will conclude.

House of Commons
Parliament

MPs now move onto the adjournment debate, tonight led by Conservative MP Charles Walker and focusing on air pollution in relation to the A10 and Broxbourne.

The Budget debate concludes tomorrow, but not before Digital, Culture, Media and Sport questions, questions to the Attorney General, and the business statement.

Join us tomorrow from 9.30am.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Robert Jenrick is now wrapping up on behalf of the government.

He says the Budget has enabled the government to cut taxes and freeze fuel duties, "these achievements didn't fall into the lap of this government, they were hard won by the people of this country and we will not be complacent."

"This Budget is an optimistic future."

"Of course there are challenges", he acknowledges, but he says business groups trust the government to deliver and to listen.

"Everyone in this country should pay their fair share of tax," he says, the government is the first to introduce a digital services tax, whilst also encouraging a "tech friendly" economy.

He says he was surprised to hear opposition MPs criticising plans to create more homes in town centers, "this is what people in this country want."

"We can look to the future with confidence...This is a Budget which seeks to inspire a new generation to succeed."

The Budget debate then adjourns for another day, to be concluded tomorrow.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Wrapping up for the opposition, shadow treasury minister Anneliese Dodds says "this was a complacent Budget." She suggests this was a view put forward by many Conservative MPs also.

The changes in Universal Credit only repair "half of the damage", she says. Insecure work, low wages and cuts to social security mean that getting into work no longer means getting out of poverty.

"There's little room for celebration when we learn that GDP growth for future years has had to be revised down", she says, suggesting some Tory MPs have short memories and need to listen to former Conservative chancellor George Osborne, who, along with leading economists, has praised Gordon Brown's management of the financial crisis.

"We were told that this government would facilitate a renaissance of our highstreets," but she says the changes to business rates "only make good on the government's botched analysis in 2017".

She suggests the digital services tax is "riddled with loopholes and inadequate", and will face the same issues as the existing tax rules that big businesses have wriggled out of already.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

SNP MP Patricia Gibson says there is "very little to be excited about with this Budget".

Nothing is being done to end the discrimination against young people, she says, with no commitment to end exploitative work practices such as work trials.

She criticises Conservative and Labour MPs for supporting previous benefit cuts, which have caused "untold misery" for her constituency.

The Budget does "almost nothing to improve the lives of my constituents, it is a massive missed opportunity", she says. "The chancellor should go back to the drawing board."

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

"I would say it's a pleasure to speak in this debate, but it clearly isn't," Labour MP Jim McMahon begins. "It's a horrendous time for many people in this country."

He calls for MPs to think of the human lived experience of people "who were doing exactly what they were asked to do." He says they are working hard, in multiple jobs, struggling, "but they do it because they've got a pride of work".

"The promise of a fair day's pay for a fair days work is simply not true," he says, suggesting the respect and pride of work has been destroyed.

The digital sales tax is "a con", he says. The people in this country "believe in fairness and fair play", and they understand that sometimes difficult decisions have been made, but they don't understand why big business gets to avoid tax rather than properly funding public services.

"If the government doesn't do something quick to give people back the hope that they need, then I really fear for the future of this country," he concludes.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour MP Tulip Sadiq says economic policy, when it comes to migration, should be "underpinned by tolerance and open mindedness", which is why she is so disappointed the Budget didn't include the reinstatement of the Migrant Impact Fund.

The fund was self financing fund and a result of requests by local authorities, she says, as well as being a statement of intent by a Labour government that "wanted to express our values by welcoming migrant communities".

"This is a historic time for our country when we need to have a shake up of migrant policy. We have to have a government that thinks about building resilience for our communities."

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour MP Tracey Brabin says she's "chuffed as nuts" at the the announcement Channel 4 will be opening a new national HQ in Leeds.

On business and the Budget, she says the fate of many nurseries is "set by the decisions by this government".

"A rise in the minimum wage is very welcome," she says, but it should come at the same time as an uplift in funding for childcare.

"My real fear that with this extra pressure on budgets, many excellent nurseries will go out of business... these businesses are calling out for support and they are not alone."

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour MP Daniel Zeichner says there was "not a mention" of maintained nursery schools in the Budget, whilst sixth form colleges have also "been treated with disdain". There was also no mention of further education.

"It’s a disgrace," he says, adding that there was more money for potholes than schools.

"Let me divert briefly into those potholes," he continues, "the backlog is worth £12bn" - the money put forward will leave 29 out of every 30 unfilled.

"I doubt even one school in every 29 will find the little extras adequate."