'Deliver families tax cuts or we're doomed'

With 10 days until the crunch Budget, Tories warn Hunt:

- David Williamson

JEREMY Hunt has been urged to unveil a "Budget for Families" in 10 days' time to save the Conservatives from election disaster.

Leading Tories worry they are being "hammered" by a tax system that does not recognise the true costs of bringing up children.

Former party treasurer Lord Farmer is warning that the party faces an "electoral mountain of distrust, despair and disillusionment".

With Labour enjoying a 20-point lead in the polls, the Budget on March 6 is seen as a vital opportunity for the Chancellor to show that the Government is on the side of working people.

Attacking the UK's "deeply unfair tax rules" Lord Farmer said: "Families with one wage or one-and-a-bit wages coming in are still totally hammered by our individualised tax system.

"It is blind to the costs of dependents, like children, and the contribution a parent makes by staying at home or greatly reducing their work to look after them."