Wednesday, 19 March 2014 12:45
Budget 2014: UK growth up to 2.7% this year
The Chancellor today unveiled what he declared was "a Budget for a resilient Britain" as he addressed the House of Commons with his latest spending plans.
Addressing MPs for his fifth budget, Mr Osborne rose to speak at 12.33pm and said the economic plan set out by the Government was working and Britain was back on a growth trajectory with growth forecast for the next four years.
The Chancellor welcomed the latest official job figures, released today, showing unemployment fell by 63,000 in the three months to January.
Each family is more secure as a result, he said, adding that job forecasts by critics were "spectacularly wrong"
He said: "This is a Government whose plan is delivering jobs," pointing to a higher employment rate than the USA for the first time in 28 years and he added: "That's what we mean when we say we're getting Britain working."
He said: "The economy is continuing to recover and faster than forecast. We set out our plan and together with the British people we held our nerve. We are putting it right."
He said the OBR was revising its UK economic growth forecast again for 2014 up to 2.7%, from the forecast four months ago of 2.4% with similar levels of growth expected for the following years. He said this was the "biggest upward revision to growth between budgets for 30 years".
He said: "There's no major advanced economy in the world growing faster than Britain is today" although he warned the Ukraine crisis could destabilise European growth and underlined the need for a "resilient Britain."
Later this year the OBR expects Britain's economy to reach the point to being bigger than when it hit recession six years ago.
He said Britain does not export, invest or save enough and that this would be a Budget for "makers, doers and savers."
He said: "Support for savers is at the centre of this Budget."
He said Britain had borrowed too much and saved too little.
The biggest single saving of all is going to be a £42bn reduction in interest on the debt – money going to creditors around the world that will now go to NHS and public services.
Mr Osborne said the deficit would be turned into a surplus of £5bn by 2018/19.
• Check back here for more Budget coverage this afternoon and follow our live Budget2014 feed on @fpm_online. Tweet us your views too on the Budget.
Addressing MPs for his fifth budget, Mr Osborne rose to speak at 12.33pm and said the economic plan set out by the Government was working and Britain was back on a growth trajectory with growth forecast for the next four years.
The Chancellor welcomed the latest official job figures, released today, showing unemployment fell by 63,000 in the three months to January.
Each family is more secure as a result, he said, adding that job forecasts by critics were "spectacularly wrong"
He said: "This is a Government whose plan is delivering jobs," pointing to a higher employment rate than the USA for the first time in 28 years and he added: "That's what we mean when we say we're getting Britain working."
He said: "The economy is continuing to recover and faster than forecast. We set out our plan and together with the British people we held our nerve. We are putting it right."
He said the OBR was revising its UK economic growth forecast again for 2014 up to 2.7%, from the forecast four months ago of 2.4% with similar levels of growth expected for the following years. He said this was the "biggest upward revision to growth between budgets for 30 years".
He said: "There's no major advanced economy in the world growing faster than Britain is today" although he warned the Ukraine crisis could destabilise European growth and underlined the need for a "resilient Britain."
Later this year the OBR expects Britain's economy to reach the point to being bigger than when it hit recession six years ago.
He said Britain does not export, invest or save enough and that this would be a Budget for "makers, doers and savers."
He said: "Support for savers is at the centre of this Budget."
He said Britain had borrowed too much and saved too little.
The biggest single saving of all is going to be a £42bn reduction in interest on the debt – money going to creditors around the world that will now go to NHS and public services.
Mr Osborne said the deficit would be turned into a surplus of £5bn by 2018/19.
• Check back here for more Budget coverage this afternoon and follow our live Budget2014 feed on @fpm_online. Tweet us your views too on the Budget.
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