Adam Thompson

I will not, because so many people want to speak tonight. If the Chancellor is looking for somewhere to celebrate his first Budget, I invite him to Erewash to try out the newly done-up function room at the Mill and Brook, or perhaps enjoy one of the Dewdrop’s famous cheese and onion cobs. I turn to the measures that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor has introduced for families. I was heartened to hear him present such an extensive raft of measures to help pull back the cost of living for so many people across Erewash and the country. Alongside the removal of VAT from electricity costs and scrapping standing charges on gas, there is the direct £100 payment this winter. It is an enormous step that pulls down energy bills for more than 40,000 families, from Sawley to Sandiacre and Shipley View. I also thank the Chancellor for his continued investment in Rolls-Royce. Royce’s is a huge employer in my constituency, and it is a great point of pride for us in Derbyshire that the most groundbreaking innovation in the world happens on our doorstep. The Chancellor has recognised how much Rolls-Royce and my constituents have to offer our country. That is what a Labour Budget is all about—rooting our economy in society and making them both fairer, and supporting working families, pensioners, carers and small businesses. It is great to have a Chancellor and a Government who listen to people, who will allow our communities to hope again, and who will put our communities back at the heart of our economy.