Wendy Morton

My right hon. Friend is absolutely spot on. I was just about to come to the impact on young people. Recruitment and training were also raised at my business breakfast. Local employers want to recruit, but finding people with the right skills and experience remains a challenge. Employers need a more flexible apprenticeship system that gives young people the skills and experience that local businesses are looking for. With almost 1 million young people outside education, employment or training, it is time to close the gap between the skills that employers need and the opportunities that young people can access. We need training that leads to real jobs, apprenticeships that work for employers and a welfare system that expects those who can work to do so. Ministers need to give businesses the confidence to recruit, yet the Government’s answer is always to spend more and tax more. Their decisions will have added £75.1 billion to the tax burden by the end of this Parliament, with taxes forecast to reach their highest level on record. Families and businesses across my constituency are being asked to pay for a Government who cannot live within their means. We cannot revive our high streets by taxing businesses out of business and into closing their doors. It is time that the Treasury assesses the cumulative impact of its tax increases and this Government’s policy choices on jobs and investment, before more livelihoods and more opportunities for the next generation are lost. The Prime Minister may like writing a blank cheque, but what he really needs is a reality check from businesses such as those in my constituency. Let me speak about a sector that is close to my heart—hospices. For families in Aldridge-Brownhills, hospices such as Acorns children’s hospice and St Giles hospice provide care, comfort and support at some of life’s most difficult moments. Their staff, volunteers and fundraisers make an extraordinary contribution, but charitable generosity cannot keep pace with rising costs indefinitely. As Hospice UK has made clear, this Budget failed to address the funding crisis, even as hospices are cutting frontline services. There is a crucial distinction between funding buildings and funding care. Capital investment is absolutely welcome, but a refurbished room cannot care for a child; we need the specialist nurses to staff it. When the NHS commissions care from a hospice, its contracts should reflect the cost of providing that care. Hospices need fair funding in all postcodes so they can retain staff and plan services with confidence. This Budget falls short. It may buy the Chancellor some breathing space, but it offers precious little to my constituents and local businesses. It ducks the difficult decisions, leaves the ballooning welfare bill unchecked and pushes today’s problems further down the road, leaving the country less prepared for tomorrow. Just yesterday, there was a U-turn on indefinite leave to remain, which will only increase the welfare bill. Was that costed in the Budget? I really would like to know. We have a Government who are more concerned with keeping their Back Benchers happy than with taking the tough decisions that this country needs. The Chancellor may have bought himself time, but it is my constituents who will pay the price.