In a speech before Wednesday’s Budget announcement, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer emphasized the need for “tough decisions” to address fiscal challenges while ensuring “better days are ahead.”

He announced a £3 cap on bus fares in England, extending the current £2 cap, and pledged £240 million to support job seekers.

However, the Conservatives criticized Starmer for potentially breaking Labour’s election promise not to raise taxes on working people, as the Budget may include a rise in National Insurance rates and an extension of income tax threshold freezes, the BBC has reported.

Starmer acknowledged the necessity for tax increases to avoid austerity and rebuild public services, urging politicians to be honest about the economic trade-offs facing the country.

Written by B.C. Begley