Josh Fenton-Glynn

For my constituents and those across the country, life is hard, and it has not shown signs of getting easier. The previous Government were the first in decades to preside over a fall in the standard of living and, with Trump’s war in the middle east, things are unlikely to get better as quickly as we would like. That is why I welcome the support being provided to households facing higher energy costs. For many families, an extra £100 will not transform their circumstances overnight—no one is pretending otherwise—but every pound matters, and that support matters, too. In Calderdale, almost nine out of 10 houses are expected to be eligible for the £100 household energy payment. That means that the overwhelming majority of my constituents will receive direct support this winter. For many people, the support will ease some of the pressures on their household budgets at exactly the moment they need that the most. I welcome the expansion of the warm home discount, too. By widening eligibility, the Government have almost doubled the number of households in the scheme to 6 million. That means millions more families receiving £150 off their energy bills this winter. Too often, those on the lowest incomes have faced what is known as the poverty premium, made famous by Terry Pratchett with his “Captain Vimes’s Boots” theory of economics: the less money you have, the more things cost. We see that in our insurance costs, in the costs of credit and, importantly, in the cost of fuel. That is why ending standing charges will make a difference, as those who use less energy will pay less. Helping those households is not simply about fairness; it is also good economics as the money from these measures will not sit unused, stored thousands of miles away in the Cayman Islands, but be spent in local communities on local high streets, helping local people. People will use it to pay bills, buy essentials and support local businesses, which will contribute to their high streets. The same principle applies to our businesses across Calder Valley. Business owners are ambitious to innovate, are determined to succeed and want it to be easier to invest, grow and create jobs. Whether because of energy costs, red tape or being locked out of Government contracts, for many of them the main concern has been staying afloat, not growing or taking on new people. That is why I welcome some of the changes to business rates announced in the Budget. Raising the threshold for small business rate relief for retail, hospitality and leisure from £12,000 to £18,000 means that 70,000 additional businesses will pay no business rates at all. In Calder Valley, that will make a huge difference to our collection of independent shops, cafés and pubs. Speaking of pubs, I am proud to see support for Britain’s small independent breweries. Calder Valley is home to fantastic independent breweries including Eagles Crag and Vocation. I am proud to have made a significant contribution to them over the years, but finding room to grow has not been easy. The support announced in the Budget will be welcomed across the brewing sector. While some Budgets look worse as time goes on—the famous omnishambles Budget and the Liz Truss Budget among them—this is one that will look better, with its help for small businesses and support for households. This Budget backs working people. This Budget backs British industry. It backs communities in Calder Valley, and I am proud to back it.