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The Chancellor has today (March 11) set out a £12 billion action plan in response to the economic impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, as part of a Budget that delivers historic levels of public investment, levels up the country and lays the foundations for a decade of growth.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said Britain will rise to the challenge of COVID-19, with a package of measures to support public services, individuals and businesses that may be affected by the outbreak.
In addition to responding to the immediate impact of COVID-19, the Chancellor pledged to put hardworking people first, put more money in their pocket, invest a record amount in infrastructure, boost public services, back business and set out a vision for a greener future.
A record half a trillion pounds (£640 billion) will be invested in Britain’s roads, railways and digital networks to give us the infrastructure that will support economic growth.
The Budget also provides billions of pounds to support our world-class public services; with funding for 50,000 more nurses and 50 million more GP surgery appointments a year.
Millions of families will have more cash to spend thanks to tax cuts through an increase in National Insurance thresholds and a cash boost to the National Living Wage (NLW). The Budget also takes action to support businesses of all sizes and accelerates the UK’s progress towards a greener economy. The Comprehensive Spending Review, which will set out the government’s detailed spending plans for this Parliament, was also launched today and will conclude in July.
Delivering the budget in Parliament Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said:
This Budget responds, at scale, to the immediate threat of Coronavirus and it reports on an economy whose foundations are strong. It is a Budget that provides for security today.
He added:
This is a Budget that will deliver on our promises to the British people and it is the budget of a government that gets things done.
We’re at the beginning of a new era in this country. We have the freedom and the resource to decide our own future.
The Chancellor pledged to do whatever it takes to support the economy through the disruption caused by COVID-19 with a £12 billion package of targeted measures. It included a £5 billion emergency response fund to support the NHS and other public services, £40 million of new funding for rapid research into COVID-19 and a commitment of up to £150 million to the International Monetary Fund’s Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust.
To support people affected, the Chancellor announced the government would be extending Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for all those who are advised to self-isolate and their carers – even if they haven’t yet presented with symptoms. Statutory Sick Pay costs for businesses with fewer than 250 employees will be met by the government in full for up to 14 days.
Rishi Sunak also set out plans to support the self-employed, those earning below the Lower Earnings Limit of £118 per week and a new £500 million Hardship Fund to directly support vulnerable people. The government will also increase the Business Rates retail discount to 100% for one year and expand it to the leisure and hospitality sectors.
By the end of the Parliament, day to day spending on public services will be £100 billion higher in cash terms than it is today. This Budget commits more than £6 billion of new funding in this Parliament to support the NHS, including to create 50m more GP surgery appointments, ensure there are 50,000 more nurses. The NHS Settlement provided the largest cash increase in public services since the Second World War – an additional £33.9 billion per year by 2024.
Billions of investment will be provided across the length and breadth of the country to support communities poorly served by old roads, communications and housing:
more than £27 billion will be spent on upgrading strategic roads and £2.5 billion will be spent on fixing potholes
£5 billion will go towards the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband in the hardest to reach areas
following the recent floods, which devastated parts of the UK, the Chancellor has pledged a record £5.2 billion over six years for flood defences
The Chancellor also put more money into the pockets of 31 million working people thanks to National Insurance Contribution thresholds increasing to £9,500, saving the typical employee around £104 a year from April, while the National Living Wage will increase to £8.72. This is on top a freeze in Fuel Duty, for the tenth consecutive year, and a freeze in duty rates for beer, cider and spirits, while the ‘Tampon Tax’ will be scrapped.
From April, small businesses will benefit from an increase to the Employment Allowance, reducing their employer National Insurance bills by £850 on average and there will be fundamental review of business rates.
To accelerate the UK’s progress towards net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and protect the environment for future generations, the Chancellor announced £500 million for electric car charging infrastructure, to ensure drivers are never further than 30 miles away from a rapid charger. Tree planting in England will increase by 600% and to tackle the scourge of single-use plastics, a consultation will be launched on introducing a Plastic Packaging Tax.
The Chancellor has also pledged to level up all parts of the UK, with measures to spread opportunity and ensuring everyone benefits from growth. He announced the West Yorkshire Devolution Deal, which will help the region boom through the creation of a Mayoral Combined Authority, while a government economic decision-making hub will be created in the North of England.
As a result of the budget:
Further measures announced by the Chancellor can be found at this factsheet.
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Thank you, Mr President, and thank you for organising this meeting on this extremely important topic, and we very much welcome the PRST adopted today. We’re pleased in particular that it recognises the importance of a holistic approach; regional strategies and action plans, as well as the importance of human rights; the use of sexual violence as a tactic of terrorism and tackling that, and the importance of building inclusive and meaningful partnerships to counter-terrorism to bring perpetrators to justice and prevent violent extremism. It is relevant not only to Africa, but, of course, beyond. Thank you also to our briefers for their very rich and informative presentations.
Mr President, as we’ve heard previously in this chamber, the terrorist threat in Africa is rapidly evolving and the threat of foreign terrorist fighters and returnees highlights the risks posed by Daesh and Al-Qaeda affiliates, including groups in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, amongst others. And we’re very pleased that the United Nations has listed ISIL in West Africa province and ISIL in the Greater Sahara under 1267 sanctions regime.
But we also know, Mr President, that the threat of terrorism doesn’t follow boundaries. The United Kingdom, therefore, stresses the value of international and regional cooperation to identify threats, strengthen responses and ensure that these align with international norms and standards. Having the right mechanisms and partnerships in place is key to ensuring that we can exchange information about plots and ensure that the perpetrators can be arrested, investigated and prosecuted in accordance with national and international legal obligations.
