Jeremy Hunt will have the daunting task of changing Prime Minister Liz Truss’ proposed mini-budget that cost her predecessor Kwasi Kwarteng the job.
Britain’s new finance secretary, Jeremy Hunt, announced on Saturday, the day after Liz Truss appointed him, that “difficult decisions” would have to be made to correct the PM’s economic plan. “A chancellor cannot control the markets but what I can do is show that we can fund our tax and spending plans and that will take some very difficult decisions,” he told Sky News.
Jeremy Hunt was appointed by Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss on Friday to succeed Kwasi Kwarteng, who was sacked amid an economic and financial crisis that has turned into a political crisis within the Conservative Party. This close friend of Rishi Sunak, former Boris Johnson finance secretary and opponent of Liz Truss in the Downing Street election campaign, is on a mission to take over the mini-budget announced by his predecessor on September 23 and which was very poorly received by the markets. , much of the Conservative Party and the British public.
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“Made fault
In his opinion, “mistakes” were made in this mini-budget, which envisages massive expenditure and tax cuts without clear financing. “The prime minister has recognized (these mistakes), that’s why I’m here,” he said, adding that he shares the “basics” of his economic project. “I want to be honest with the people: We have difficult decisions to make, the last few weeks have been very difficult,” he emphasized in his first public speech as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
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In particular, he announced that “spending will not increase as much as people would like” and that he would “call on all government departments to be more efficient”. “Some taxes won’t go down as fast as people would like,” and “some taxes will go up,” he added, specifically alluding to the new concession announced by Liz Truss on Friday. The Prime Minister has had to abandon the 19% retention of the corporate tax rate and accept keeping the previous Conservative government’s plan to increase it to 25%. Two weeks ago she had to forego a tax cut for the richest households in view of the Bronca that had also been awakened within the conservative party.