News
Kate Plummer
Mar 24, 2022
Indy
Sunak is in a good mood about his spring statement but he is pretty much on his own .
As per Politics Home's Adam Payne, Sunak reportedly said it was a "good, happy day" after he left the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs the evening after delivering the mini-budget in which he cut fuel duty, increased the national insurance threshold but increased national insurance contributions to pay for health and social care, and issued platitudes about eventually cutting tax in 2024 (just before the next potential general election, we wonder why...).
With inflation soaring, and the Office of Budgetary Responsibility warning that Brits are facing "the biggest fall in living standards" since records began, the mini-budget hasn't received much praise.
Not least because one of the public's major concerns is the soaring cost of their energy bills, which the statement didn't cover and the RAC have said the 5p cut to fuel duty doesn't begin to address people's budgetary concerns.
All this and more was reflected in the newspapers, of course, which regardless of their political allegiance ripped Sunak into shreds and pointed out the issues Brits will face moving forward.
Here's a rundown of how the nationals covered the mini-budget:
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The Independent: UK faces biggest fall in living standards on record
Thursday\u2019s INDEPENDENT Digital: \u201cUK faces biggest fall in living standards on record\u201d #TomorrowsPapersTodaypic.twitter.com/bqdv52tLrS— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@Allie Hodgkins-Brown) 1648073306
The Daily Express: THE FORGOTTEN MILLIONS SAY: WHAT ABOUT US?
Tomorrow's front page: The forgotten millions say: what about us?\n#TomorrowsPapersToday\nhttps://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1585273/pensions-news-latest-rishi-sunak-update-spring-statement-state-pension-triple-lock\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/J0pOJySldk— Daily Express (@Daily Express) 1648074009
The Guardian: Cost of living surges: and Sunak squeezes poorest
Thursday\u2019s GUARDIAN: \u201cCost of living surges: and Sunak squeezes poorest\u201d #TomorrowsPapersTodaypic.twitter.com/qRWQ7XUXDJ— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@Allie Hodgkins-Brown) 1648073527
The Daily Telegraph: 'The biggest fall in living standards on record'
Thursday\u2019s Daily TELEGRAPH: \u201c \u2018The biggest fall in living standards on record\u2019 \u201c. #TomorrowsPapersTodaypic.twitter.com/N7P2cptfKo— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@Allie Hodgkins-Brown) 1648073056
Daily Mail: NOW SLASH TAXES EVEN FURTHER
BBCNews: Thursday\u2019s Mail: \u201cNow slash taxes even further\u201d #BBCPapers #TomorrowsPapersToday https://bbc.in/3L7LhxP\u00a0pic.twitter.com/TziG40ToJZ— Centurion 24/7 (@Centurion 24/7) 1648107920
The Financial Times: Sunak banks windfall for pre-election tax cut as cost of living crisis hits home
Thursday\u2019s FINANCIAL TIMES: \u201cSunak banks windfall for pre-election tax cut as cost of living crisis hits home\u201d #TomorrowsPapersTodaypic.twitter.com/EcLhy99AKj— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@Allie Hodgkins-Brown) 1648070167
The Mirror: THANKS FOR NOTHING
Thursday\u2019s Daily MIRROR: \u201cThanks For Nothing\u201d #TomorrowsPapersTodaypic.twitter.com/LcL7VymTPS— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@Allie Hodgkins-Brown) 1648086178
The Times: Biggest fall in living standards since 1950s
Thursday\u2019s TIMES: \u201cBiggest fall in living standards since 1950s\u201d #TomorrowsPapersTodaypic.twitter.com/beEs4s18vQ— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@Allie Hodgkins-Brown) 1648086276
The i: Biggest hit to living standards since age of rationing
Thursday\u2019s i - \u201cBiggest hit to living standards since age of rationing\u201d #TomorrowsPapersTodaypic.twitter.com/F4KSAiFunj— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@Allie Hodgkins-Brown) 1648072966
The Metro: NO HEAT TO EAT
Thursday\u2019s METRO: \u201cNo Heat To Eat\u201d #TomorrowsPapersTodaypic.twitter.com/IFRwFdyQqq— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@Allie Hodgkins-Brown) 1648070279
Pundits and journalists were even surprised by how negative the coverage was:
Wow. Tomorrow\u2019s front pages are terrible for the Tories, even the ones who normally lap up any old guff they\u2019re given from CCHQ. I thought they\u2019d get a free ride for at least 24 hours from the usual sycophants. Apparently not.— Tim Farron (@Tim Farron) 1648081191
I doubt these were the front-pages Sunak dreamed of \n#SpringStatement2022pic.twitter.com/JigI1ZalyZ— Tim (@Tim) 1648074392
Just catching up with the front pages and\u2026 wow\n\nNot the spreads the chancellor was hoping for - absolutely brutalpic.twitter.com/Fx8DALUkxE— Nadine Batchelor-Hunt (@Nadine Batchelor-Hunt) 1648083134
I\u2019m surprised by how negative the front pages are today. I\u2019d assumed 5p off fuel duty and 1p off income tax would buy a day\u2019s good press from the usually supportive papers.pic.twitter.com/vu6X66Inm9— Duncan Weldon (@Duncan Weldon) 1648102955
It appears the media is aligned with public opinion. A snap poll by YouGov found that 69 per cent believe the government has not done enough to help with the cost of living crisis and 42 per cent say the policies won't benefit them very much.
At least the statement proved rich for photo ops.
A "happy day" indeed...
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