SHE'S JAMMING ROCK STAR WELCOME FOR DUCHESS OF REGGAE

We’re on your side but we can’t solve all your problems, says Rishi

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The Duchess of Cambridge plays the drums alongside Prince William as they visited Bob Marley’s former home in Kingston, Jamaica an eye-watering 6.2 per cent in February, Mr Sunak added: “We will also be honest with them that we can’t solve all their problems.”

He was expected to signal that he planned to lower income tax in coming years, though it was not clear whether this would be by cutting the rate or raising the thresholds which were set to be frozen for the next four years.

The Chancellor was expected to announce that fuel duty would be cut, most likely by 5p a litre, and that the threshold for paying National Insurance contributions, due to be £9,880 in April, would rise to be more in line with the threshold for the basic rate of income tax which is £12,570.

More help was also expected to be offered to families on lower incomes through boosting funding for the Household Support Fund.

However, with inflation forecast to spiral even higher, possibly even into double figures, the Chancellor may leave himself open to accusations that he is not doing enough to help people with the immediate cost-of-living crisis.

Labour, which has called for the 1.25 percentage point increase in National Insurance contributions next month to be ditched, said Mr Sunak wanted to be known as the “low-tax Chancellor” but did not “walk the walk”.

He has also faced calls to drop the NI rise from senior Tory MPs including Mel Stride, chairman of the Commons Treasury committee, who argued that higher than expected tax receipts meant this could be done while still allocating an extra £12 billion for the NHS and social care.