Too often, Mr President, information sharing, even within government, is inadequate, let alone between countries. But there is a simple equation: the greater the information sharing and cooperation, the worse terrorists do. I’m afraid the inverse is also true. Relations between countries can be complex but terrorism should always be a common cause.
Now, Mr President, this Council has developed a robust counter-terrorism framework. Member states must continue to implement relevant resolutions, and we stress the important role of CTED in working with states to strengthen compliance with CT obligations and identify technical assistant needs and encourage OCT, UNDP and others to follow up on CTED’s recommendations and help member states to strengthen their capacities. We believe the United Nations should continue to work to enhance capacity-building efforts in Africa, which also, of course, complements bilateral support by members of the Council and other member states of the United Nations.
And for our part, Mr President, the United Kingdom supports counter-terrorism capacity-building projects through bilateral programmes in countries throughout Africa, which tackle different dimensions of counter-terrorism and prevention of violent extremism, including through development, police, military and other security cooperation.
And a few examples, if I might: in East Africa, we’ve been working with UNODC to construct detention facilities in Somalia in line with international standards, while in Kenya we are collaborating to strengthen crisis response and crime scene management.
In West Africa, we’re working with prosecutors in Nigeria on counter-terrorism cases at the pre-trial stage with the aim of a higher conviction rate and have collaborated on aviation security. I would say, if I may, as well, as the Foreign Office’s National Security Director, I took control of the government’s response to the attacks in Tunis and in Sus, where over 30 British nationals were killed. And we have worked tirelessly since with our Tunisian friends to build capacity and support their – and I stress the word “their” – security priorities. Elsewhere, we’re also working with local law enforcement and criminal justice officials across different African countries to build robust cases based on evidence to process those terrorist cases through the court system to hopefully conviction and imprisonment and developing rule of law based operational responses.
Now, Mr President, as highlighted by the PRST we’ve adopted today, tackling terrorism is not simply a matter of security. Of course, security is vital and it is in all our countries primarily a proportionate security response to stopping attacks and arresting known terrorists, which is vital. But it is not of itself sufficient. An issue we face in many countries is the provision of essential services by terrorist groups in particular areas. So our approach must be security led, but with the provision of services and ensuring a positive impact on communities.
And what about those, Mr President, whom our security forces have not been able to individually identify as terrorists or conducting terrorist attacks? This is where the prevention agenda comes in – preventing people from becoming or supporting terrorists or violent extremists. And I want to stress here Rosemary DiCarlo’s point: there cannot be a “one size fits all” solution. Prevention needs to be, above all, a local endeavour, taking account of local factors, developed with local communities and local authorities. What works in London will not necessarily work in Manchester. What’s needed in Eastley will not necessarily be what’s needed in Mumbasa.
I talked earlier about counter-terrorism being common cause even when relations between difficult countries are difficult, and I can say as the Foreign Office’s National Security Director, I also had the honour to visit Moscow and I regularly discuss this issue with my Russian colleagues. I feel it is important to keep dialogue open and work together on counter-terrorism issues. We have enough arguments with our Russian friends here and I don’t see any need to on this issue. So I’m not going to respond to the Russian representative’s political points. But I do want to say that when I listened to the concerns he expressed, I want to reassure our Russian friends that prevention of violent extremism can never be an externally driven approach. It can only work in cooperation with states, whether at national level or local level. And it’s not a dichotomy between the two; state involvement, community involvement, civil society involvement, none of these things should be thought of as exclusive. I hope that provides some reassurance, Mr President, of the UK’s view and the approach we’re trying to take.
Let me draw an end by saying that the nature of the threat today calls for not just the whole of government, but also a whole of society approach based on strong partnerships between governments, communities and international and regional actors. But we know also that measures which infringe on human rights and put citizens at odds with their own government can exacerbate tensions and fuel radicalisation and recruitment by terrorist groups.
And of course, while states have legitimate concerns about terrorism, we must stress that all responses must be proportionate. And as we so often reiterate in our Council’s resolutions, these measures must not foster association between terrorism, any religion, nationality and civilisation or ethnic group. This is not just what is the right thing to do; it is the most effective approach. Mass stigmatisation or repression of a minority or a religion is likely only to fuel grievances and create a narrative that can further radicalise individuals locally and globally.
Mr. President, let me conclude by saying the threat picture is changing in Africa and terrorists everywhere continue to adapt their techniques and operations. We see a fast, evolving situation on the continent where violent extremism is spreading outside of terrorist-affected countries and incipient groups forming in new locations. This will have major long-term implications not just for the continent, but also for security and prosperity more widely. The United Kingdom stands by our African partners and friends in this fight. It is one which we must win.
Thank you, Mr President.
Today’s (11 March 2020) budget has announced that government is providing £532 million for consumer incentives for ultra-low emission vehicles. As part of that:
This note confirms the implications of this new support for the plug in car, van, taxi and motorcycle grants.
Starting Thursday 12 March (2020), those making the switch to electric cars will be eligible for a grant of up to £3,000. As the uptake of zero-emission cars increases, a small reduction to the grant, as well as excluding cars costing £50,000 or more will allow more drivers to benefit from making the switch for longer. These changes will come into effect on orders placed on the portal after 11:59pm on 11 March and the government will continue to keep the rate of the grant under review.
Alongside this, the government will also continue to provide grants to support the purchase of zero emission vans, taxis and motorbikes at the same rate as before.
The rates of all of the plug-in vehicle grants are subject to review over time, depending on how the market develops.