Time to unwrap some welcome Budget measures

FESTIVE decorations may be up, but things are far from winding down in Westminster. The Budget, delivered on November 26, has set the stage for a busy advent period as MPs like me will be spending December unpacking its contents.

- Liz Twist

There is much to welcome in this budget. It is one which prioritises public services (particularly our NHS), investment in infrastructure and, most importantly, lifting families out of poverty - and it did so in the face of tough economic conditions.

When the OBR published their review of the supply side of our economy, they were clear that this was not about the last 14 months, but the previous 14 years.

Budget after budget, Tory governments ushered in austerity measures, before finally crashing the economy with Liz Truss' infamous mini-budget.

Up against this inheritance, our Chancellor delivered a budget that maintains investment in capital and public services, and one which does so in the spirit of Labour values.

It was clear this would be a traditional Labour budget when we heard that the investment reserve of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme would be transferred back to its members.